[mapserver-users] Creating an abutter's list (was: Accessing Vertices of a Shape - PHP MapScript)

[Lowell Filak]

That's the best idea/work-a-round I've heard yet.
Lowell F.

The following message was sent by Daniel Morissette <morissette at dmsolutions.ca> on Tue, 19 Nov 2002 10:19:51 -0500.

> Kevin Flanders wrote:
> > 
> > Is there a way of exploiting this functionality to create an abutter's list
> > function for municipal applications?  If we can create a new shape that
> > mimics an existing/selected parcel, then can't we use that shape like we
> > would a user-defined query rectangle to intersect parcel features?
> > 
> > I know there has been talk about abutters list before, but it doesn't seem
> > like there has been any resolution....
> > 
> 
> 
> If I understand well, the idea is to select all parcels that are
> adjacent to a selected parcel.  It may not be possible to use
> QueryByShape for this because it looks for shapes that intersect or are
> located inside the shape you use for the query... so non-intersecting
> neighbors won't be selected.
> 
> The best would be if we could create a new shape that is the parcel of
> interest with a buffer added around it and use that buffered parcel in a
> queryByShape().  Unfortunately for you there is no way to create such a
> vector buffer in MapServer.
> 
> Another trick could be to sample points every few meters along the
> border of the parcel of interest and do a point query at every step with
> a tolerance of half the distance between the sampled points.  You would
> compile a list of the returned parcel ids as you walk around the parcel
> and this would give you your list of abutters.
> 
> I'll CC: to the list where others may have better suggestions.
> 
> Daniel
> -- 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>  Daniel Morissette               morissette at dmsolutions.ca
>  DM Solutions Group              http://www.dmsolutions.ca/
> ------------------------------------------------------------