While the incentive to move to Open Source software solutions is certainly there, the availability of data and data-centric solutions are not. For example, one could create a MapServer solution that displays a street map, geocodes addresses, and runs a simple point-to-point route. Problem is, with the exception of TIGER, there is no public domain data source for the US that is decent, there exists no Open Source geocoding solution (as far as I can tell), and the routing components would require the use of a decent public domain street database which I maintain doesn't exist.
When you consider the cost of a web-based mapping solution, the software isn't where the true cost lies. Where you're going to spend all of your money is licensing a suitable commercial dataset for use in a public Internet solution. While MapServer is a fantasic solution, and I've seen just how fast it is, unless you have access to a proprietary set of data, going public with it is just as expensive as any other solution. The other thing that I have noticed is that the current version of MapServer does not allow it to be used as a SAPI plug-in with Apache. Every sentence of the documentation recommends that you install it as such, but the best you can do is the CGI interface. The authors of the documentation warn of the security implications of doing this...but it's the only way. Perhaps someone with a little more MapServer configuration experience can show me the error of my ways. Now if we could generate some momentum for an Open Source geocoding, routing, and street data solution, then we might be on to something.... As a side note, for those of us who are immensely patient, the Census Bureau has commited millions of dollars to their TIGER/MAF modernization project that promises to create some beautiful basemaps in the future. Perhaps all we need is time. - Ian Erickson ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Thoen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "MapInfo User Listing (E-mail)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2003 8:16 AM Subject: Re: MI-L MapServer ? (wrt to Discovery amd MapXtreme) > "Lars V. Nielsen, GisPro" wrote: > > > > I do recommend that you use the OpenSource products all the way, i.e. Apache/PHP/MySQL etc., but again - it's a recommendation, not > > a must. I've also built MapScript solution with IIS and MS/SQL ! > > Do you have any publically-accessable examples up yet? > > We've got a MapServer guru here who has built one that has some > surface analysis tools attached (via CGI scripts.) To see it go > to http://www.bouldergis.com and click on "Boulder County > Viewshed Analyst." Besides the usual map displays, it can do > viewsheds, surface profiling and address geocoding. It doesn't > work well with older Windows Netscape (they don't support the > Java stuff), but it's fine with IE or Linux browsers. It's just > experimental at this point, but you can play around a bit with > it. > > We here think pretty highly of MapServer and Open Source > solutions, too. I think it's the one force that Microsoft and all > those who ride on their coat tails really should be nervous > about, because once you've tried Open Source software and see > what it can do these days, there's not a lot of incentive to go > back to expensive licensed solutions. > > -- > - Bill Thoen > ------------------------------------------------------------ > GISnet, 1401 Walnut St., Suite C, Boulder, CO 80302 > tel: 303-786-9961, fax: 303-443-4856 > http://www.gisnet.com/ > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Message number: 7929 > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message number: 7932
