Need to Query Shape Files

[Stella Andersen]

Hi Harry,

Here is a litle help on the way. Hope it can be of use.

A shape file is actually a database table with a spatial dimension.
A shape file contains for each object attributes and a spatial object
(point, line, region or text).

MapServer and desktop GIS programs like ArcView are optimized for spatial
search like "which region is a point within".

You can use the mapserv.exe as a CGI for your request.

Use the documentation on CGI-variables for MapServer to compose a request
URL to the mapserv.exe.
Use the documentation on map-file syntax for MapServer to set op the
configuration for mapserv.exe. In the map-file you specify how mapserv.exe
connects to the shape-file and refers to HTML-templates. Mapserve.exe uses
the HTML-templates to format the output af the request. There is also a
documentation on how to make a template.

regards
Stella


On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 02:55:35 -0600, Harry T. Jones <herbls123 at YAHOO.COM>
wrote:

>hello all,
>
>this is my first time posting as i just joined the list.
>i'm researching a means to query data provided in shape files. i've been
>able to view the data files in arcexplorer but i'm not sure how i would
>query this online via php/perl. i don't need to show maps, but i do need
to
>be able to get at the data that is associated with polygons in the files.
>
>for example, district information seems to be somehow associated with the
>longitudes/lattitudes that define the polygons contained in the shape
files.
>what i need to be able to do is, given an address or zip code, locate the
>district that contains that address in the data files.
>
>so far i've been considering querying a mysql table to get the lat/lon
>coordinates for a zip code, then querying the shape files for the
>district...that's the big gray area...i don't have a clue...should i
convert
>this data to some other format instead of trying to query the shape files?
>should i somehow use a map server to get the information?
>
>any helpful information you can give me would be greatly appreciated. this
>is my first time working with gis and i'm not finding it easy to get
>information.
>
>even if you can just point me in the direction to get a better
understanding
>of how this all works i appreciate it.
>
>oh yeah, the data i'm trying to work with is at
>http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/bytes/dwndistricts.html#pod
>
>
>
>