Unmarshaling SOS DescribeSensor response via JSONIX yields incomplete object

Question

I am attempting to use jsonix to unmarshal xml response from an SOS DescribeSensor request. In the broader scope I am going to be using jsonix to unmarshal all responses from SOS, particularly 2.0. I noticed that the response uses SML or SensorML namespace and so I added the extra module dependencies and sub-dependencies (namely GML_3_1_1, SWE_1_0_1, IC_2_0, SMIL_2_0, SMIL_2_0_Language, and of course SensorML_1_0_1). Before I added these I noticed the return was a generic json (see first screenshot, particularly near sml:physicalsystem). After I added the dependencies I got an error in my console during part of the unmarshaling process which I do not understand (see second screenshot). Here is a link to the xml response from the server for reference. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8LdnPVJpHz7M3VGb0FZc2lQcjQ/view?usp=sharing. I would really like to understand if this has anything to do with the ordering of the modules when I create the context though I believe it is fine. Once the solution to this is discovered I have two follow up questions.

1. Is it reasonable to expect (in general) that using the modules built from the ogc-schemas on the highsource github page should allow me to handle all responses via jsonix? i.e. every element will always be mapped to a defined type. I know these schemas/mappings are very complicated.

2. Are there any other tools I can use to verify the modules or validate them against schemas to make life easier rather than tracking down elements on an individual basis or tracing through various module files when jsonix seems to parse incorrectly?

Thanks in advance - Richard3d

var context = new Jsonix.Context([XLink_1_0, GML_3_2_1, IC_2_0, SMIL_2_0, SMIL_2_0_Language, GML_3_1_1, SWE_1_0_1, SensorML_1_0_1, OWS_1_1_0, SWE_2_0, SWES_2_0, WSN_T_1, WS_Addr_1_0_Core, OM_2_0, ISO19139_GMD_20070417, ISO19139_GCO_20070417, ISO19139_GSS_20070417, ISO19139_GTS_20070417, ISO19139_GSR_20070417, Filter_2_0, SOS_2_0]);

Answer 1

Disclaimer: I am the author of jsonix and main dev of ogc-schemas.

First of all, you're on the right track, stay on it.

Yes, if you have all the required mappings then you should get a "nice" JSON with all the properties with specific types, cardinatilities etc.
The goal of Jsonix is to provide bi-directional XML<->JSON conversion with deterministic structure, types and cardinalities.
The goal of OGC Schemas is to provide JAXB and Jsonix mappings for all of the OGC Schemas.
So togethere these two should allow to transform any OGC XMLs from/to JSON.

"Generic JSON" was actually just DOM. If a property allows DOM and Jsonix does not have mapping for certain element, it is just taken as DOM. You were just missing SensorML mappings.

You're right the structure of schema dependencies is very complex. But this is something we should take to OGC. :) It's a bit crazy that you need, like, a dozen of schemas to read sensor data. I was actually intending to build automatic loading of dependencies but did not yet implement this feature.

The next GML_3_1_1.AbstractFeatureType problem is probably this issue. Try changing the order of mappings (move GML_3_1_1 to the earlier places). Actually the order of mappings should not be significant, but, well, there's a bug.

Tools to cross-check - no, probably not. My approach is to do roundtrip tests (unmarshal-marshal-unmarshal-check equality). From experience, there are normally a couple of caveats at the start, but then it works by design. Of course there are bugs in Jsonix and there may be problems with mappings, but this gets sorted out.

Also feel to create a support project here:

https://github.com/highsource/jsonix-support

For instance https://github.com/highsource/jsonix-support/s/sos.

Here's an example of such a support project:

https://github.com/highsource/jsonix-support/tree/master/l/lightstalker89

I need this because just downloading XML from Google Drive (a) takes me effort to set up the support project (b) legally dangerous as I have not idea where this XML comes from and if I have rights/license to add these files to my test suites.