[postgis-users] JASPA (JAva SPATial) for PostgreSQL and H2released. HSQLDB is planned to be supported.

Fri Jul 23 20:24:45 PDT 2010

Muhammad,

We don't know too much about JASPA project, but here is our general feeling
based on the underlying architecture and quick glance at the docs.

>From our general understanding JASPA implements all its PostgreSQL functions
using Java stored procs.  There are several consequences of this some good
and some bad

The Good
 1) JASPA uses JTS directly so doesn't suffer from the need to port JTS
functionality to GEOS.  So you will probably see new features introduced in
JTS in Jaspa sooner than you will see it in PostGIS.

2) Good/Bad -- Not tied to a specific database platform (though it only
really supports PostgreSQL/HSQL at the moment) -- I kind of consider this a
good/bad of rasdaman as well.  Its good in the sense that you can run it in
other databases, but bad in the sense that your architecture is either more
complicated and/or you don't play as nicely with the native functionality a
database offers.  JASPA its not quite as much of an issue as it is for
rasdaman since the functions are implemented as PostgreSQL stored functions
and can use just like you use PostGIS functions.

3) They seem to implement a lot of things above the core JTS -
http://jaspa.forge.osor.eu/Introduction.html#id474917
Like Delaunay triangles and some topology.  Sounds interesting.
http://jaspa.forge.osor.eu/ST_DelaunayTriangles.html

They claim PostGIS 1.4 compatibility, but not sure if that means 100% -- it
does look like they do support at least ST_Dump functions (and have
implemented some of the PostGIS non-geography functions)

http://jaspa.forge.osor.eu/differences.html#id498020

The Bad
While PostgreSQL does support java stored procs, its not a common choice.
I'm not sure exactly why.  As I recall a while back -- it had something to
do with the way Java classes were created and so forth similar to why .NET
is not a supported option in PostgreSQL. Times have changed though so may
not be a bad option now. This means
A) Most likely it will be harder to install on all platforms.  
B) Not as tried and tested as C binding functions.  So things such as memory
management between the core PostgreSQL layer and library layer  I suspect
will be better in PostGIS than they are in JASPA.

C) There are lots of functions implemented directly in PostGIS  that are not
in JTS or GEOS (and GEOS is not a direct port in and of itself of JTS -- it
has some 3D glue that JTS lacks).  Example are my favorite functions
implemented directly in PostGIS -  All the geography support introduced in
PostGIS 1.5,  ST_ClosestPoint (native PostGIS), ST_AsGML/ST_GeomFromGML/KML,
ST_Dump functions  etc.

I would say about 50 percent of the functions in PostGIS are not derived
from JTS/GEOS though there are some overlaps like ST_Distance that PostGIS
chose to reimplement because it was more efficient than using the JTS/GEOS.
I'm not sure if Jaspa implements these on their own or not. It looks like
from their documentation they try to be very compatible with PostGIS.

Hope that helps,
Regina and Leo
http://www.postgis.us

-----Original Message-----
From: postgis-users-bounces at postgis.refractions.net
[mailto:postgis-users-bounces at postgis.refractions.net] On Behalf Of muhammad
imran
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2010 8:12 PM
To: PostGIS Users Discussion
Subject: Re: [postgis-users] JASPA (JAva SPATial) for PostgreSQL and
H2released. HSQLDB is planned to be supported.

Dear All,

What are the advantages of JASPA over PostGIS. If anyone can compare both
spatial extensions?

regards,
Imran

--- On Fri, 7/23/10, Jose C. Martinez-Llario <jomarlla at cgf.upv.es> wrote:

