BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//pretalx//talks.staging.osgeo.org//foss4g-europe-2025//talk//JACWA
 Q
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:CET
BEGIN:STANDARD
DTSTART:20001029T040000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=10
TZNAME:CET
TZOFFSETFROM:+0200
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
DTSTART:20000326T030000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=3
TZNAME:CEST
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0200
END:DAYLIGHT
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:pretalx-foss4g-europe-2025-JACWAQ@talks.staging.osgeo.org
DTSTART;TZID=CET:20250716T120000
DTEND;TZID=CET:20250716T123000
DESCRIPTION:Reconstructing past topographies of the Earth is essential for 
 understanding long-term interactions between the Earth’s interior\, its 
 surface and its atmosphere. We developed TopoChronia\, an open-source QGIS
  plugin (https://github.com/florianfranz/topo_chronia) that generates Digi
 tal Elevation Models (DEMs) of the Earth's past (palaeo-DEMs)\, using plat
 e tectonic reconstructions from the PANALESIS model. This represents a maj
 or transition from an outdated VBNET ArcGIS extension\, which was develope
 d in 2013 and is no longer functional due to software obsolescence.\nThe t
 ransition to open-source required a complete rewriting of the tool\, invol
 ving both a platform shift from ArcGIS to QGIS and a language shift from V
 BNET to Python. One of the main challenges was ensuring the reproducibilit
 y of past results\, as the old software could no longer be run\, and docum
 entation on the computational methodology was incomplete. This necessitate
 d a careful reassessment of key processing steps\, including the interpola
 tion method used to construct DEMs from scattered elevation points. The pr
 evious tool relied on ArcGIS’s Natural Neighbor interpolation\, which do
 es not have a direct and reliable open-source equivalent. Through an in-de
 pth comparative analysis\, we determined that the Triangulated Irregular N
 etwork (TIN) interpolation in QGIS provided equivalent (and slightly impro
 ved) results in reconstructing topography and estimating sea level.\nBeyon
 d technical challenges\, this transition also underscored broader issues i
 n scientific reproducibility. Many methodological choices in past palaeoge
 ographic reconstructions were undocumented or depended on expert knowledge
  not explicitly recorded in research papers. This lack of transparency com
 plicated the validation of new results and highlighted the need for open s
 oftware\, clear documentation\, and reproducible workflows in geospatial r
 esearch.\nIn addition to software accessibility\, data accessibility remai
 ns a critical issue. Until now\, the standard practice for sharing the PAN
 ALESIS-derived palaeo-DEM datasets has relied on informal\, manual distrib
 ution—researchers would need to request files by email. To address this 
 limitation\, we are developing a GeoServer-based solution to openly distri
 bute palaeo-DEMs\, aligning with FAIR (Findable\, Accessible\, Interoperab
 le\, and Reusable) principles. By making both the software and the data op
 enly available\, we aim to expand the use of deep-time palaeotopography in
  Earth system modeling and interdisciplinary research.\nThe development of
  TopoChronia demonstrates both the challenges and benefits of transitionin
 g legacy geospatial tools to open-source frameworks. While the process req
 uired overcoming software obsolescence\, re-evaluating computational metho
 ds\, and addressing gaps in documentation\, the result is a fully open\, c
 ommunity-accessible\, and sustainable tool that can be used and improved b
 y researchers worldwide. By embracing open science principles\, TopoChroni
 a lays the foundation for more transparent and collaborative palaeogeograp
 hic research\, ensuring that future studies can build upon reproducible an
 d well-documented methodologies.
DTSTAMP:20260527T053253Z
LOCATION:SA02
SUMMARY:Unearthing Proprietary Software into Open-Source: Lessons learned f
 rom TopoChronia\, a QGIS Plugin for Reconstructing Digital Elevation Model
 s of the Last 500 Million Years - Florian Franziskakis
URL:https://talks.staging.osgeo.org/foss4g-europe-2025/talk/JACWAQ/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR