[OpenLayers-Dev] Patrch for getting vector drawing working over the 180 line going.

[Phil Scadden]

> Please don't try to bake in any assumptions about heading in a line
> segment.  Our geometry model is based on coordinates on a plane.  My
> opinion is that "crossing the dateline" is application logic.
>    
So when I try to draw say a zoom rectangle across the date line, or 
measure a distance between two points which happen to be on opposite 
sides of the dateline, how do I put that logic in my application to cope 
with this without altering OL? Or draw a selection polygon to choose 
some data in a WFS layer? This is where problems occurs. The reason for 
looking at the renderer approach is that there remain problems with just 
doing it in the handlers. Obviously its pointless for me to continue 
work on renderer model if it wont be accepted into OL, so I'll the study 
the remaining issues with the handlers in Andreas's patch today. But I 
dont believe there is a solution to the problem without altering OL.

> Geometries should be split when the user tries to draw beyond the domain
> of the coordinate system.
>    
Well to be honest I am sick to death of geometry models based on a plane 
when we live on a spherical earth, and its especially a pain when you 
live close to the 180 lines and  nightmare if you are working near the 
pole. I would really like to see OL get onto a sphere. There is dearth 
of tools for working on a sphere. Our inhouse software always manages it 
because its taken into account from day 1 but reengineering flat earth 
software to work with real world geometry is a mega pain. Would you be 
so keen on applications having to split geometry if you lived on the 180 
line?
-- 
Phil Scadden, Senior Scientist GNS Science Ltd 764 Cumberland St, 
Private Bag 1930, Dunedin, New Zealand Ph +64 3 4799663, fax +64 3 477 5232

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