Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo
Libraries and tools that can be used across different OSGEO apps. +1, from a software point of view. I can compare my experience as a user and programmer in the last five years with OSGeo (and other FOSS tools) against my parallel experience with ArcGIS, Erdas, Isatis, etc. A very sinthetic resume: Many people are aware of the potentialities of many OSGeo softwares, thanks also to foundation libraries like GDAL. The problem is the step from potential to daily use. I know that ideally everyone could contribute to higher level features (sponsorship, dev, testing, docs, etc.), but the step from ideality to practice still keeps many practitioners bound to more integrated, full featured, softwares (first of all ArcGIS). I see a main problem to this: FOSS gis still suffers lack of data model and user experirence consistency. The OS freedom is a coin: one face shows all the benefits of independent communities, etc. while the other makes it appear a big confused arena to the most users... I would support more and more the development and sharing of low level, generic libraries. algorithms, cartograhpic, but also data structures (I'm working hard to produce a seemless integration between SAGA and QGis, and the work is prominently dedicated to this). This would facilitate the OSGeo software integration and so the building of full featured products (QGis GUI + GRASS/SAGA algorithms + R analysis + = something more similar to commercial stacks), and would help the interfacing with the rest of the world. +1 for OSGeo Edu, and the Journal. giovanni ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo
Development: Analitic functions +1 cartography +1 Incorporating OGC and ISO standards, especially in the server/client domain to assure techncial interoperability. Upcoming implementation of SEIS and INSPIRE is a good chance to increase the share of FOSS4G on the European market. SEIS is defined officialy so far only with the communication of the EC (COM(2008) 46 final), but already in the communicaiton it is stated .. information sharing and processing should be supported through common, free opensource software tools.. OGC WPS and sensor-related standards will certainly play a key role in SEIS setups, although there are already voices that those approved standards do not provide optimal solution from the techncial point of view, nevertheless now they are seen as foundations of the technical interoperability of systems and services. More mature setup programs - I refer to the OSGEo4W and stand alone Qgis installer, where at the beginning of the release in July you need to perform silly tricks to be able to use GRASS plugin within QGIS. Good 10% of my gray hair come from going around the problems arising from the failure setups during the hands-on sessions of summer course on FOSS4G this year. (-; Other OSGEO initiatives: Geodata - certainly a good forum for discussions on the implementation of INSPIRE and availability of free data in Europe. Journal - it would be wonderfull if the Journal would became a regular scientific print. I am afraid, withour regular issueing and fast editorial scheme we won't attract interesting papers and hence journal will not get any IF I think we need a clear strategy for the Journal for the upcoming years. What about OSGEO's involvement in European projects? Cheers, Raf -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of maning sambale Sent: 15 September 2009 06:16 To: OSGeo Discussions Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo Libraries and tools that can be used across different OSGEO apps. data format libraries - done! algorithm/analytic libraries = +1 . GRASS has an extensive collection. Would be good for other OSGEO projects to reuse them. cartographic libraries = +1 On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 11:47 AM, Helena Mitasova hmit...@unity.ncsu.edu wrote: On Sep 14, 2009, at 11:40 PM, Howard Butler wrote: On Sep 14, 2009, at 4:01 PM, Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo) wrote: Hi everyone, a recent chat I was asked about our vision for OSGeo over the next 3 and 5 years. I'd really like to hear thoughts on the matter and pool a few of the ideas together for further discussions amongst committees, projects, chapters and the board. It's also a good way for the board nominees in the upcoming election to get a sense of where other members are thinking these days. My measurement of success for OSGeo and priorities I hope it shares in the next 3-5 years are the following three items: - Continued expansion of the local chapters. Local chapters make OSGeo real in the sense that mailing lists, websites, and an IRC channel can't. - The conference continues uninterrupted for the next five years, and we start to use it our central fundraising piece. - Cross-project collaboration, like the journal, osgeo4w, metacrs, benchmarking, system administration, and geodata continues to be fostered by us. From my biased developer's perspective, these have been OSGeo's biggest accomplishments along with the local chapter development and consolidation of the conference. +1 on these, including OSGeo Edu efforts as another example of cross-project collaboration Helena Howard ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss -- cheers, maning -- Freedom is still the most radical idea of all -N.Branden wiki: http://esambale.wikispaces.com/ blog: http://epsg4253.wordpress.com/ -- ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo
