aah i forgot the screenshot .. This is the link http://raghuram.nadiminti.googlepages.com/prototype.png
On Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 4:53 PM, Raghu Ram <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > On Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 4:11 PM, Martijn Pannevis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > Hi. > > I'm a big proponent of a WYSIWYG mapnik editor; I wrote a SWYG editor as > > a start (where you can edit the XML, and see the result), as linked on > > the SoC wiki page. > > In your description you don't talk about whether you want to make this a > > desktop app, or an online tool. > > > I was talking of a desktop application(A Qt based one). I donot > completely agree to the fact that we should go with an online tool. The > simple problem is rendering our own data. For example you have got a nice > shape file that you want to render. You simply cannot do that. Setting up > mapnik is not really complex. What is more complex is setting up OSM data in > postgis. To solve this issue, I propose a simple solution, a http mapnik > rendering server that provide two capabilities. > 1) GetLayers > 2) GetMap > > A GetLayers request returns the list of layers that are available in the > server( This could just return the part of the xml that contains the list of > styles in the mapnik stylesheet). And a GetMap request returns a rendered > tile image based on a stylesheet. > > Users who just want to render online would just use this protocol to do > the styling. Not much of additional code is required in the frontend desktop > application as the styling code is the same for both the things. The server > is almost the same as the one that you have. The additional GetLayers > request has to be added to your server code. Does all this sound ok to you > ?? or am i talking too abstract .. ? > > > > > > I would propose to make this an online tool: With my tool I have seen a > > small thousand renders so far. I'm really in favor of making maps easier > > to generate, but currently installing the necessary components to start > > rendering stuff are at least as difficult as editing the mapnik XML. To > > get a tool that laymen can use, either there has to be an easy "OSM > > installer" package (something I don't see happening in the near future), > > or it has to be preinstalled on a server, where everybody can access > > your tool. Even if such an installer would exists the barrier of entry > > would be much larger than just browsing to an online tool. > > This would mean the GUI will have to be developed in either HTML/JS, > > Flash or (not my favorite, but certainly an option), Java. > > I'm in big favour of such a tool, and if there is anything I can help > > with, I'm more than open for it. > > Kind Regards, > > Martijn Pannevis. > > Btw: I can't look at your example: could you make a screenshot and place > > it somewhere? > > > > Raghu Ram wrote: > > > Hi all, > > > I am RaghuRam, a 4th year student in the department of Computer > > > Science and Engineering, IIT Kharagpur. I have been working since an > > > year on Mobile GIS and Map rendering stuff as a part of my BTech > > > project. I am really awed at the amount of work being done > > > voluntarily in the OSM community. Especially, maps generated using > > > Mapnik from OSM data are very beautiful. I have been trying to come > > > up with my own slippy map for the Navteq LBS challenge using mapnik. > > > There are some issues that I faced in doing so and would like to > > > address them during my proposal. Sorry, but to be frank, Mapnik > > > Stylesheets are too complex to write and edit. Coming up with a new > > > mapnik style sheet for some data is difficult and time consuming, not > > > to say, nearly impossible for a beginner who has little idea of GIS > > > and stuff. Though there is a program called "viewer" in the mapnik svn > > > that helps in viewing Mapnik Style sheets, its very naive. It lacks > > > the main functionality of working like an editor. > > > > > > What I propose is a WYSIWYG <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WYSIWYG> > > > editor for Mapnik stylesheets. Users can create , load and save > > > stylesheets. Once a stylesheet is loaded one can add layers to it. > > > Users can choose from one of the supported Data backends like > > > shapefile, postgis etc.. and provide the necessary information like > > > server address,user name,password.. to finish off the layer creation. > > > Once a layer is created one should associate a style with it. The > > > application should be intelligent here to make it easy for the user. > > > It should connect to the corresponding datasource and retreive the > > > features. Now the user creates a style corresponding to the layer. > > > Style creation would be driven based on the features of the > > > datasource. Users can add filters and select properties of the > > > point,line and polygon symbolizers. > > > > > > Here is the link > > > <http://raghuram.nadiminti.googlepages.com/prototype.tar.gz> to the > > > simple ui form designed in QT, resembling mostly the viewer in the > > > mapnik svn. > > > > > > Waiting for your comments... > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > dev mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://lists.openstreetmap.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/dev > > > > > > > >
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