[Mapserver-users] History of Mapserver

Fri Feb 20 17:48:32 PST 2004

more stuff...

----------------
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Daniel Morissette" <morissette at dmsolutions.ca>
To: "Eduardo Patto Kanegae" <eduardo at consultoria.eti.br>
Cc: "Steve Lime" <steve.lime at dnr.state.mn.us>; "Dave McIlhagga" <mcilhagga at dmsolutions.ca>
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2003 12:09 PM
Subject: Re: MapServer history

> > Eduardo Patto Kanegae wrote:
> > 
> > ...MapServer history... you know.. I mean, something where
> > readers could find answers for "How and when does it began?" or "Why
> > ForNet choosed MapServer and not other like ArcIMS?". 'cause I think
> > it's easier to bring new users on it when they can know more about
> > system's history and can see why it's currently a strong and trustable
> > thecnology.
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> Hi Eduardo,
> 
> For sure a bit of historical background is always interesting.  Since we
> were involved with the project only since 2000, what we know about
> MapServer's history we learned from Steve.  So I guess Steve will be the
> right person to feed you with all the details, but to get you started I
> attached below something that Steve sent me when I asked him the same
> question in preparation for a presentation on MapServer last year.
> 
> I also built a timeline of MapServer based on that information and on
> what happened after 2000, you can find it in the first slide of the
> following presentation:
>   http://www.mapserver.ch/english/pdf/OSS_MapServer.pdf
> 
> I hope that helps,
> 
> Daniel
> -- 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
>  Daniel Morissette               morissette at dmsolutions.ca
>  DM Solutions Group              http://www.dmsolutions.ca/
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> ----------8<----------
> 
> MapServer arose out of PhD project I was thinking about centered around
> building a trip planning decision support system for the Boundary Waters
> Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. I tied Arc/Info to the web
> by generating custom AMLs on-the-fly. Then in 1995 along came a NASA
> sponsored grant to deliver forestry information to on-the-ground forest
> managers, things like satellite imagery and GIS data. This project was
> called ForNet and it sought to capitalize on the previous work in the
> BWCAW. Arc/Info licenses being on the pricey side pushed us to start
> looking at something new. I approached ESRI about a "daemon" mode for
> ArcView 1, but no interest. Along came Frank's shapelib and the
> lightbulb went off. At that point in time I had already created a server
> for ERDAS Imagine data and that system, based on templates and config
> files, became the foundation of the new vector specific software-
> MapServer. I started using it in a production basis in 1996 sometime for
> ForNet and a BWCAW website. At that point it was just me. So folks at
> ERIN (in Australia) saw it a requested a copy. They used it as part of
> their online atlas projects (still do I believe). When I decided to
> leave the UMN for the DNR in 1998 one of my last tasks was to package a
> version for public consumption (version 2.0) and that became available
> in the summer of 1998. At the DNR I continued to improve the code,
> adding raster integration and TrueType  in 1999. About that time I
> approached the UMN about continuing to support the software, and they
> agreed under a couple of new NASA grants they had. That arrangement led
> to the 3.0 release, and the MapScript initial release in 2000. You know
> the rest. Here's a timeline as best I can recall...
> 
>   -- 1994 => web-based Arc/Info AML generation
>   -- 1995 => ForNet project starts, work begins on "imgserv" a CGI
> application for viewing Erdas Imagine data
>   -- 1996 => shapelib release, paired with GD in a new application
> called "mapserv"
>   -- 1997 => version 1.0 shared on very limited basis
>   -- 1998 => version 2.0 released via ForNet website
>   -- 1999 => version 3.0 released (raster/TrueType support) via DNR
> website, UMN MapServer site created
>   -- 2000 => version 3.1 (includes MapScript) released
> 
> ---------->8----------
> 
----------------

++++++++++++
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Lime" <steve.lime at dnr.state.mn.us>
To: <morissette at dmsolutions.ca>; <eduardo at linkgeo.com.br>
Cc: <mcilhagga at dmsolutions.ca>
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2003 1:58 PM
Subject: Re: MapServer history

> Dan's attached message about sums it up. I can answer specific questions
> if you'd like. The "why not ArcIMS" question is an easy one- because
> nothing existed for doing this stuff so we wrote our own.
> 
> Steve
...
++++++++++++

Eduardo Patto Kanegae
http://www.consultoria.eti.br

## Projeto MapServer Brasil - http://mapserver.cttmar.univali.br ##
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***Fim da Mensagem / End of Message ***
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On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 14:37:28 -0600, "Steve Lime" <steve.lime at dnr.state.mn.us> escreveu:

> De: "Steve Lime" <steve.lime at dnr.state.mn.us>
> Data: Fri, 20 Feb 2004 14:37:28 -0600
> Para: <api at justapi.de>, <mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu>
> Assunto: Re: [Mapserver-users] History of Mapserver
> 
> It began *officially* in 1997 with version 1.0. That version was used
> in-house on a project called ForNet (http://www.gis.umn.edu/fornet).
> Version 2.0 was released in 1998 to the public but was only in use in
> Minnesota (at the UMN and at the Department of Natural Resources) and in
> Australia. I released 3.0 in 1999/2000 sometime and shortly after that
> Dan and the folks at DMSolutions came on board, as did other
> developers.
> 
> Steve 
> 
> Stephen Lime
> Data & Applications Manager
> 
> Minnesota DNR
> 500 Lafayette Road
> St. Paul, MN 55155
> 651-297-2937
> 
> >>> Sebastian Albrecht <api at justapi.de> 2/20/2004 3:00:54 AM >>>
> Hello,
> 
> I am interested in history of the UMN Mapserver. When did it start?
> What was the first official version? Who had the idea?
> 
> I would like to add that information to my internship report.
> 
> Regards,
> Sebastian
> 
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> 
> 