ARCIMS user question

[Emil Zegers]

Hello Eric,

If I understand your wishes correctly, this can be done with 'only' MS4W.

You have various options:

1. In the map file use connnectiontype OGR and a dynamically build
"SELECT..." query with template variables where values from the dropdown are
put in. This query should run on the shapefile joined to the database table.
For example see
http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/docs/howto/ogr_howto/#queries-through-ogr-forma
t , paragraph 4.2 sample 4

2. Use only the database table: it then needs x,y coordinate columns in the
table so you can use it as a virtual data layer (VRT). Works for point
layers but also for line, polygon etc. layers. See
http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/docs/reference/vector_data/VirtualSpatialData
and http://gdal.maptools.org/ogr/drv_vrt.html, use SrcSQL to generate the
desired layer result.

Or pull the data from a spatial database like ArcSDE, PostGIS, Oracle...

Although I don't have complete code samples I hope this gives you some leads
to follow.

A good place to start for info on using vector data with MapServer is
http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/docs/reference/vector_data

Also search the mailing list archives for more info on join and vrt.

Regards,

Emil

-----Original Message-----
From: UMN MapServer Users List [mailto:MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU]On
Behalf Of D. Eric Keefauver
Sent: maandag 24 april 2006 18:07
To: MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU
Subject: [UMN_MAPSERVER-USERS] ARCIMS user question


Hello,

I have been using ArcIMS 9.1 to deploy internet GIS applications for a
while now and have looked into MapServer as a substitute to ArcIMS (only to
the point of setting up a successful demo version of the ITACSA data but
using my data sets).

My question is this: I am looking into having map "service" setup where I
have one shapefile that will render water quality data from a database
(let's say it's a point file). The water quality data is date specific with
associated PH values, so in the end we have, say 40 points that each have
many water quality data values with dates when the testing was completed.
I am thinking of a small application where there could be a drop-down box
where the user could select a date and the map would render the point file
w-quality values on the fly for the selected date. Is this something that
is possible and if so, what would I need to have installed other than
Mapserver MS4W. I am very new to Mapserver. Any information would be
helpful.

Regards,

Eric