New MapServer Demo (feedback requested)

[Ben Madin]

G'day Steve,

Some feedback - I hope this doesn't seem ostentatious from a minor  
contributor to the MapServer Project, but I have learnt alot from  
scratch in the last few years, and have multiple systems running on  
multiple platforms using multiple data sources, so I have a strong  
sense of how difficult it can be to find and learn mapserver, and  
think this would be a very worthy project.


On 04/01/2008, at 3:01 PM, MAPSERVER-USERS automatic digest system  
wrote:

> From: Steve Lime <Steve.Lime at DNR.STATE.MN.US>
> Date: 4 January 2008 4:50:58 AM
> Subject: New MapServer Demo (feedback requested)
>
>
> Hi all: I've got some time to put together a new demo for MapServer  
> and would to get feedback from
> the community on what it should look like. Currently there are a  
> number of options out there but none
> of them are very comprehensive. Demos that I know about include:
>
>   - the Itasca demo application (came out of the MUM1 meeting):  
> http://maps.dnr.state.mn.us/mapserver_demos/workshop-5.0/
>   - Perry Nacionales' MapServer tutorial: http:// 
> biometry.gis.umn.edu/tutorial/
>   - Mobile Geographics' MapServer Recipies: http:// 
> www.mobilegeographics.com/mapserver/
>   - MN DNR MapServer Test Suite: http://maps.dnr.state.mn.us/ 
> mapserver_demos/tests46/
>   - Various MS4W packages: http://www.maptools.org/ms4w/index.phtml

there was also a powerpoint I found from DM Solutions for php  
mapscript that is an excellent tutorial - I assume there are files  
that go with it. it was called php_mapscript_mum2. I would also like  
to raise my own vote of thanks to Pericles for his tutorial - I still  
refer to it!

> There are of course lots of questions:
>
>   - should a demo be installable, hosted or both

at least installable (I assume you mean onto a user's computer.) This  
would probably require some serious clarification about how paths and  
permissions are defined to be multi platform, but it is likely to  
form the basis for many mapserver installations down the line.

>   - what data should it use

As mentioned by many others, a small consistent (downloadable) set of  
data (at least a small shapefile and a small raster) with some  
demonstration mapfiles and html templates (I'm thinking of one like  
Pericles here) which could be used throughout the whole book.

>   - should it cover just MapServer configuration (e.g. mapfiles)

No - should also have some detail on all aspects of using mapserver -  
from efficient querying through good user interfaces to security.

>   - should it cover installation as well or should that be left to  
> how-to's

Assuming you produce this online - I would see the how-to's becoming  
part of the whole package.

>   - what relationship to other packages (e.g. OpenLayers,  
> TileCache, Ka-map) should be demo'd

Other's have suggested this already, but I would see something like a  
book (in a "wiki-fied" sense) which could be built and edited as  
people were prepared to contribute :

Part I Mapserv CGI demo
Part II mapscript flavours
Part III applications / frameworks (the Geomoose / Ka-map etc stuff)
Part IV Data Sources
Part V dealing with platform differences

This doesn't really look so different to the current mapserver  
documentation index - perhaps it just needs some rearranging content.

Obviously there are many people out there who could contribute who  
know much more than I do, but I would be happy to help where I could.

cheers

Ben




-- 

Ben Madin
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