Incorporating OGC and ISO standards: +1 Involvement in European projects: +1 What about a stronger involvment in the OGC standardisation process? Regards, Benjamin Chartier Rafal Wawer a écrit : Development: Analitic functions +1 cartography +1 Incorporating OGC and ISO standards, especially in the server/client domain to assure techncial interoperability. Upcoming implementation of SEIS and INSPIRE is a good chance to increase the share of FOSS4G on the European market. SEIS is defined officialy so far only with the communication of the EC (COM(2008) 46 final), but already in the communicaiton it is stated .. information sharing and processing should be supported through common, free opensource software tools.. OGC WPS and sensor-related standards will certainly play a key role in SEIS setups, although there are already voices that those approved standards do not provide optimal solution from the techncial point of view, nevertheless now they are seen as foundations of the technical interoperability of systems and services. More mature setup programs - I refer to the OSGEo4W and stand alone Qgis installer, where at the beginning of the release in July you need to perform silly tricks to be able to use GRASS plugin within QGIS. Good 10% of my gray hair come from going around the problems arising from the failure setups during the hands-on sessions of summer course on FOSS4G this year. (-; Other OSGEO initiatives: Geodata - certainly a good forum for discussions on the implementation of INSPIRE and availability of free data in Europe. Journal - it would be wonderfull if the Journal would became a regular scientific print. I am afraid, withour regular issueing and fast editorial scheme we won't attract interesting papers and hence journal will not get any IF I think we need a clear strategy for the Journal for the upcoming years. What about OSGEO's involvement in European projects? Cheers, Raf -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of maning sambale Sent: 15 September 2009 06:16 To: OSGeo Discussions Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo Libraries and tools that can be used across different OSGEO apps. data format libraries - done! algorithm/analytic libraries = +1 . GRASS has an extensive collection. Would be good for other OSGEO projects to reuse them. cartographic libraries = +1 On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 11:47 AM, Helena Mitasova hmit...@unity.ncsu.edu wrote: On Sep 14, 2009, at 11:40 PM, Howard Butler wrote: On Sep 14, 2009, at 4:01 PM, Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo) wrote: Hi everyone, a recent chat I was asked about our vision for OSGeo over the next 3 and 5 years. I'd really like to hear thoughts on the matter and pool a few of the ideas together for further discussions amongst committees, projects, chapters and the board. It's also a good way for the board nominees in the upcoming election to get a sense of where other members are thinking these days. My measurement of success for OSGeo and priorities I hope it shares in the next 3-5 years are the following three items: - Continued expansion of the local chapters. Local chapters make OSGeo real in the sense that mailing lists, websites, and an IRC channel can't. - The conference continues uninterrupted for the next five years, and we start to use it our central fundraising piece. - Cross-project collaboration, like the journal, osgeo4w, metacrs, benchmarking, system administration, and geodata continues to be fostered by us. From my biased developer's perspective, these have been OSGeo's biggest accomplishments along with the local chapter development and consolidation of the conference. +1 on these, including OSGeo Edu efforts as another example of cross-project collaboration Helena Howard ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss -- cheers, maning -- Freedom is still the most radical idea of all -N.Branden wiki: http://esambale.wikispaces.com/ blog: http://epsg4253.wordpress.com/ -- ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] FW: GSDI Small Grants Deadline Two Weeks Away!
