Spatial data warehouses and SOLAP using open-source tools

The use of data warehouses and OLAP tools has been increasing in the last few decades. Several organizations are seeking to extend those concepts in order to include spatial elements within the data analysis. However, having one tool that includes both OLAP operations and results presentation on geographic maps has proven to be challenging. If we add the requirement of using open-source software to achieve this, the scenario becomes even more defiant. This article uses a practical example to expose different challenges that can arise when working with spatial data warehouses and spatial OLAP. It also describes possible solutions offered by open-source tools in order to implement this type of applications.