[OpenLayers-Users] Just discovered OpenLayers -> free data sources
for businesses?
David Raasch
dr4296 at myoldhouse.com
Thu Feb 19 14:58:25 EST 2009
David,
Thanks for your lengthy reply!
With regards to requirements for map layers, we'd just be using this stuff
to compare client-site locations with "sources of impending doom" <grin!>
Earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. So, my app will be plotting points by
latitude and longitude on a world map in order to compare distances and get
a nice overview.
As such, I'm looking for a world terrain map and a world street map, both of
which we could zoom in on, if necessary. But we won't be using this to give
anybody street directions. So, we won't need super up-to-date maps of
streets, just something that's reasonably accurate with regards to the
locations of towns and political boundaries.
The idea is that people will use this in one of two situations:
1) CASUAL OVERVIEW: They walk by a wall monitor running the map or happen
to open it up in their web browser for a casual glance. They see "hot
spots" identified, with points representing our clients within a certain
range of each hot-spot, depending on type. They quickly surmise how much
"activity" is going on that we here in our division should be mildly aware
of.
2) FOCUSING FOR INFORMATION: User receives an email alert saying that one
of their clients has a dangerous phenomenon within range. They click on a
link in the email to go look at the map. They zoom in on that particular
phenomenon or client, perhaps getting an idea of how many OTHER clients are
also affected. (From there, if we were using Google Maps, they could click
on the various points to get pop-up balloons with minor details about each
client. And, they could click on any icons representing any actual
earthquakes, hurricanes, etc, to get pop-up balloons with more details about
those incidents.
So, I think you'll agree, usage sounds "pretty basic".
Now, that said, I saw something here about the MODIS fire data. I know
that's all in shapefiles. If I could figure out some way to get fire data
and somehow compare that to our client sites' positions mathematically, that
would be great!
I had this whole thing running well, pulling in Earthquake, Tsunami, and
Hurricane alerts (most of them from CAP file formatted feeds)...and spitting
out an XML file for Google Maps and a KML file for Google Earth....and I was
just starting to work on National Weather Service storm warning feeds....
when the word came back that management wasn't going to pay for a Google
license <sigh>.
Thanks!
-= Dave =-
-----Original Message-----
From: David Fawcett [mailto:david.fawcett at gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 9:45 AM
To: David Raasch
Subject: Re: [OpenLayers-Users] Just discovered OpenLayers -> free data
sources for businesses?
David,
The application that you are talking about would be a classic use of
OpenLayers, and the fact that it would be used by a for-profit business is
not uncommon. In fact, a lot of the support for OpenLayers has been by a
for-profit company.
OpenLayers is just the application with no data services. The cool thing is
that OpenLayers makes it easy to pull in data from many different sources
and many different data formats.
You will just need to find (or host your own) data services. You haven't
really said what your data requirements are (scale, detail, accuracy,
currentness, etc.). Here is a link that might help you find some free/open
data sources:
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Public_Geospatial_Data_Project. You might also
look at OpenStreetMap: http://www.openstreetmap.org/
If you need very current, very accurate address info, you are probably going
to have to buy it. If you need reasonably good basemap data to drop your
points on, you could likely find something for free.
If you provide some more info about what your needs are, I am sure that some
people on the list can point you in some other directions too.
David.
On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 8:31 AM, David Raasch <dr4296 at myoldhouse.com> wrote:
> Greetings All!
>
> I just stumbled onto OpenLayers this morning, but let me give a bit of
> background before I ask my question:
>
> I work at a 24-hour tech support call center for some proprietary
> software that has hundreds of client sites nationwide. A couple years
> ago, I developed a Google Maps application (in my spare time) that
> would pull in data points for client sites that had opened critical
> issues occurring at any given moment. And, I programmed an email
> alert system into the whole thing. When a new "outage" would appear,
> the app would not only throw it on the map, it would also email several
key management people.
>
> In those days, this was viewed as a "gee-whiz" sort of thing and they
> put the whole thing on a wall monitor in an area where tours came
> through. I gained a bit of notariety, since programming is NOT my primary
job.
>
> But then, there was this big upgrade to the bloatware that encompassed
> our ticket-generating software. The XML data service for that totally
> changed and I was more or less "locked out"....as our own in-house
> help desk started clamping down on security.
>
> OK, so now about three years have passed. Some management people
> remembered this app and, in the wake of Katrina, asked if I could
> resurrect it. (In the latter days of its existence, I had it also
> fetch a "current hurricane" XML feed.)
>
> And so, I dusted off the old code, changed a few things to fit Google
> Maps API version 2, and got ready to go. But then, the question of
> licensing came up.
>
> I fired off emails to Google Maps (and Google Earth) and asked for
> their pricing schedules. I then estimated traffic use (based on
> fairly intermittent use by....worst-possible-case-scenario: 150
> simultaneous users for several days per year). My estimates came well
within the "first tier"
> of Google Maps Enterprise pricing ($10,000).
>
> So, I submitted that. And the management that had encouraged me to
> dust off my code then said "we'll add it to NEXT year's budget".
> (Yeah, right.)
>
> In the interim, word came back from Google Earth that if I we used
> THAT instead, there'd be ZERO cost! (Yeah, funny. I guess the people
> in sales at Google Earth don't talk much with the people in sales at
> Google Maps.) So, I've been working on that and we're almost ready to go.
>
> However, I know that folks here will find using Google Earth much less
> interesting and useful. Round vs. flat... Can only see half the world
> at a time... Have to download a separate app... I can code a web page
> with Google Maps to do all sorts of things, but I can't really touch
> Google Earth's code....etc.
>
> Then, this morning, I stumbled upon the OpenLayers site.
>
> At first, I was quite excited that it seemed somebody was offering a
> mapping API for free! But then, I started reading a bit more and it
> looks like, although the application is free, some of the various
> layer data sources are free for business use and some are not ???? Is
that correct?
>
> With regards to what sort of layers I'm looking for, well, I think
> we'd just like some sort of terrain / satellite view and then accurate
street maps.
>
> I know some folks might balk at the idea of me trying to get something
> for my division to use for free for business use, but hey, without it,
> my application's kind of a dudd. I can't control what management is
> willing to spend. Just looking for other possible options.
>
>
>
> Thanks!
>
> -= Dave =-
>
>
>
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