On Thu, 25 Mar 2004, SCISOFT wrote: > I'm surprised there hasn't been any cross-talk on this. Surely the .NET > version of MapInfo will be using the GML (XML recommendation for GIS) > from the OpenGIS Consortium? It has been adopted by several vendors. > Particularly, it's used in part by webmap servers. Version 3.0 has been > released and ratified I think.
I've received feedback, but it's all been on the private channel. The gist is that yes, MapInfo is adopting XML standards in the transition to a .NET version of MapInfo. The DOM for a workspace isn't supported yet, but those dabbling in the King beta say that the hooks are in place for something like it. > The easiest thing of all is to decide on a DTD or XML Schema for the > Metadata and for the Workspace. As with all XML, the first decision is to > agree on the vocabulary to be used (the things between the angled brackets - > like the pair <mapinfo> </mapinfo> ). My guess is that MapInfo Corporation > has long since decided on both of those. Right. that's what I was fishing for. I'd rather build on established convention than to wander off into the void. > I guess what I am getting around to articulating is that it is necessary for > a user community or software developer to first agree on the vocabulary (tag > names, and what they mean - very precisely) and then it is not a very hard > job to describe the various data structures for the 'components' of > MapInfo's file formats. Yes, agreement is important, so we don't get three flavors of GML and thus need "profiles" to sort 'em out. > There's no point really in developing a suite of MBX for 'older' MapInfo > versions - what for? The area that's crying out for XML-ifying is data > exchange, though - and that has been reasonably addressed by some 3rd-party > data exchange software developers / vendors. The great thing about the use They've only addressed the basic problem of converting tables. But there's been little work done on transferring views of data (e.g. MapInfo workspaces, ESRI Projects, etc.) to other environments. Since the IS in GIS is generally found in the presentation, I'm interested in capturing those higher elements and not just raw data. I'm currently experimenting with XML-based SVG technology as a means to deliver interactive maps to the web for a cost that doesn't cause my clients to have involuntary bowel movements, and to produce better-looking maps than MapInfo can manage on its own. To help get the cauldron boiling, I've "open sourced" a basic MapInfo to SVG translator (see http://www.gisnet.com/notebook/SVG_mapping.htm.) Converting a workspace seemed like the next logical step, hence my question. I think it will be worthwhile to follow MapInfo's lead and adopt whatever conventions developed as they move to .NET. They're inventing the wheel everyone's going to use anyway, and since they seem to be moving in the right direction anyway, I'm happy to go with this particular flow. - Bill Thoen --------------------------------------------------------------------- List hosting provided by Directions Magazine | www.directionsmag.com | To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message number: 11084
