[OSGeo-Discuss] Open File Formats and Proprietary Algorithms [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[Bruce Bannerman]

IMO:


Just another thought on this issue (though we do seem to be recycling arguments over the years...):


Assuming that I have a very large archive of spatial data, be it imagery or any other spatial format and that I store my data in a variety of proprietary formats:


In ten years from now, can I be sure that:

- the company that created, understands, and holds the IP in the 
  data format will still be around?

- there will still be software that runs on the then current
  operating environment, that can read and 'fully exploit' the data
  in the proprietary standard?

- that this future software will work seamlessly with my then current 
  spatial environment?

- if all of the above risks prove to eventuate, can I be sure that I'll
  be able to salvage my data into another format, retaining its complete 
  semantic context?


IMO, it is a high risk proposition to lock public (or private) archives away in proprietary data formats. It makes more sense to use open standards and formats that are publically available.



Bruce Bannerman



 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org 
> [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Michael 
> P. Gerlek
> Sent: Friday, 21 August 2009 6:55 AM
> To: OSGeo Discussions
> Subject: RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] Open File Formats and 
> Proprietary Algorithms
> 
> Some clarifications:
> 
>  
> 
> - MrSID has both lossy and lossless modes
> 
> - MrSID is not fractal based; it uses wavelets (and 
> arithmetic encoding)
> 
> - you can't copyright algorithms; the MrSID source code 
> certainly is, however
> 
> - MrSID relies on a number of patents, not all of which are 
> owned by LizardTech
> 
> - reading MrSID does not require any fees; we have libraries 
> you can download, although they are not open source
> 
>  
> 
> That said, some editorial comments (although I'm now wishing 
> I hadn't been so quick to rise to Landon's bait :-)
> 
>  
> 
> - Some of you know the history of trying to open source 
> MrSID; I won't go into that here, except to say that 
> LizardTech doesn't own all of the required IP needed to make 
> that happen.
> 
> - If we are speaking of the NAIP data, then no, it is not 
> exclusively available in MrSID format; it is also shipped as GeoTIFFs.
> 
> - JPEG 2000 is a very robust open standard alternative to 
> MrSID, and a number of players already support it (including 
> LizardTech), but not enough to make it viable for certain 
> domains like NAIP.
> 
> - some of you also know the history on open JP2 support: 
> there is today no open source implementation of JP2 that is 
> suitable for geo work.  Alas.
> 
>  
> 
> -mpg
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org 
> [mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Eric Wolf
> Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 2:15 PM
> To: OSGeo Discussions
> Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Open File Formats and 
> Proprietary Algorithms
> 
>  
> 
> The MRSID format is a very special case - and perhaps an 
> opportunity for a new FOSS file format. MRSID is a lossless, 
> fractal-based, multi-scale raster compression format. 
> LizardTech has the algorithms to encode and decode MRSID 
> locked up in copyrights, and I believe, patents. Even 
> companies like ESRI shell out big bucks to LizardTech to be 
> able to read and write the MRSID format.
> 
>  
> 
> I guess I missed the context of the discussion. Is the 
> government releasing certain data exclusively in this format? 
> If so, I think the argument can be made against this 
> practice. The different in compression between MRSID and 
> gziped TIFFs isn't really that great in this day of cheap 
> disks and fat pipes.
> 
>  
> 
> -Eric
> 
> 
> -=--=---=----=----=---=--=-=--=---=----=---=--=-=-
> Eric B. Wolf                    New! 720-334-7734
> USGS Geographer
> Center of Excellence in GIScience
> PhD Student
> CU-Boulder - Geography
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  
> 
>