Upcoming developments & New applications

[Dave McIlhagga]

Hi everyone,

If I may take a quick moment of your time, I would like to pass along
some important recent developments that I think will have significant
impacts on the MapServer software and user-base.

Several recent opportunities have come through for our organization
which are allowing us to take a much more significant role in the
ongoing development, enhancements and support for MapServer.  Over the
next 6 to 9 months, DM Solutions Group will be developing or
collaborating with the UMN to include:

1. OGR Integration with MapServer:
- this will allow for direct access to several new vector formats, of
the greatest interest being MapInfo, Tiger, and SDTS files

2. GDAL integration with MapServer:
- this will extend the direct access to raster formats to 20 new formats
including Arc/Info Grids and USGS DEMs

3. Image Warping:
- this allows for on-the-fly reprojection of rasters

4. OGC Web Mapping Specification Compliance:
- we will be collaborating with UMN in terms of development, testing,
and documentation.  In addition, we will be adding "cascading"
capability that allows MapServer to act as a client to multiple WMS
MapServers - this allows applications to include data from multiple
remote sources in a single web application.

5. Web-based .MAP Editor
- this will be a web equivalent to Tom Poindexter's excellent new
workbench utility.


And of course, it will all be released as Open source :)


If anyone happens to be going to the GIS show in Vancouver, I will be
making a presentation on Open Source tools for Web Mapping - featuring
MapServer.  I will be talking much more about these upcoming
developments.  I encourage you to pop by and introduce yourself.  I'm
always interested in learning about what users are doing with this great
technology.  For a write up on some of our activities pertaining to
MapServer see:

http://www.web-mapper.com/articles/tech/internet/dmsolutions/mapserver.cfm


Also, a couple of applications we have recently launched (I don't think
I sent this out to the list before, if I did, my apologies)

Health Canada's Disease Surveillance Online:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb/lcdc/webmap/index.html

Health Canada's FluWatch:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb/lcdc/bid/respdis/fluwatch/index.html


Happy mapping everyone.  We're really excited but these upcoming
developments and in seeing them used throughout the community.

Dave
-- 
Dave McIlhagga
President, DM Solutions Group

http://www.dmsolutions.ca
----------------------------
Innovative Spatial Solutions
----------------------------

EMail : McIlhagga at DMSolutions.ca
Phone : 613-565-5056
Cell : 613-261-3913
Fax : 707-222-1943
Address : 116 Lisgar St.,
          Suite 400,
          Ottawa, Ontario
          K2P 0C2