[OSGeo-Discuss] OSGeo Next five years

[Bob Basques]

All,

Related to Arnie's posting here.  I would like to see some community 
organization around business specific products like the the items that 
Arie is describing here.  Example that meet customers needs more readily 
than by requiring the first time implementer to assemble a bunch of 
pieces (which it the right way to do it BTW!) to get what they need.  
While some business needs are fairly specific, there are certain things 
generic enough that they can scoped out and set up for the masses as 
examples where the potential useser can just plug any play so to speak.

This type of approach would leak over into training and education easily 
if done right and made very simple to get things going.



bobb


Arnie Shore wrote:
> As a very interested lurker, and as one who has developed an Open 
> Source Computer-Aided-Dispatch system that has embedded google's maps 
> product, I can tell you that one of the deterrents I see is the 
> relative complexity of an Open Source GIS implementation - as compared 
> to the use of GMaps, which also, of course and notably, is free. The 
> single source of both the tiles as well as the API is relatively 
> straightforward for the non-cartographer novice.
>
> My user community includes a fair-sized portion who have never before 
> implemented a web-server-based system, and our package is designed to 
> minimize the number of elements that need  separate collection and 
> configuration.  To tell them that they need a map server in addition 
> to the stack that WAMP, XAMPP, MAMP, installs in a single executable 
> will turn away too many candidates, IMO.  In our case, the 
> tile-serving capabilities could be met by a rather limited set of 
> server-side functions that are OL-aware. But I haven't seen anything 
> like that in the panoply of products that comprises the OSGeo world.  
> Please correct me on this if such exits.
>
> (Further evidence of the importance of the ease-of-implementation 
> issue is the proliferation of open source libraries that include 
> capabilities taht are based on a GMaps foundation.)
>
> I will say that my users - many of whom are into emergency operations 
> - indeed are asking for an implementation that wd allow operation 
> while disconnected from the Internet.   Impossible in a GMaps-based 
> solution, but completely feasible in one based on OpenLayers plus 
> locally stored OSM tiles.  Users I've pointed to the available OSM 
> sites have told me that the level of detail wd be completely 
> satisfactory as a suitable replacement for GMaps.  Which is a 
> critically important data point, IMO.
>
> My perception of the current evolution of the world of Open Source GIS 
> is toward greater complexity and richness.  Which certainly makes for 
> excitement and challenge for its enthusiasts; but that isn't doing 
> much for those of us along the borders looking over the fences, and 
> with limited hours available to hop that fence and get involved.
>
> Make entry easier than it is, folks.  Please?
>
> A. Shore
> Annapolis, MD
>
>
> On Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 5:09 PM, Ravi <ravivundavalli at yahoo.com 
> <mailto:ravivundavalli at yahoo.com>> wrote:
>
>     Hi,
>     have been going through all the wishes, all the arguments about
>     how Open Source GIS must evolve etc. ...
>
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