Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/M05751/01
Title:	PORTABLE, PARALLEL SOFTWARE ALGORITHMS FOR ANALYSES OF GEOGRAPHICAL DATA
Principal Investigator:	Gittings, Mr B
Other Investigators:	Trew, Professor AS Dowers, Mr S
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Institute of Geography
Organisation:	University of Edinburgh
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 August 1998	Ends:	31 July 1999	Value (£):	110,401
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Parallel Computing
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
This project seeks to develop parallel software in response to the accelerating demand in commerce, defence, research and environmental management for CPU-intensive processing of large geographical datasets. It seeks to stimulate new software products and applications by addressing a pivotal challenge, by proving that parallel processing of current models of vector-topology is viable. Two operations will be implemented: (a) the conversion of raster data, such as classified remotely-sensed images, to polygonal vector-topology. (b) the polygon overlay of vector-topological datasets. The operations will be built upon a skeletal software framework which will manage the partitioning of data into sub-areas and creation/collation of output data, encapsulate the inter-processor messaging and sychronisation inherent in parallel processing, and insulate the operation-specific code from the details of the data model and its implementation. Operation-specific code will thereby be made simple to develop, and through the development of multiple versions of the framework will be portable across sequential and parallel architectures, and potentially capable of interfacing with different commercial systems. Assessment of software performance and workshops with software developers and users will determine the choice of strategies for exploitation of the software, raise awareness of potential, and establish priorities for further research and development.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.ed.ac.uk