IMO:
Just another thought on this issue (though we do seem to be recycling arguments over the years...): Assuming that I have a very large archive of spatial data, be it imagery or any other spatial format and that I store my data in a variety of proprietary formats: In ten years from now, can I be sure that: - the company that created, understands, and holds the IP in the data format will still be around? - there will still be software that runs on the then current operating environment, that can read and 'fully exploit' the data in the proprietary standard? - that this future software will work seamlessly with my then current spatial environment? - if all of the above risks prove to eventuate, can I be sure that I'll be able to salvage my data into another format, retaining its complete semantic context? IMO, it is a high risk proposition to lock public (or private) archives away in proprietary data formats. It makes more sense to use open standards and formats that are publically available. Bruce Bannerman > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael > P. Gerlek > Sent: Friday, 21 August 2009 6:55 AM > To: OSGeo Discussions > Subject: RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] Open File Formats and > Proprietary Algorithms > > Some clarifications: > > > > - MrSID has both lossy and lossless modes > > - MrSID is not fractal based; it uses wavelets (and > arithmetic encoding) > > - you can't copyright algorithms; the MrSID source code > certainly is, however > > - MrSID relies on a number of patents, not all of which are > owned by LizardTech > > - reading MrSID does not require any fees; we have libraries > you can download, although they are not open source > > > > That said, some editorial comments (although I'm now wishing > I hadn't been so quick to rise to Landon's bait :-) > > > > - Some of you know the history of trying to open source > MrSID; I won't go into that here, except to say that > LizardTech doesn't own all of the required IP needed to make > that happen. > > - If we are speaking of the NAIP data, then no, it is not > exclusively available in MrSID format; it is also shipped as GeoTIFFs. > > - JPEG 2000 is a very robust open standard alternative to > MrSID, and a number of players already support it (including > LizardTech), but not enough to make it viable for certain > domains like NAIP. > > - some of you also know the history on open JP2 support: > there is today no open source implementation of JP2 that is > suitable for geo work. Alas. > > > > -mpg > > > > > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Eric Wolf > Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 2:15 PM > To: OSGeo Discussions > Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Open File Formats and > Proprietary Algorithms > > > > The MRSID format is a very special case - and perhaps an > opportunity for a new FOSS file format. MRSID is a lossless, > fractal-based, multi-scale raster compression format. > LizardTech has the algorithms to encode and decode MRSID > locked up in copyrights, and I believe, patents. Even > companies like ESRI shell out big bucks to LizardTech to be > able to read and write the MRSID format. > > > > I guess I missed the context of the discussion. Is the > government releasing certain data exclusively in this format? > If so, I think the argument can be made against this > practice. The different in compression between MRSID and > gziped TIFFs isn't really that great in this day of cheap > disks and fat pipes. > > > > -Eric > > > -=--=---=----=----=---=--=-=--=---=----=---=--=-=- > Eric B. Wolf New! 720-334-7734 > USGS Geographer > Center of Excellence in GIScience > PhD Student > CU-Boulder - Geography > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
