[postgis-users] How do you use PostGIS?

[strk at refractions.net]

On Thu, May 05, 2005 at 11:12:37AM +0100, Martin Daly wrote:
> > - Name of the organization
> 
> Cadcorp Ltd, http://www.cadcorp.com, a nasty (but nice really), closed
> source, licence-fee grabbing, GIS vendor.
> 
> > - Data being managed in the database
> 
> Our GIS software can upload any of the vector data formats that we
> support (~100) into PostGIS, and can do live editing (with undo/redo and
> transaction support), theming, etc., on the resulting PostGIS tables.
> Recently we have been focusing on Ordnance Survey MasterMap: *the* big
> driver for spatial database adoption in the UK.
> 
> As part of an OS MM benchmarking exercise, we have created tables of up
> to ~60 million rows.  The resulting database, which has several tables
> containing a total of ~72 million rows, is ~29Gb on disk.  A pre-LWGEOM
> database containing the same data was ~39Gb.  Much as I'd like to share
> the benchmark results with you, Oracle licensing precludes us from doing
> so.
> 
> > - How the data is being accessed / manipulated
> 
> Using our own GIS software.
> 
> > - Why you chose to use PostGIS for the application
> 
> We want to offer alternatives to Oracle for those end-users who can't or
> won't pay the Oracle licence fees (but will pay ours, of course...), so
> our software treats Oracle and PostGIS as equals.

I don't see this as a treat for PostGIS, but redirecting some
of the incomes toward PostGIS development would be "humanly" and
"businessly" correct in respect to Refractions.

> > And also for our edification and strategic planning:
> > 
> > - What PostGIS feature or PostGIS-related software (not necessarily 
> > internal to PostGIS) would make your life much easier/better?
> 
> Even though I know that Paul is (very) anti this, we have had good
> results with Oracle 10g GeoRaster.  A PostGIS equivalent would be nice.

A good point to start with for that redirection.

--strk(speaking for himself);

> Regards,
> Martin