SOILx:Searchable Open Interactive Location-Based
experience
A VSSLR Project
To enhance soil science education through cooperation and innovative approaches to teaching and learning
Project Objectives
• Make VSSLR geographically accessible – Geo-locate and present the information of soil
study sites – Aggregate information from existing online VSSLR
modules and study sites
Current VSSLR Solutions
Soil Laboratories
Soil Processes
Land Use Impact
Parent Material
Soil Classification
Soil Biodiversity
Project Requirements
• Collaborative for soil scientists and educators
• Easy to use for end users• Easy to maintain for admins
Solution: SOILx
• End users perspective (UI & Usability)– teachers, – gardeners, – researchers, – etc.
• Aggregate information from existing tools • Web publishing, database, AR browser
Solution: SOILx
• SOILx presents data as:– Aggregate data: list/map/search results– Individual soil site data: text/multimedia– Augmented reality
Solution: SOILx
Solution: SOILx - Mapping
• Searchable• Relatable• Contextualizable
Solution: SOILx - Soil Site Pages
• Text description• Key facts• Videos and images• Expandable information• Links to VSSLR sites• animation
Solution: SOILx – Augmented Reality
• Real-world interaction with soil data
• Wikitude• Free AR tool• Supported on iOS,
Android, BlackBerry
Technology Stack
• Database: Google Fusion Tables• Platform: WordPress (@ UBC CMS)• Integration: SOILx Plugin
• Maps: Google Maps• Augmented Reality: Wikitude
Fusion Tables
Database: Fusion Tables
• Simple online data management
• Controllable access (especially for editing)
• Easy importing of data• Secure• Free*
Fusion Tables
*up to 25k requests and 250 Mb per day
Database: Fusion Tables
• Accessed like an online Excel sheet:
Database: Fusion Tables - Setup
• Requires Google Account
• Google Drive Document• Create Fusion Table• Define columns
Database: Fusion Tables - Data
• Adding data:• Importing from Excel• Manual adding/editing
• Data must be cleaned by importer!
• Data requirements
Data received
Data cleaned byAdministrator
Data loaded intoFusion Tables
Database: Fusion Tables - Extracting
• Data must be extracted for usability
• Address/key combofor security
• Fusion Tables APIfor instructions
Platform: WordPress
• Widely-used content management system
• Features:• Easy administration• Stable technology• Large community• Extendible• Secure
Databases(users, posts, settings, etc.)
Backend(easy administration)
Frontend(dynamic web pages)
User Experience(smooth administration, beautiful presentation)
Platform: WordPress
• Already used by UBC• Blogs: 23,000 members• Sites: 100s of sites for UBC
units and initiatives
• UBC already creates and manages other plugins
Platform: WordPress - Setup
• Requested a site hosted by UBC
• Associated “www.soilx.ca” address with UBC site
• Setting up on own is easy!• “Famous 5-minute Install”
@ WordPress.org
Platform: WordPress - Frontend
• What to look like?• Friendly and open• Customized
• Based on existing WordPress theme mutilated beyond recognition with CSS
Integration: SOILx Plugin - Backend
• Administration• Ability to define custom
search terms• Ability to specify which
Fusion Table to use• Documentation of plugin
and protocols
Integration: SOILx Plugin - Backend
• Data• SOILx Search = customized
Fusion Tables extraction• Plugin sends request to
Fusion Tables• Plugin turns response into
WordPress data
User search:POST request
Fusion Tables:sends data
WordPress:GET request
WordPress:makes page
Integration: SOILx Plugin – Soil Sites
• Individual soil site pages• Dynamically created from
complete Fusion Table row• Form of SOILx search• Plugin alters page content
based on data availability
Integration: SOILx Plugin - Aggregate
• Map/List/Search Results• Dynamically created from
Fusion Tables columns• Use Google Maps API to
create map, not Fusion Tables API
Integration: SOILx Plugin - AR
• Augmented reality• Requires data in ARML
format, an XML-like format• SOILx transforms Fusion
Tables data to ARML and sends to Wikitude
Integration: SOILx Plugin - Sharing
• Soil data publicly accessible in Fusion Tables
• Plugin open source and on github, a code repository
• Super easy to use, modify, and extend!
• Developer happy to help
Demo
• End users: Web, AR
• Adding new data (collaboration)
• Administering the site
Useful Links
• SOILx:www.soilx.ca
• WordPress: www.wordpress.org
• SOILx plugin code:https://github.com/nathansidles/soilweb
Credits
Saeed Dyanatkar
Dr. Nathan Basiliko
Chris Crowley
Dr. Angela Bedard-Haughen
Nathan Sidles
Kent Watson
Dr. Paul SanbornJulie Wilson
Dr. Maja Krzic
Shirley Ho