This might be of interest to some of you. Dr Suchith Anand Centre for Geospatial Science Sir Clive Granger Building University of Nottingham Tel: (0)115 846 8408 http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cgs/cgs_suchith_anand.html http://tinyurl.com/suchith http://www.opensourcegis.org.uk/ http://ica-opensource.scg.ulaval.ca/ -Original Message- From: GSDI News [mailto:n...@gsdi.org] Sent: 14 September 2009 18:38 To: suchith.an...@nottingham.ac.uk Subject: GSDI Small Grants Deadline Two Weeks Away! Call for Proposals: GSDI Small Grants Program The Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association is pleased to announce its Small Grants Program for the year 2009-10. Summary: * Awards for spatial data infrastructure or EOS-related activities in economically disadvantaged nations, * Application deadline of 1 October 2009, * 4000 words maximum, * Awards of $2500 USD in cash and/or contributed volunteer professional services for the project Background The Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) Association is dedicated to international cooperation and collaboration in support of local, national, and international spatial data infrastructure developments that would allow nations to better address social, economic, and environmental issues of pressing importance. We are committed to bringing about an infrastructure that will allow users globally to access spatial data at a variety of scales from multiple sources that ultimately will appear seamless to all users. The GSDI Association supports the work of organizations to develop their own SDI initiatives, nationally and regionally, and collaborates with local, national, and international organizations to ensure that spatial data, services, and metadata are accessible through interoperable standards-based services, systems, software, and products that operate in a web-enabled environment. The success of the GSDI Association depends on the quality of its partnerships with public, private, academic, and non-governmental organizations. Through adoption of common, international standards, key architecture principles, and approaches for capacity building in developing countries, the GSDI initiatives also link national SDI efforts with the vision and goals of the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) and its Global Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS). Description The GSDI is being advanced through the leadership of many nations and organizations represented by a GSDI Association Council and Board of Directors. The multi-national Board includes representatives from all continents and all sectors: government, academia, and the private sector as well as regional SDI initiatives referred to as permanent committees: * Africa: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Committee on Development Information: Geo Subcommittee (CODI-GEO) * Americas: Pan-American Institute for Geography and History (PAIGH) * Asia and Pacific: Permanent Committee for Geographic Information for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP) (ex-officio) * Europe: European Umbrella Organization for Geographic Information (EUROGI) Please visit the GSDI Association website (http://gsdi.org) to familiarize yourself with the mission, goals, programs, accomplishments and priorities of the organization. The GSDI Association, along with partners and participants, has allocated resources from the U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee and the GISCorps of URISA, to fund a small grants program to support national or sub-national activities that foster partnerships, develop in-country technical capacity, improve data compatibility and access, and increase political support for spatial data infrastructure and earth observations application development. These resources will be used to offer two types of grants this year: * Cash up to 2,500 USD to be used on your project, and/or * Professional Services applied to your project Professional Services will be coordinated by the GISCorps, an international initiative that offers GIS services by qualified economies. Support may focus on technical or institutional projects, as long as tangible outputs and several institutions collaborate on the effort. A list of typical projects follows but this list is not exhaustive: * Convening of national or sub-national seminars or workshops related to SDI * Producing SDI- and EO-related training manuals and modules (these materials must not duplicate existing materials) * Establishing metadata and clearinghouse nodes * Establishing web mapping services and applications * Accomplishing Geodata and/or SDI surveys or inventories * Producing and disseminating newsletters and awareness-raising materials about SDI * Drafting policy and legislation related to SDI Priority will be given to projects in developing nations and countries with economies in transition. Grants can be awarded to SDI coordinating bodies (councils, committees) and GIS user groups, but the GSDI Association asks that one institution take
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] OSGeo Board Elections 2009
On Mon, 2009-09-14 at 16:49 -0700, Paul Ramsey wrote: Anyone can submit a Board nomination, however only Charter Members are eligible to serve on the Board. The complete list of charter members is available by combining * (2009 additions) http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2009 * (Prior years) http://www.osgeo.org/charter_members FYI - I've added all the new members in the main page now: http://www.osgeo.org/charter_members ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo
