[Gdal-dev] Maps in PDA

[Frank Warmerdam]

On 9/22/05, Hallgren Johan E <jhhal at wmdata.com> wrote:
> The problem is that I don't think it can run on
> a PocketPC without recompile everything. My next issue was to figure out how
> difficult it could be to recompile MS and all is parts to the PDA
> environment, and my answer was that it's difficult. Beside that I don't know
> if the MapServer solution for displaying maps in a PDA is optimal, I think
> the aim with MapServer was to create maps on the internet and not
> running as a single desktop app.

Johan,

I know there are a few folks who use MapServer as the rendering
core for desktop display, though it is quite a bit of work to repurpose
it that way.  But the bigger issue is that porting MapServer and all
it's dependencies to WinCE is likely to be a substantial job.   The
work Mateusz is doing on GDAL should be helpful, but that still leaves
alot of libraries (GD, and freetype at a minumum) plus MapServer
that would need to be ported to WinCE.  Not a small task I think.

> Next I found the work Mateusz Łoskot is doing to porting GDAL to the Windows
> CE environment, that's great. Could GDAL be the solution for me? It raises
> some new questions:

Well, GDAL would give you a mechanism for reading raster and
vector data.

> ·         It's not my dream to build logic for symbology and classification.
> Is there any support for symbology and classification in GDAL?

No, GDAL and OGR do not address presentation rendering,
symbology, etc.

> ·         Are there other options for my PDA issue I havent't found yet?

I'm afraid I don't know what is available for WinCE or other PDAs.
I would suggest you do some google searches for available toolkits.

> ·         Is it possible to compile MapServer for Windows CE?

Beyond the effort to port these things to WinCE, the othe issue
to keep in mind is that MapServer and supporting libraries are not
necessarily designed for the tight memory conditions of a PDA.
Something designed with the PDA environment in mind is likely to
be less resource intensive.

Hopefully others will have more useful suggestions than me!

Best regards,
--
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I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
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and watch the world go round - Rush    | Geospatial Programmer for Rent