> From: Jose C. Martinez-Llario <jomarlla at cgf.upv.es>
> Subject: [postgis-users] JASPA (JAva SPATial) for PostgreSQL and H2
released. HSQLDB is planned to be supported.
> To: "PostGIS Users Discussion" <postgis-users at postgis.refractions.net>
> Date: Friday, July 23, 2010, 6:33 PM
>   (sorry for the cross posting)
> 
> ************* text in english
> **************************
> 
> After one year of development, we are pleased to announce the release 
> 0.1RC1 of JASPA (JAva SPAtial). JASPA potentially brings around 200 
> spatial functions to any relational database system that supports a 
> full set of java store procedures. In this 0.1 version JASPA supports 
> PostgreSQL and H2, and we are already working with HSQLDB.
> JASPA has a similar functionality as PostGIS 1.4, supporting spatial 
> operators and predicates, arrays of geometries, spatial aggregates, 
> etc. JASPA is written in java and is easy to extend using java store 
> procedures.
> JASPA is licensed under the GNU GPL.
> 
> This project has been possible thanks to other open source projects. 
> Besides to take advantage of these projects we have used their mailing 
> lists and they helped us a lot. The JASPA team is very grateful to 
> them:
> 
> - PostGIS. The mirror on which JASPA has been looking at.
> - JTS (Java Topology Suite). This library is widely used in JASPA and 
> many open source initiatives bringing the possibility to use spatial 
> analysis to the java open source world.
> - GeoTools (used for projections, KML support and Shape to JASPA 
> converters)
> - PostgreSQL and PLJAVA (Java store procedures for
> PostgreSQL)
> - H2 and H2Spatial (a Java database and its spatial extension used at 
> the beginning of JASPA)
> - HSQLDB (a Java database which probably will be supported by JASPA in 
> the next release)
> - gvSIG (a desktop SIG which we hope it can connect to JASPA soon)
> 
> The authors of this project are:
> 
>   Jose C. Martinez-Llario. Developer and project director. (1)
>   Marta Gonzalez-Alcaide. Tester and document builder.
> (1)
>   (1)    Deparment of Cartographic
> Engineering, Geodesy and Photogrammetry at La Universidad Politecnica 
> de Valencia (Spain).
> 
>   Any contributor is very welcomed to join the JASPA project.
> 
> 
> JASPA Download:
> 
> - The latest software can be found at: 
> http://forge.osor.eu/projects/jaspa/
> - The full JASPA documentation can be found at: 
> http://jaspa.forge.osor.eu/. The online manual (the pdf version has 
> more than 300 pages) includes the installation process from binaries 
> and source, a tutorial and a complete reference of the JASPA commands.
> - Mailing list: 
> http://lists.forge.osor.eu/mailman/listinfo/jaspa-users
> - JASPA is hosted on OSOR.EU at: http://www.osor.eu/projects/jaspa
> 
> 
> ************* text in spanish **************************
> 
> Tras un año de desarrollo, queremos presentaros la versión 0.1RC1 de 
> JASPA (JAva SPAtial). JASPA potencialmente implementa alrededor de 200 
> funciones espaciales  sobre cualquier base de datos relacional que 
> soporte procedimientos almacenados en java. En esta primera versión 
> JASPA soporta PostgreSQL y H2. Actualmente estamos trabajando para 
> incorporar HSQLDB.
> JASPA tiene una funcionalidad muy similar a PostGIS 1.4, soportando 
> predicados y operadores espaciales, arreglos de geometrías, agregados 
> espaciales, etc. JASPA está programado en java y es bastante fácil de 
> extender ampliando funcionalidades utilizando procedimientos 
> almacenados en java. JASPA tiene una licencia GNU GPL.
> 
> Este proyecto ha sido posible gracias a otros muchos proyectos de 
> código abierto. Además de utilizar estos proyectos, sus 
> correspondientes listas de correo nos han ayudado de forma rápida y 
> eficaz. El equipo de JASPA quiere mostrar su gratitud especialmente a:
> 
> - PostGIS. Es el espejo en el que JASPA se ha mirado.
> - JTS (Java Topology Suite).  Biblioteca ampliamente utilizada en 
> JASPA y muchos otros proyectos de código abierto, ofreciendo la 
> posibilidad de realizar análisis espaciales.
> - GeoTools (biblioteca utilizada para las proyecciones y el soporte de 
> KML y los importadores shape).
> - PostgreSQL and PLJAVA (implementa procedimientos almacenados en java 
> para PostgreSQL)
> - H2 y H2Spatial (H2 es una base de datos especial desarrollada en 
> Java, al inicio de JASPA H2 Spatial y Spatial Box ofrecieron ideas en 
> la que se basó JASPA)
> - HSQLDB (base de datos java que posiblemente será soportada por JASPA 
> en la próxima versión)
> - gvSIG (SIG de escritorio con el que realmente deseamos que JASPA se 
> pueda conectar)
> 
> Los autores de este proyecto son:
> 
>   Jose C. Martinez-Llario. Developer and project director. (1)
>   Marta Gonzalez-Alcaide. Tester and document builder.
> (1)
>   (1)    Deparment of Cartographic
> Engineering, Geodesy and Photogrammetry at La Universidad Politecnica 
> de Valencia (Spain).
> 
>   Cualquier persona que quiera contribuir es bienvenida.
> 
> JASPA Download:
> 
> - Los binarios y el código fuente se puede encontrar en:
> http://forge.osor.eu/projects/jaspa/
> - La documentación complete de JASPA en: http://jaspa.forge.osor.eu/. 
> El manual en línea (la versión pdf tiene más de 300 páginas) incluye 
> el proceso de instalación de forma detallada de los binarios y si se 
> quiere compilar el fuente, un tutorial y una guía de referencia de 
> todos los comandos de JASPA.
> - Lista de distribución (de momento sólo en inglés): 
> http://lists.forge.osor.eu/mailman/listinfo/jaspa-users
> - JASPA está almacenado en OSOR.EU at: 
> http://www.osor.eu/projects/jaspa 
> _______________________________________________
> postgis-users mailing list
> postgis-users at postgis.refractions.net
> http://postgis.refractions.net/mailman/listinfo/postgis-users
> 

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