[gdal-dev] Enhancing JP2KAK

[Frank Warmerdam]

Greg Coats wrote:
> The code in 1.6/gdal/frmts/jp2kak/jp2kakdataset.cpp calls upon the 
> http://www.kakadusoftware.com/ JPEG2000 software to display, read, and 
> write .jp2 files.  This code has not been updated since 2002, and does 
> not take advantage of any of the major advances in the Kakadu JPEG2000 
> software, including hardware based acceleration from multiple threads.  
> As a result, the GDAL JP2KAK plug in is 4 to 10 times slower than the 
> free Kakadu applications available for Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris, and 
> Windows.  Professor Taubman, the author of Kakadu, has written that a 
> restructuring of the old jp2kakdataset.cpp would allow the new, hardware 
> accelerated Kakadu code to be copied and pasted in.  I am offering 
> $5,000. for an updated jp2kakdataset.cpp delivered no later then 14 Feb 
> 2009.

Folks,

For those interested in this offer there is some more supporting
information at:

   http://trac.osgeo.org/gdal/ticket/2769

I would note that the JP2KAK driver has been actively developed over the
years, but it does continue to use an antique way of calling the Kakadu
libraries which makes it hard to take advantage of some facilities.

I have done significant work on various boundary cases for the JP2KAK
driver for clients, and I wouldn't be pleased to have it broken by a
careless reimplementation.  I would suggest that any wholesale
reimplementation be implemented as as side-by-side driver with the old
driver being the configuration default for some period until a new
version has been vetted in broad use.

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