[gdal-dev] Open source vector geoprocessing libraries?

[Peter J Halls]

Jason,

Jason Roberts wrote:
> Peter,
> 
>> are you constrained to retaining your data in an ArcGIS compatible format?
> 
> 
> We are attempting to build tools that can work with data stored in a variety
> of formats. Our current user community uses mostly shapefiles, ArcGIS
> personal geodatabases, and ArcGIS file geodatabases. Many of them are
> ecologists who do not have the interest or skills to deploy a real DBMS
> system. Thus we are hoping to provide tools that can work without one. This
> is one reason I was exploring how embeddable PostGIS and SpatiaLite might be
> in the other fork of this thread.

I wonder how many users are aware that ESRI have announced the file geodatabase 
as replacing the (Access) personal geodatabase?  They have not, as yet, 
announced a cut off for this format, but its many limitations as a result of 
Access capabilities may make this sooner rather than later.

> 
>> Until the File 
>> Geodatabase format is published (later this year?) and someone has the
> effort to 
>> build an OGR interface, the DBMS route is probably the best route to 
>> compatibility.
> 
> It would be really great for that to happen, but I'm not holding my breath.
> If it does get published, I would seriously contemplate building an OGR
> driver.

ESRI announced publication would be alongside the release of ArcGIS 9.4 at the 
EMEA User Conference in November 2008 (London).  They said that they see the 
file geodatabase replacing both the personal geodatabase and shapefiles.  I 
believe 9.4 to currently be in beta test.

> 
> I have contemplated building an ArcObjects- or arcgisscripting-based driver.
> This would at least allow people who have ArcGIS to use OGR to access any
> ArcGIS layer, including those created by ArcGIS's tools for joining
> arbitrary layers, etc. That would handle file geodatabases, as well as ALL
> formats accessible from ArcGIS. If such a driver existed, then we could use
> OGR as the base interface inside our application. But creating such a driver
> would be a lot of work and have funky dependencies because it either needs
> to use Windows COM (for ArcObjects) or Python (for arcgisscripting) to call
> the ArcGIS APIs. I am certainly capable of implementing it but because most
> of our code is in Python, it is probably easier for me to wrap OGR and
> arcgisscripting behind a common abstraction, and then have our tools work
> against that abstraction rather than OGR directly.

GDAL, including OGR, is actually embedded in ArcGIS: however I do not know quite 
what ESRI use it for.

> 
> At any rate, I'm sure it is nice being able to do all your work in a
> spatially-enabled DBMS...

Also an attraction of PostGres, of course.

Best wishes,

Peter

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Peter J Halls, GIS Advisor, University of York
Telephone: 01904 433806     Fax: 01904 433740
Snail mail: Computing Service, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD
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