Rene wrote: If we were to produce a comprehensive suite of tools offering the standard analytical tools as well as some more advanced ones, then these proprietary offerings wouldn't look as appealing. Moreover, if we had a consolidated toolset which could be used on a multitude of project we would not have to re-invent the wheel for each separate project. Currently, proprietary software generally offers advanced analytic capability out-of-the-box and open source software does not. I see this as a bit of a stumbling block. These are good comments Rene, but I think it is good to consider this issue in the context of our overall strategy to compete with proprietary GIS software. It is unlikely that we will ever have the resources as a community to keep up with someone like ESRI or Autodesk on functionality. They've got an army of paid programmers at their disposal. I think a better strategy is the one we are already following: Put into place a framework that allows people to easily build their own tools, or to add their own functionality. This is something very difficult to do with proprietary software, because they want you to pay for those upgrades, they don't want you building your own (in most cases). You also don't get to look at the guts of the software, which can make it harder to understand how the program works and the best way to extend it. This strategy means we need to focus on a different type of customer. I don't think we should be looking for the GIS user that wants a free ESRI clone. We should be looking for the GIS user that wants the freedom to expand his software's capabilities, or to work with other users to solve a common problem in their domain. We need to foster a community of that type of user, and make it as easy as we can for them to migrate from power user to hobby coder. The real power in computers is not out-of-the-box software that does a million (plus one) things, but software that allows you to do exactly what you need. This is just my own opinion. When I think about how to make OpenJUMP successful I know I have to compete on the program's strengths. OJ is never going offer all the functionality that ArcView does. However, it can offer a lot that ArcView doesn't, and I want to go after the user that is looking for those things that are missing in his proprietary software. Landon Office Phone Number: (209) 946-0268 Cell Phone Number: (209) 992-0658 -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of René A. Enguehard Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 2:35 PM To: OSGeo Discussions Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo What I'd like to see within the next 5 years would be more analytical tools. Most of the projects in OSGeo are very much enablers: they put the facilities in place for people to program their own tools. However, as I have noticed over the years, people are reluctant to move to open source implementations of geospatial software because they are, in effect, losing capabilities. Yes, there is still the potential for the same capabilities to be put back in, but the fact remains they just aren't there. For example, I have never seen any MCDA, PCA, HotSpot Analysis, CART or neural network tools in open source packages. If we were to produce a comprehensive suite of tools offering the standard analytical tools as well as some more advanced ones, then these proprietary offerings wouldn't look as appealing. Moreover, if we had a consolidated toolset which could be used on a multitude of project we would not have to re-invent the wheel for each separate project. Currently, proprietary software generally offers advanced analytic capability out-of-the-box and open source software does not. I see this as a bit of a stumbling block. Another thing, and I was chatting about this in the lab today, is that for particular needs, open source implementations of geospatial software generally don't have much to offer. The generic capabilities are there, or at least enabled for others to program, but special-needs cases there is not much. The example used today in the lab was CARIS HIPS or SIPS. What, if anything, exists in the open source community that could come close to the processing capabilities of this? Still another area with a lack of development is 3D and 4D modeling / rendering / analysis, something like ESRI ArcGlobe with the 3D Analyst package or Myriax Eonfusion. There has been very little work in these domains which are of particular interest to me. Perhaps the amount of people working in these areas is much smaller than the amount of people using something more like general analytic capabilities, but it is an area that needs work nonetheless. The point, and I'd like to make this clear, is not the I'm bemoaning the lack of features and projects in the open source community. I think OSGeo and the open source community have
RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo
+1 on the development of local chapters. Strong local chapters will make for a strong organization. Question: As local chapters become a more important part of the organization, how do we encourage collaboration among chapters, so as to avoid duplicated effort? Landon Office Phone Number: (209) 946-0268 Cell Phone Number: (209) 992-0658 -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Howard Butler Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 8:40 PM To: OSGeo Discussions Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo On Sep 14, 2009, at 4:01 PM, Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo) wrote: Hi everyone, a recent chat I was asked about our vision for OSGeo over the next 3 and 5 years. I'd really like to hear thoughts on the matter and pool a few of the ideas together for further discussions amongst committees, projects, chapters and the board. It's also a good way for the board nominees in the upcoming election to get a sense of where other members are thinking these days. My measurement of success for OSGeo and priorities I hope it shares in the next 3-5 years are the following three items: - Continued expansion of the local chapters. Local chapters make OSGeo real in the sense that mailing lists, websites, and an IRC channel can't. - The conference continues uninterrupted for the next five years, and we start to use it our central fundraising piece. - Cross-project collaboration, like the journal, osgeo4w, metacrs, benchmarking, system administration, and geodata continues to be fostered by us. From my biased developer's perspective, these have been OSGeo's biggest accomplishments along with the local chapter development and consolidation of the conference. Howard ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss Warning: Information provided via electronic media is not guaranteed against defects including translation and transmission errors. If the reader is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this information in error, please notify the sender immediately. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo
