1 Topic by Keith Balmer

  • Keith Balmer
  • Member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 23-04-2009
  • Posts: 25

Topic: Migrating to REST web-services

I've been trying to work out how to migrate my existing gateway IV 3.4 web-services to gateway V REST ones. (I know the new REST web-service documentation is still in development but there is sufficient to get started with.)

I have an existing form that allows a circular search area (OS easting/northing & radius) to be specified, as well as a set of datasets to search, species designation restrictions, start and end date limits, coarsest record resolution to use. This is all achieved using a single 'SpeciesListRequest' query. This returns a list of species, the number of records of each, their range of dates, and a map of the area searched.

The closest REST service that I've found appears to be 'taxonObservations/species'? This however does not return date-ranges for the records for each species? It also does not allow coarse resolution records (e.g. 10km) to be filtered-out? There is no map returned? Are these 'missing' features still available in the REST web-services? If so, are they documented somewhere that I've missed please?

Also what would be the syntax for specifying a circular search (WKT WGS-84 polygon filter) centred on an easting/northing and with a 2km radius? I fear this may now be messy if it has to be specified in WGS84. It would be good if OS coordinates could still be supported.

I also have web-services that return grid maps using the old 'GridMapRequest' web-service. I can't find anything that returns any gridmaps in the current REST documentation. Are these still to be documented or did I miss them?

Thanks, Keith

2 Reply by BDeed (edited by BDeed 11-11-2013 18:22:29)

  • BDeed
  • Veteran
  • Offline
  • From: Bolton
  • Registered: 01-03-2011
  • Posts: 446

Re: Migrating to REST web-services

Hi Keith,

I've also been playing with this but can't seem to find a way to download actual records via the API. The taxonObservations/species/download function just seems to provide a spreadsheet list of species that match the query rather than actual occurrences/records. You may have also seen the taxonObservations/download function but these just seem to pull back reports.

If you know of a function i have missed please let me know!

Cheers,

Ben

Natural History & Biodiversity Data Enthusiast

3 Reply by kbalmer (edited by kbalmer 22-01-2014 10:28:06)

  • kbalmer
  • Veteran
  • Offline
  • From: Bedford
  • Registered: 12-05-2006
  • Posts: 162

Re: Migrating to REST web-services

I now have a web-page successfully using REST 'taxonObservations/species' to perform a circular search centred on OS coordinates, with programmable radius, which produces a species list with record count, sorted various ways, and using various filters on date, designations and datasets, i.e. much as I had using SOAP's 'SpeciesListRequest' web-service on Gateway 4.

However it is still deficient in two important areas:

1) There appears to be no way to filter-out 10km records, so it is being swamped by coarse records from way beyond the search area. This is making it fairly useless.

2) There is no range of years returned for each species found, (e.g. 1993-2007). There is thus no clue as to whether the records are recent or historic.

These were both built into the SOAP 'SpeciesListRequest' query and were ideal, but these particular babies appear to have been thrown out with the bathwater and the SOAP in producing the REST API?

Is there any possibility of having these features restored please? (Or can someone please advise on how they can be achieved using the current REST API?).

Thanks, Keith

kbalmer's Website

4 Reply by kbalmer

  • kbalmer
  • Veteran
  • Offline
  • From: Bedford
  • Registered: 12-05-2006
  • Posts: 162

Re: Migrating to REST web-services

I am still unaware of how I can filter out 10km records or obtain date ranges for each species.

Has there been any progress on restoring these two lost, important, pieces of functionality please? (The documentation suggests not).

Thanks, Keith

kbalmer's Website

5 Reply by matt.debont

  • matt.debont
  • Veteran
  • Offline
  • From: Peterborough
  • Registered: 04-11-2013
  • Posts: 145

Re: Migrating to REST web-services

Sorry I haven't managed to get around to these issue as of yet, but we have them in the pipeline, we have been busy dealing with stability issues / game-stopping bugs at present. We will get to these issues but I can't give an ETA right now with regards to this, sorry its taking so long for some of these features to come out, but they are going to be included.

Matt

Matt Debont
Application Developer
Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Monkstone House, City Road, Peterborough PE1 1JY, UK