a mapserver framework for flexibility

Fri Dec 8 13:46:41 PST 2006

Puneet -

Or, the more likely risk that safari advertisements will start appearing on
your maps of Kenya <g>.

Alternatives are good, but please keep in mind that Google's API is really
not an option for many commercial sites.  Depending on your point of view,
that's either irrelevant or a fatal obstacle!

     - Ed
-- 
Ed McNierney
President and Chief Mapmaker
Maps a la carte, Inc. / TopoZone.com
73 Princeton Street, Suite 305
North Chelmsford, MA  01863
Phone: (978) 251-4242
Fax: (978) 251-1396
ed at topozone.com

> From: P Kishor <punkish at EIDESIS.ORG>
> Reply-To: P Kishor <punkish at EIDESIS.ORG>
> Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 15:01:32 -0600
> To: <MAPSERVER-USERS at LISTS.UMN.EDU>
> Subject: Re: [UMN_MAPSERVER-USERS] a mapserver framework for flexibility
> 
> I would like to submit an alternative MapServer framework -- it is
> called Google Maps. I have been putting together an application, the
> very alpha version of which can be seen at
> <http://ecoservices.eidesis.org>
> 
> The stuff on my webserver, aka the "backend", is Perl and SQLite using
> the most excellent CGI::Application framework for creating websites,
> the geodata other than Google's maps, aka the "sideend", is our
> beloved MapServer, and the interface, aka the "frontend", is Google's
> MAP API.
> 
> There is a rich set of tools and techniques published for public
> consumption, and for the most part, Google does the hard work for me
> creating all this so I don't have to re-invent the wheel. In the best
> example of laziness, I just choose and put it all together.
> 
> The MapServer works with the least of embellishments and accoutremets.
> It just serves data as WMS services using pure CGI.
> 
> Of course, one downside is that Google could go belly-up tomorrow and
> its mapping services would be shut down. I can live with that risk.
> 
> On 12/8/06, Neil Best <nbest at forestone.com> wrote:
>> Hi, Bob.  Thanks for your note.  The choice of authentication is wide
>> open at this point.  We just need to have basic user/password functions
>> and some concept of groups so that access to data can be controlled by
>> organization.  Why do you ask?
>> 
>> I have not looked at Mambo.  Have you?  Tell me about your project.  Is
>> there anything online I can check out?
>> 
>> Creation and maintenance of the layers is crucial, but would be handled
>> internally so the interface would not need to be as slick as that
>> presented to customers.  I believe that Mapbender, for example, uses OGC
>> services exclusvely but assumes that those services are all set up, i.e.
>> no features for creating those layers AFAICT, which is okay.  We could
>> set them up by hand at first and eventually build a back-end app, perhaps.
>> 
>> Neil
>> 
>> 
>> Bob Basques wrote:
>>> Neil,
>>> 
>>> Can you describe more of the authentication process you would like to use.
>>> 
>>> Are you planning on implementing the Authentication in the Mambo
>>> environment?
>>> 
>>> I have a new project that might fit your bill.  But alas there's not
>>> much documentation put together for it yet.
>>> 
>>> The layer aspects are all configured separately.  Each layer is managed
>>> separately by it's respective owner and accessed separately by the
>>> Client.  The General idea was to place control and upkeep of the data in
>>> the hands of the data creators and not bother the system admins with
>>> work related to updating and maintaining the datasets.
>>> 
>>> bobb
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Neil Best wrote:
>>> 
>>>> [ I encountered some of kind of glitch while trying to submit this
>>>> through the web interface, that's why the empty item from me.  I
>>>> wanted to include an old item that aligned  well with my agenda and
>>>> that seemed like the obvious way, but I ended up doing it with good
>>>> old cut and paste after all. ]
>>>> 
>>>> Eduardo, I found your note to mapserver-users while searching the
>>>> archive for any sign that others have been down this path before.
>>>> That was some time ago and I'm not sure I can do a good job of finding
>>>> other related threads since then, but what you describe sounds very
>>>> similar to the task that I have recently taken on, to find a web
>>>> mapping framework based on open source tools that maximizes leverage
>>>> of existing code while providing extensibility, maintainability, and
>>>> scalability.  This application will provide access to specific data
>>>> subsets and analysis tools under a subscription model to a diverse
>>>> group of users so by definition user profiles will drive the content
>>>> and client-side tools presented by the application.  This entails far
>>>> more than just slapping together some layers and putting a map on the
>>>> web, plus it needs to happen *fast* so building a web site from
>>>> scratch is not an option.  To these ends I will be evaluating a small
>>>> set of packages after conducting a brief survey of Mapserver-based
>>>> projects in general, including but not limited to:
>>>> 
>>>> Cartoweb     http://www.cartoweb.org/
>>>> Mapbender    http://www.mapbender.org/
>>>> PrimaGIS     http://www.primagis.fi/
>>>> 
>>>> I have been studying these projects in web space and have started
>>>> evaluating them in user/admin space and have already begun to form my
>>>> own opinions and impressions.  It would be great to hear from members
>>>> of the community who have insight into these issues and learn from
>>>> their experiences.  Maintainers and contributors to whichever
>>>> framework(s) meet my basic needs while demonstrating that additional
>>>> features can be developed rapidly and efficiently can expect to hear
>>>> from me in the near future soliciting proposals for a range of
>>>> services from client-side functionality to back-end integration and
>>>> management of data services, development efforts that could and should
>>>> make their way back to the code base of their respective projects.  If
>>>> you are still reading then you must be interested, so drop me a line!
>>>> Whether on- or off-list is up to you, but any comments at all are
>>>> welcome.  My employer is very serious about this so I earnestly hope
>>>> that this will generate some traffic and enthusiasm.
>>>> 
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>> 
>>>> Neil Best <nbest at forestone.com>
>>>> Forest One, Inc.
>>>> http://www.forestone.com/
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 21:45:11 -0300, Eduardo Patto Kanegae
>>>> <lists at WEBMAPIT.COM.BR> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Hi folks,
>>>>> 
>>>>> I'm currently looking for a MapServer *framework* to build MapScript
>>>>> applications inside another application : MamboServer.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Just to clarify, MamboServer ( www.mamboserver.com ) is a free CMS
>>>>> software written in PHP and have a lot of great features.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Now, we want to integrate MapServer inside Mambo as a mambo component.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I was thinking to use Chameleon as preffered mapping framework, but is
>>>>> my suggestion right?
>>>>> 
>>>>> Can I  do it? Or chameleon can just work alone? I mean, can I use
>>>>> Chameleon widgets to load MapFiles,
>>>>> draw maps but inside another PHP application? ( because, we need to
>>>>> validate user rights, etc...)
>>>>> 
>>>>> another idea I was thinking about is to develop OGC maps, to be used
>>>>> with desktop applications (JUMP,uDig,ArcGIS OGC,...)
>>>>> and also a set of "mirror" maps  using NON-ogc access , to be used by
>>>>> PHP/MapScript applications. I was thinking in doing
>>>>> things this way to get some "speed" on web applications. But, is this
>>>>> really necessary? Or OGC maps should be enough
>>>>> to feed web MapServer clients and desktop clients?
>>>>> 
>>>>> thanks in advance.
>>>>> 
>>>>> best regards.
>>>>> 
>>>>> --
>>>>> Eduardo Patto Kanegae
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Puneet Kishor http://punkish.eidesis.org/
> Nelson Inst. for Env. Studies, UW-Madison http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/
> Open Source Geospatial Foundation https://edu.osgeo.org/
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