[Qgis-developer] QGIS mapserver project

Matthew Perry perrygeo at gmail.com
Fri May 11 18:23:59 EDT 2007


On 5/11/07, Marco Hugentobler <marco.hugentobler at karto.baug.ethz.ch> wrote:
> The idea of QGIS mapserver is simple: instead of using QGIS just as a desktop
> GIS, it can also be used as a server. The benefit is that bug fixes and
> extensions for the server also improve desktop GIS (and the other way round).
> So no need to develop two different GIS for desktop and server. And
> everything written in plattform independent C++ using the excellent Qt
> library.

Awesome idea!


> QGIS mapserver doesn't (yet) have the same number of features as the
> maperservers which are around for many years. But it is already usable as a
> basic WMS server with SLD styling capabilities. It already supports
> GetCapabilities and GetMap over HTTP GET and allows client defined styling
> with SLD.
>

Would it be feasible to extend the QGIS wms server to read directly
from .qgs files? I think one of the main benefits of having a
QGIS-based WMS server would be to combine the configuration of desktop
and web maps into a single format. Wouldn't it nice to stylize your
map in qgis then immediately make that .qgs project file immediately
available on the web?

Using the current method, I'd have to reconfigure the same map twice.
Given that QGIS can export a mapserver mapfile, it really reduces the
incentive :-(

SLD support is nice though. perhaps that should be considered for
inclusion in the qgis core?

> And now the most important thing: QGIS mapserver is opensource (GPL) ->
> everybody is kindly invited to contribute with code, documentation, testing,
> bug reports, constructive critisism, etc. Contact me if you are interesting
> in joining development of QGIS mapserver, there is still a lot to do...

Great! I look forward to trying it out.

-- 
Matthew T. Perry
http://www.perrygeo.net

"You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes
the existing model obsolete" - R. Buckminster Fuller



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