WMS Raster Layer service

[Ganesh P]

Hello everyone,

We have been successfully using Mapserver(PHP/Mapscript) for WMS client and Server and everything is working fine. Thanks to all the MapServer Developers and Users. Currently, we are using WMS server to deliver vector layers as PNG images. Now, we are planning to extend the server functionality by delivering Raster layers(GeoTiff) as PNG images.
Currently, in our system we have around 600 geotiff images. In our standalone system, We search the database everytime with the current map extent and display a list of images covering the current extent. When the user selects an image, that image will be displayed on the map window. This is how we implemented our system. The map file contains a raster layer with DATA field set dynamically (using PHP/Mapscript) with the image name. We would like to do the same for WMS server, that is, when the client requests a raster layer using a bounding box in the URL, the most recent image which covers the requested bounding box should be searched in the database and returned to the client as PNG.

My concerns are:

1. How do we set the raster layer in map file for WMS server and dynamically fill in the DATA field with the exact image name (out of 600 images) covering the bounding box?

2. Can we use Mapserver to do this, or do we have to write a custom program to read the WMS client's URL, manually search the database, Cut the image for the requested bounding box, convert the image into PNG and send it to the client ?

Any suggestions or information is greatly appreciated.
Thank You very much in advance.

Regards

Ganesh Pulicherla
Digital-NGP Developer 
Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium
University of North Dakota 
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