Geografic-Information-System/lib/python/temporal/pythontemporallib.dox

/*! \page pythontemporallib GRASS GIS Temporal Framework

by GRASS Development Team (http://grass.osgeo.org)

The GRASS GIS Temporal Framework

\section PythonTGISIntro Introduction

The GRASS GIS Temporal Framework implements the temporal GIS functionality of GRASS GIS
and provides an API to implement spatio-temporal processing modules. The framework 
introduces space time datasets that represent time series of raster, 3D raster or vector maps.
This framework provides the following functionalities: 
- Assign time stamp to maps and register maps in the temporal database
- Modification of time stamps
- Creation, renaming and deletion of space time datasets
- Registration and un-registration of maps in space time datasets
- Query of maps that are registered in space time datasets using SQL where statements
- Analysis of the spatio-temporal topology of space time datasets
- Sampling of space time datasets
- Computation of temporal and spatial relationships between registered maps
- Higher level functions that are shared between modules

Most of the functions described above are member functions of the maps and space time dataset classes.
Maps and space time datasets are represented as objects in the temporal framework.

\section PythonTGISPackages Library

Core functionality such as the database interface connection to sqlite3 
and postgresql as well as the creation of the temporal database are defined here:

- python::temporal::core

In these modules are the temporal database interfaces for raster maps, 
3D raster maps, vector maps and space time datasets defined. 
In addition the temporal and spatial extent modules implement the topological 
relationship computation that is needed for spatio-temporal topology computation:

- python::temporal::base
- python::temporal::spatial_extent
- python::temporal::temporal_extent
- python::temporal::metadata

Several "abstract" classes are defined that implement the shared functionality 
of time stamped maps and space time datasets, such as temporal and spatial
handling and representation:

- python::temporal::abstract_dataset
- python::temporal::abstract_temporal_dataset
- python::temporal::abstract_map_dataset
- python::temporal::abstract_space_time_dataset

All dataset classes that are used in the GRASS temporal modules are specified
here:

- python::temporal::space_time_datasets

Helper functions to compute temporal granularity, handling of datetime objects
and their conversion as well as topology computation are defined in these modules:

- python::temporal::datetime_math
- python::temporal::temporal_granularity
- python::temporal::temporal_relationships

Functionality that is shared between different temporal GRASS modules, such as
map listing, space time dataset creation, map registration and unregistration, 
aggregation, extraction, map calculation, statistics as well as import and export of 
space time datasets are defined here:

- python::temporal::aggregation
- python::temporal::create
- python::temporal::extract
- python::temporal::factory
- python::temporal::list
- python::temporal::mapcalc
- python::temporal::register
- python::temporal::sampling
- python::temporal::stds_export
- python::temporal::stds_import
- python::temporal::univar_statistics

Two helper functions to support the listing of space time datasets in the automatically generated GUI:

- python::temporal::gui_support

Lots of unit tests:

- python::temporal::unit_tests

\section PythonTGISExamples Examples

\subsection PythonTGISExamplesSimple Simple example

This simple example shows how to open a space time raster dataset
to access its registered maps.

\code
# Lets import the temporal framework and
# the script framework
import grass.temporal as tgis
import grass.script as grass

# Make sure the temporal database exists
# and set the temporal GIS environment
tgis.init()

# We create the temporal database interface for fast processing
dbif = tgis.SQLDatabaseInterfaceConnection()
dbif.connect()

# The id of a space time raster dataset is build from its name and its mapset
id = "test@PERMANENT"

# We create a space time raster dataset object 
strds = tgis.SpaceTimeRasterDataset(id)

# Check if the space time raster dataset is in the temporal database
if strds.is_in_db(dbif=dbif) == False:
    dbif.close()
    grass.fatal(_("Space time %s dataset <%s> not found") % (
        strds.get_new_map_instance(None).get_type(), id))

# Fill the object with the content from the temporal database
strds.select(dbif=dbif)

# Print informations about the space time raster dataset to stdout
strds.print_info()

# Get all maps that are registered in the strds and print
# informations about the maps to stdout
maps = strds.get_registered_maps_as_objects(dbif=dbif)

# We iterate over the temporal sorted map list
for map in maps:
    # We fill the map object with the content 
    # from the temporal database. We use the existing
    # database connection, otherwise a new connection 
    # will be established for each map object 
    # which slows the processing down
    map.select(dbif=dbif)
    map.print_info()

# Close the database connection
dbif.close()
\endcode


\subsection PythonTGISExamplesSTDSCreation Creation of a space time dataset

This example shows howto create a space time dataset. The code is generic and works
for different space time datasets (raster, 3D raster and vector): 

\code
# Lets import the temporal framework and
# the script framework
import grass.temporal as tgis
import grass.script as grass

# The id of the new space time dataset
id="test@PERMANENT"
# The title of the new space time dataset
title="This is a test dataset" 
# The description of the space time dataset
description="The description"
# The type of the space time dataset (strds, str3ds or stvds)
type="strds"
# The temporal type of the space time dataset (absolute or relative)
temporal_type="absolute"

# Make sure the temporal database exists
# and set the temporal GIS environment
tgis.init()

# We use the dataset factory to create an new space time dataset instance of a specific type
stds = tgis.dataset_factory(type, id)

# We need a dtabase connection to insert the content of the space time dataset
dbif = tgis.SQLDatabaseInterfaceConnection()
dbif.connect()

# First we check if the dataset is already in the database
if stds.is_in_db(dbif=dbif) and overwrite == False:
    dbif.close()
    grass.fatal(_("Space time %s dataset <%s> is already in the database. "
                    "Use the overwrite flag.") %
                (stds.get_new_map_instance(None).get_type(), name))

# We delete the exiting dataset and create a new one in case we are allowed to overwrite it
if stds.is_in_db(dbif=dbif) and overwrite == True:
    grass.warning(_("Overwrite space time %s dataset <%s> "
                    "and unregister all maps.") %
                (stds.get_new_map_instance(None).get_type(), name))
    stds.delete(dbif=dbif)
    stds = stds.get_new_instance(id)

# We set the initial values. This function also created the command history.
stds.set_initial_values(temporal_type=temporaltype, semantic_type="mean",
                        title=title, description=description)
                        
# Now we can insert the new space time dataset in the database
stds.insert(dbif=dbif)

# Close the database connection
dbif.close()
    
\endcode

\subsevtion PythonTGISExamplesShifting Temporal shifting

\code

import grass.script as grass
import grass.temporal as tgis

id="test@PERMANENT"
type="strds"

# Make sure the temporal database exists
tgis.init()

dbif = tgis.SQLDatabaseInterfaceConnection()
dbif.connect()

stds = tgis.dataset_factory(type, id)

if stds.is_in_db(dbif) == False:
    dbif.close()
    grass.fatal(_("Space time dataset <%s> not found in temporal database") % (id))

stds.select(dbif=dbif)

stds.snap(dbif=dbif)

stds.update_command_string(dbif=dbif)
dbif.close()

\endcode

\section PythonTGISAuthors Authors

Soeren Gebbert

TODO: add more documentation
*/