[mapserver-users] Layer on-the-fly?

[Steve Lime]

You don't have to generate a layer on the fly, just the data. The layer
description can be static. How you do this depends on the nature of the
data. For example, do you need to be able to archive positions or just
show the current position? Will you get all the positional data at one
time or periodically? Most likely you'd have 2 processes:

1) use mapscript to log positions to a shapefile, PostGIS database or
whatever
2) use mapserver to visualize the data at a given point in time

The two processes are not dependent on one another. Your mapfile would
just reference this dynamic data source but would not have to have any
dynamic component to it at all. You could even define a second layer
(data maintained by process 1) that would place a timestamp on the map.
You could do all sorts of things depending on how sophisticated the
first process. For example, as the data is build you could "age"
positions and then color code them with MapServer.

Steve

Stephen Lime
Data & Applications Manager

Minnesota DNR
500 Lafayette Road
St. Paul, MN 55155
651-297-2937

>>> "Martin Giljohann" <mgiljohann at gmx.de> 01/24/02 12:56PM >>>
Hi all,

I m currently working on my diploma thesis - I want to implement a
Tracking Service  
which basically shall be able to show the moving positions of some
people in a map.

To get the positions of the persons I use Ericsson s MPS SDK which
simulates a mobile 
network and which pushes the position-data regularly. Unfortunately I
don t now how to 
deal with the data: to show the moving positions of all people I d
probably have to 
generate a new layer, each time the position data are pushed. After
that the up-to-date 
layer could be visualized by MapServer.

I m looking for a way to draw the layer on-the-fly. I suppose that
it s not possible to do 
this by simply using MapServer and MapScript? Could I use PostGIS to
generate the 
layer? Maybe a Web Feature Server could help to draw the layer with
GML?


Thanks in advance,
Martin