[postgis-users] Programmatically generate maps zoomed to extent of shapes?

[Nicklas Avén]

I think it looks like a job for mapserver to produce the images. then you can decide both output extent on the fly and decide the input extent by a query or a bounding box or whatever.
but that will just give you images. How to make the layout I don't know. /Nicklas    2010-09-23 John Poole wrote:

I'm preparing walk lists for a campaign which contains a table of
>addresses, about 35 to a page on 8.5" x 11" paper. I have the
>addresses tied into a postgis database with roads and assessor's
>parcels, so for a given page, I can get a handle on the IDs of the
>associated shapes.
>
>What I'm wondering is would it be possible to generate a map in SVG or
>PNG/TIFF that would measure 8" x 10.5" and be zoomed to a level that
>would just include the most opposite parcels. I gather I could define
>a shape that is all inclusive of the list of shapes for a particular
>page, but can I then take the coordinates or whatever information
>derived and submit it to a renderer which then creates a zoomed image
>of defined dpi (if PNG or TIFF) that would be a representation of a
>view of all parcels.
>
>For example, I have a list of addresses, being 35 representing 3 1/2
>city blocks:
> 200 Main Street
> 204 " "
> ...
> 535 " "
>
>All of the above addresses tie into specific shape IDs in postgis.
>
>I'd like to have a map which would then display a zoomed level so that
>the parcel of 200 is leftmost and parcel 535 is rightmost of the
>image. This map would be generated on the fly without human
>intervention, in other words generated by script.
>
>I'm getting my feet wet with various renderers, but have not seen any
>that might be manipulated or controlled programmatically so that mapes
>could be generated by scripting.
>
>What I am envisioning is having a map of the parcels on the back side
>of a previous page representing an view of the current page. So, if
>page three (3) contains the above addresses, the back side of page two
>(2)would have the map showing all parcels tied to the addresses of
>page three. That way someone looking at the list on page three could
>hold up the back side of page 2 in a binder and view a map zoomed to
>the right level containing all the parcels referenced on page three.
> I'd prefer to use my own data from postgis, I think this kind of
>generation would be possible with the Google maps API and possibly
>creating a container shape that bounds all the shapes from the list.
>
>It would be helpful to learn of any renderers, especially ones that
>expose an application interface.
>
>(Hmmm.. now I'm thinking I could generate a large image file of
>certain sectors and if I could tie the pixels, I could use ImageMagick
>to slice and dice what I need.)
>
>Any rate, this is a wild inquiry which might garner some attention and
>generate some responses about renderers, especially ones with exposed
>APIs so they can be manipulated programmatically.
>
>-- 
>John L. Poole
>
>P.O. Box 6566
>Napa, CA 94581-6566
>707-812-1323
>
>jlpoole56 at gmail.com
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> 
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