[OSGeo-Discuss] Best tool, shapefile to png, web

[Bob Basques]

Peter, 

Ok, this is all going to sound a bit "heavy" (to use your words), but in the end you'll have a lot more flexibilty with the end toolset. 

I would suggest loading the SHP file data into a Database, Mysql would work, but POSTGIS would be better.  Then source that Spatial data via MapServer and use in any of a number of image clients. I'm partial to GeoMoose, but Openlayers would work too. 

Looks like you are tracking farm field tractor locations, by entering things into a Database from the start, over the long haul you'll be able to add in things like temporal reporting as more and more data becomes available.  This is where the up front heaviness will pay off. 

bobb 



>>> Peter <webwiz at pl.net> wrote:

Hi Guys and Girls,

After an embarrassingly protracted google session, im not doing so well. What i need is to turn a shapefile (from a trimble device) into a png as part of a web app.

Ideally it would be the simplist lightest tool/s that can do the job, bearing in mind that im working in php/mysql.

I found a script which did the whole thing in php (jjfmapper) which functions except development has stopped, and it doesnt support the version of shapefile i have. (jjfmapper reports it to be type 768)

The GDAL/OGR library is reported to do conversions of shapefiles to mysql. Would need to add on the png rendering using GD2.  Im sure i dont need to reinvent that.

And theres something called mapserver which seems to be a complete service.  Sounds heavy.

The shapefile concerned contains a moderate number of simple polylines. Ideally the end result would be a png, a world file, and/or going further, being able to overlay the png over an aerial photo or png basemap.

If your'e interested a sample shapefile is here:
  
   http://www.zoneblue.org/files/BLK1_log.shp.zip

with the desired result here:

   http://www.zoneblue.org/files/BLK1_log.shp.jpg

Appreciate any pointers.

Regards

Peter Scott
NZ

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