Produce a report for each dataset

[ricardogsilva]

Trends.Earth shall be able to generate reports about known datasets. These reports will be generated by leveraging QGIS' map printing capabilities, namely the ability to specify map layouts with maps and additional visual and alphanumeric information.

Generating a report

A dataset's details dialogue shall have an Export report... button that the user may click to get a PDF file with a report about the dataset. This button shall be compound and will present three options:

• Export report as PDF - Upon clicking this button the report is generated and saved to the plugin base dir without any further action by the user. The report is also opened in an external PDF viewer

• Export report as PNG - The same as the previous option but uses PNG as the report file format. After saving, the report is opened in an external image viewer.

• Modify and export report... - Upon clicking this button the QGIS layout editor dialogue shall open with the template of the report loaded up in such a way as to allow the user to modify the layout and then ask for a PDF export manually

Report contents

Here is a rough example of what a report may look like:

Page 1

Page2

As shown above, each report shall be composed of two pages. The first page shows a large map area while the second page is mostly about displaying the dataset details. Thus a report shall show on its first page:

• A title and subtitle

• A map area that shows:

  • The dataset being reported upon

  • Some reference data:

  • Country borders

  • Major cities

• Some map annotations:

  • scale bar
  • north arrow
  • grid
  • legend

• The UNCCD disclaimer, with the following text:

  The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

• Report generation date

• Report number of pages

And on the second page:

• The same title and subtitle

• A smaller map, showing the spatial context of the main map. This has less detailed reference data.

• All automatically-generated details about the dataset, including details about the algorithm that was used to generate it

• All user-supplied notes about the dataset gathered in the algorithm execution dialogues

• If the dataset represents one of the main SDG final indicators, the report shall show an additional section with the indicator's overall score

Reports shall also use different layouts according with the extents of the reported area. If the region of interest's width is larger than its height the report shall be oriented in Landscape mode. Otherwise it shall use Portrait mode, as shown on the below sketches:

Further report constraints

These were sent out by the UNCCD as additional constraints that reports should meet:

• The format of the template is not too much of a concern, Any of the image files - jpg, png would be acceptable.

• We would be using a UN political boundary map which is not in the public domain.

-> to be provided by UNCCD

• Alternatively, if they’ve uploaded their own boundary through T.E, then that would need to appear on the map.

• All maps produced under the United Nations imprint must include the general disclaimer: The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

• Maps showing the following areas must include an additional special disclaimer:

  • Jammu and Kashmir,
  • Sudan and South Sudan,
  • Abyei,
  • Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

-> UNCCD to provide these

• The map template will need to be dynamic enough to re-orientate to match the country shape, think of Thailand - long and thin (portrait map), compared to Mongolia in width (landscape map). This dynamic orientation could use the bounding box of the country extent to set the boundaries of the map.

• We were wondering though how to handle national projections? For example if all the default data are provided in WGS 84, we would want to avoid the “stretched” appearance that might be created in some countries that span lines of longitude or latitude. Country projection would overcome this issue.

• There will be provisions for countries to use their own land cover legend, as an alternative to the 7 UNCCD classes. This would require any map template to be able to accommodate a variable number of land cover classes and for the legend to be customizable for a color palette for each LC class.

• There will need to be a placeholder for text in the map template allowing the country to write credits/attributions as they wish, assuming they will use the same credits/attributions for all maps. This might require some user interaction, e.g. by filling in a simple text box.

• Our current estimates (which might be subject to revision and is very much the upper limit) is that there could be 35 templated maps per country report. These would most likely appear as a map annex to the main country report. However, building the report and inserting the map files into the report will be done in the PRAIS report builder module.

[boc84]

Hi Ricardo, I will send an email separately with link to the UN political boundaries file at 1:1M scale. The full dataset includes polygons of countries (BNDA_CTY), international and administrative boundaries (BNDL), administrative units, first and second subnational level (BNDA_A1 and _A2). However for now I am sending just BNDA_CTY as sub-national boundaries are not needed on our maps.

The disclaimers for specific maps:

_Dotted line represents approximately the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir agreed upon by India and Pakistan. The final status of Jammu and Kashmir has not yet been agreed upon by the parties_.

Final boundary between the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan has not yet been determined.

Final status of the Abyei area is not yet determined

A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).

Please acknowledge the terms of use here below, particularly the section in bold:

Terms of Use

United Nations map geospatial database (and hereafter referred to as the “Data”) is a worldwide geospatial database consisting of country and geographic name information on a global scale. The Data is designed for the production of cartographic documents and maps, including their dissemination via public electronic networks, for the Secretariat of the United Nations, as set forth in the Administrative Instruction of the Secretary-General of the United Nations concerning “Guidelines for the Publication of Maps” (ST/AI/189/Add.25/Rev.1).

The United Nations maintains the Data as a courtesy to those who may choose to access the Data (“Users”). The Data is provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, without limitation, warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

The designations employed and the presentation of material contained in the Data do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Offices of the Secretariat of the United Nations using the Data remain subject to the administrative instruction and, therefore, prior to the issuance of any map or services derived from the Data at any duty station, including via Internet, clearance must be sought in order to ensure that maps or services meet publication standards and that they are not in contravention of existing United Nations policies. To request map clearance for your maps, please contact: geospatial@un.org.

Users of the Data that are not subject to the administrative instruction (“Outside Users”) may only use the Data for the purpose for which the Data is suitable, as identified by the Geospatial Information Section upon transmission of or granting access to the Data. Intellectual property over the Data shall at all times vest with the United Nations. Intellectual property over the products created using the Data shall vest with the Outside User. The United Nations shall be recognized as the source of the Data in any products created by Outside Users using the Data, unless the Outside Users alter the Data or combine the Data with other data sets. In case of doubt regarding crediting the United Nations as the Data source, please contact: geospatial@un.org. Outside Users acknowledge that any right to access and use the Data is revocable and non-transferable. Under no circumstances may the Data be used for commercial purposes.

The United Nations specifically does not make any warranties or representations as to the accuracy or completeness of the Data. The United Nations periodically adds, changes, improves or updates the Data without notice. Under no circumstances shall the United Nations be liable for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered in connection to the use of this Data, including, without limitation, any fault, error, omission, interruption or delay with respect thereto. The use of the Data is at the User’s sole risk. Under no circumstances, including but not limited to negligence, shall the United Nations be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages.

[azvoleff]

@ricardogsilva - didn't have a chance to mention on the phone last week, but I wanted to discuss the current "add basemap" function in the plugin further. On the phone last week I think you mentioned dropping this in favor of existing plugins that could provide this functionality. Is there another plugin that offers the ability to add vector data to the map (with styling, etc., already defined)? Or were you referring to plugins like openlayers that allow viewing openstreetmap and other sources as background layers?

The basemap functionality in the current plugin is heavily used by our current users, particularly given many are either completely new to GIS (with use of this plugin their first exposure to GIS), or else at minimum very new. Given that it is important that the plugin be accessible with a minimum of training/ The other reason we included it is because it is an easy way for users to directly access the vectors used to define the regions in the plugin drop down lists without having to access and style that data themselves (and we also heavily compressed the data so that users with limited bandwidth can access it, and/or we can provide to users directly via a USB stick when necessary).

Given all the above, and that we included the basemap functionality in the current version in direct response to user feedback, I am very reluctant to drop it unless we have a very easy to use replacement, that also allows usage in scenarios where there is zero network access. Any thoughts on this based on your past experience?

[timlinux]

Closed as these items have been managed through subsequent issues.