Spatial OnLine Analytical Processing of Geographic Data through the Google Earth Interface

OnLine Analytical Processing (OLAP) tools act as support systems for Decision Makers to discover new knowledge hidden within data warehouses. In the spatial domain this capability is crucial. However, notwithstanding the pressing need for Spatial OLAP (SOLAP) tools, only very few are currently available. Such tools present several limitations in terms of their flexibility in the functionality and the analytical properties they provide. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a web-based SOLAP tool, which relies on the integration of a standard Geobrowser (Google Earth) with a freely available OLAP engine, namely Mondrian. Our system allows a Decision Maker to perform exploration and analysis of spatial data both through the Geobrowser and a Pivot Table in a seamlessly fashion. In this paper, we illustrate the main features of the system we have developed, together with the underlying architecture, using a simulated case study.