Vijay Sundar Rajaram wrote: > Hi all, > I am new to this group and have just started experimenting > with the features Mapserver provides, with an installation of ms4w and > maplab. I have read through the archives and have seen software on > freegis.org <http://freegis.org> among other sites. I am a total newbie > when it comes to GIS and there is a whole lot of talk about layers and > vectors and what not ! I basically need a map server that would serve me > a map with a location point (say marked with 'X') when I input a Geo / > civic address. I would like to know what image formats support this > detail. I cannot use something like Google Map API for the level of > detail is insufficient for my needs and I don't host the Map in the > first place. Kindly let me know the image formats that I should use for > the maps so that when I query the database of maps with a Geo/civic > address, I will have a map open up with the location marked with 'X'. >
>From the questions you are asking, and the fact that you readily admit that you are a newbie to GIS, it seems that MapServer may not really be what you want to tackle. From what you are describing you need, actually Google maps (or Yahoo maps) would be the easiest route for you. You could have a working application picking out points from a db, and putting a point on a street map in less than an hour, and you wouldn't have to worry about hosting it. You do say that the Google detail is insufficient for you. Google and Yahoo street detail is pretty good, but if you want something custom, then you will have to roll your sleeves and start learning all that you are a newbie to thus far. For example, there is no such thing as "image formats (that) support this detail" Sorry, can only be as specific as your query, and not anymore. You might want to rephrase what you really want to do, and your various constraints. -- Puneet Kishor
