"premature optimization". Let's hope it never afflicts the geowankers.
(sorry, couldn't resist) Renee Anselm Hook wrote: > I've been thinking a bit that maybe one of the secret inhibitors of > good open source mapping is the map rasterization tools... ( by > comparison to the state of the art of the engines underlying > applications in other domains such as say flight gear ). > > If you look at the quality of results from google maps and from > microsoft - you really do see them starting to play with richer > representations of geometry as well. > > Mapserver and Mapnik both generate 2d raster maps - they can't "loft" > geometry into 3d and they can't take advantage of the hardware > acceleration many motherboards provide ( as far as I know - although > the anti-grain technology in mapserver may do so now? ) . Since > they're intended to be used in a kind of "offline" mode - not used to > generate real time interactive displays - they tend to be used only in > server environments; not as an all in one solution - like for say a > high performance native client... so they get exercised less and > improved less. > > I guess the same is true for geoserver. > > There's a related problem of premature optimization that you see in > the GML OGC standard and in standards such as ESRI shapefiles. They > lack concepts such as multiple-instancing, 3d, matrix transforms, > scene-graphs - all basic concepts that are so important for swiftly > representing complex geometry. Style management is hard as well.... > but this is unrelated to the focus of the discussion here. > > In any case - it feels like there might be merit in building (or > finding) a better rasterization stack. Offhand I see such a stack > including: > > 1) 3d. > > 2) Hardware accelerated. > > 3) Vector Font Support. > > 4) Deterministic de-cluttering. ( more suitable for tile generation > -> crschmidt's tile cache project has to request large images to then > slice up - and this is in part due to the way that the decluttering > will yield different results based on requested image size ). > > 5) Import support for shapefiles, gml, postgis and the like. > > 6) Plug-in architecture with a minimalist core. ( one of the things > that is so frustrating about mapserver and mapnik is how (like most > unix apps) they depend on pretty much the entire universe of every > other application ever written... it is like the minimum quanta of > computing is the unix operating system... I would like to run a > microkernel mapping engine on an iphone! ) > > 7) Scripting ( python, lua, ruby ... even php ) > > 8) Runs as a native app; not just intended to run as a cgi... embeddable. > > Of course proposing to build yet another mapping engine is foolhardy. > But I figured it could get a few minutes speculation. What tools out > there could make such a project less tedious? > > 1) http://vterrain.org => vterrain which is based on openscenegraph > might be a one stop shopping solution. > > 2) http://www.openscenegraph.org/projects/osg => open scene graph by > itself might do the trick... > > 3) A 3d game rendering engine => One benefit would be collision > detection and "operator in the loop" functionality as well as a > framework for behavior such as digital agents... see > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_engine ... but that's probably > overkill eh? > > - anselm > > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [web-49] Lineup Announced: Web 2.0 Mapping and > Social Networks Group August Meetup > Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:57:53 -0400 > From: Catherine Burton <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > July's Meetup was a HIT! We had 80+ people attend, which was just > super great. Thanks guys. You Rock! > > *Locate, Locate, Locate* is the theme for August's Meetup. We've > scheduled presentations from three companies that build apps to > locate people, places, and things. > > The Lineup: > > Loopt <http://www.loopt.com/> - you know 'em, you love 'em, but > have you met 'em... > Geogad <http://www.geogad.com/geogad/index> - "Your personal > mobile tour guide" > 3SI Security Systems <http://www.3sisecurity.com/>- "...the world > leader in cash protection systems..." > > Also, due to your organizers deep affinity for sugar, I've decided > that we *need* and will have free chocolate samples from the Bay > Area's own Fearless Chocolate <http://www.fearlesschocolate.com/> > once again. > > Come for the information, stay for the community. Remember, you > make this Meetup great. > > Please make a note of our new location at Google in Mountain View! > Check this page within the week of the event date for an exact > building number and room name. > > Thanks folks. See you there, > > Catherine > > > P.S If you have an interesting or fledgling geo/social web, GIS, > app or tech that you would care to share, please do not hesitate > to contact us: > > Catherine Burton - [EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > <http://[EMAIL PROTECTED] > <http://endpointenvironmental.com>> > Alec Dara-Abrams - [EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <http://[EMAIL PROTECTED] > <http://dara-abrams.com>> > > > > > -- > Please Note: If you hit "*REPLY*", your message will be sent to > *everyone* on this mailing list ([EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>>) > This message was sent by Catherine Burton > ([EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>) from Web 2.0 Mapping > and Social Networks Group <http://web.meetup.com/49>. > To learn more about Catherine Burton, visit his/her member profile > <http://web.meetup.com/49/members/3457959/> > To unsubscribe or to update your mailing list settings, click here > <http://www.meetup.com/account/?tab=comm> > > Meetup Support: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 632 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 USA > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Geowanking mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking
