future directions for mapserver

[Stephen Lime]

1) MapServer can certainly be used in a multiserver environment. The ability is not built
into the core program (not sure it is with ArcIMS either) and would need to be handled
using load balancing hardware/software and some mirroring software to keep the sites
in sync. It certainly can, and has been done. I posted a perl script based on some stuff
written by Chris Stuber to balance mapping across a small server farm. Worked great.
You just don't have those admin tools out-of-the-box as with ArcIMS. Perhaps someone
wants to work on such.

2) As part of WMT compliance I'm planning to support vector serving using GML in addition
to raster outputs. One goal I have is to make the DNR Data Deli a full participant (serving data,
images and metadata) of the ESRI Geography Network. This can only be done with WMT and
would make us probably the only non-ArcIMS participant.

I think MapServer has already moved beyond simple map making and record retrieval. MapScript
and PHP/MapScript really allow for a whole new class of applications and utilities to be written.
Most users (including myself) haven't even scratched the surface there. Productivity apps like
Tom Poindexter's MapServer Workbench really are going to help open things up to a broader
audience. 

Steve

Stephen Lime
Internet Applications Analyst

Minnesota DNR
500 Lafayette Road
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-297-2937

>>> "Matt.Wilkie" <Matt.Wilkie at gov.yk.ca> 01/05/01 02:44PM >>>
Good questions Mike,

I have some of my own I would like to add:

Some of you may remember my earlier questions and summary 
about ArcIMS vs Mapserver:
http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wilma_hiliter/mapserver-users/0011/msg0 
0143.html

There were two points brought up which were clearly in 
ArcIMS's favour which could not be easily addressed or 
dismissed.

1) Distributed servers and failover architecture: ArcIMS
is designed for a multiserver hosting environment, fetching
data from any server and passing it on to the browser, and
other related sercives/technologies.

2) Serving vector data as well as images:
http://x67.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=696207202&CONTEXT=978725920.1488191528&hitn 
um=0
Do note though that I did not find a site taking advantage
of this functionality though I was assured some do exist.

Now I know Mapserver and ArcIMS are answers to different
questions and solutions to different problems, they just
happen to share significant overlaps. What I'd like to
know is, is Mapserver content with it's current problem 
domain? (serving images of maps to browsers, displaying 
selected database records)

I'm particularily interested in using a Mapserver-like
interface/tool-set to serve data, not just pictures of
data. It would be a a year or two before our particular
shop could use or implement it, but I do see it as being
increasingly more important. Just like XML is becoming
more important (read: useful) than html.

The OGDI protocol addresses this, but there is not yet
an Open Source solution, or even a good closed source
client... anyway, that's a sidetrack at the moment.

I'm not asking Mapserver developers (ie: Stephen) to
tackle this montrous job. I would just like to know if 
this area has been thought about, and if the architecture
of Mapserver allows a "plugin" data server, should such 
a beast ever be developed, by UMN or anybody else.

cheers,

-matt
========================================
Matt Wilkie * GIS Technician * Yukon Renewable Resources GIS
http://renres.gov.yk.ca/pubs/rrgis/