Thinking aloud, a possible contrarian view: A goal like to produce a comprehensive suite of tools [that do X or Y]... doesn't likely fit with OSGeo's broad membership and interests. We are an umbrella organization representing a number of projects, each with its own unique goals and agendas. It is unlikely OSGeo would be able to produce a specific tool just because (hypothetically) the Board says we should: open source folks often don't take top-down direction well, unless it meets their own personal needs and agendas. Which is not to say that an analytical tool suite is a bad idea, just that it seems unlikely to be a worthy goal at that level of the hierarchy. -mpg -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss- boun...@lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of René A. Enguehard Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 2:35 PM To: OSGeo Discussions Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo What I'd like to see within the next 5 years would be more analytical tools. Most of the projects in OSGeo are very much enablers: they put the facilities in place for people to program their own tools. However, as I have noticed over the years, people are reluctant to move to open source implementations of geospatial software because they are, in effect, losing capabilities. Yes, there is still the potential for the same capabilities to be put back in, but the fact remains they just aren't there. For example, I have never seen any MCDA, PCA, HotSpot Analysis, CART or neural network tools in open source packages. If we were to produce a comprehensive suite of tools offering the standard analytical tools as well as some more advanced ones, then these proprietary offerings wouldn't look as appealing. Moreover, if we had a consolidated toolset which could be used on a multitude of project we would not have to re-invent the wheel for each separate project. Currently, proprietary software generally offers advanced analytic capability out-of-the-box and open source software does not. I see this as a bit of a stumbling block. Another thing, and I was chatting about this in the lab today, is that for particular needs, open source implementations of geospatial software generally don't have much to offer. The generic capabilities are there, or at least enabled for others to program, but special-needs cases there is not much. The example used today in the lab was CARIS HIPS or SIPS. What, if anything, exists in the open source community that could come close to the processing capabilities of this? Still another area with a lack of development is 3D and 4D modeling / rendering / analysis, something like ESRI ArcGlobe with the 3D Analyst package or Myriax Eonfusion. There has been very little work in these domains which are of particular interest to me. Perhaps the amount of people working in these areas is much smaller than the amount of people using something more like general analytic capabilities, but it is an area that needs work nonetheless. The point, and I'd like to make this clear, is not the I'm bemoaning the lack of features and projects in the open source community. I think OSGeo and the open source community have done a tremendous job and should feel, rightfully, proud at what they have accomplished. However, when asked what I'd like to see on the agenda for OSGeo, this is it. I'd like to see a hard push towards analytics to make the various projects we have to offer more directly useful to the average GIS user. In the end, it's really about market penetration. The more useful open source software is, the better a deal it looks like to outsiders and the more people we'll attract. Please note: I don't presume to speak for anyone but myself, IANAL, just my two cents, your mileage may vary, et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseam. Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo) wrote: Hi everyone, a recent chat I was asked about our vision for OSGeo over the next 3 and 5 years. I'd really like to hear thoughts on the matter and pool a few of the ideas together for further discussions amongst committees, projects, chapters and the board. It's also a good way for the board nominees in the upcoming election to get a sense of where other members are thinking these days. Best wishes, Tyler ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Re: [mapserver-users] Updated MapServer flyer
Not a bad idea Bob. I'd also like to take it a step further and have some basic web forms that help to create the flyers so that no software is required on the client - e.g. enter the info, press create and download a PDF. Anyone want to help put their CGI and PDF lib skills into this kind of thing? It could even be used for creating business cards, etc. On Tue, 2009-09-15 at 08:38 -0500, Bob Basques wrote: All, OK, probably a weird idea, but. . . . while looking for the brochure mentioned here (only found the old one so far . . .came into the thread in the middle) . . .a thought occurred to me. Why not make this project brochure creation thing a step in the incubation process. Use some sort of basic template and each project has it's own brochure. bobb Lars Lingner m...@lingner.eu wrote: Steve Lime schrieb: Hi Lars, thanks for working up an updated brochure, looking at the old one it could use it. Some comments... - I think I'd avoid the MapServer website screen shot in favor of another app. The website text features the security fix announcements which while a reality in a project aren't marketing friendly. I can offer a couple of sites as could others I bet. I like your example, nice and colorful. If someone could point me to MapServer powered sites, I'll update the screenshot in the flyer. - Perhaps the screen shots could be a bit taller, more of a square aspect ratio#63; Ok, I'll take a further look. - Under features it might make sense to highlight output options: all sorts of raster images, PDF, SWF, SVG and templated text - Might include input and the new output plugin architectures as features - The Leverages best-of-breed sentence could be reworked to say we leverage other OSGeo projects including GDAL, GEOS, PostGIS and Proj.4. I think we should really emphasize the reliance on other OSGeo projects. - In the last feature sentence I think MapBuilder can be removed. There are some frameworks specific to (or that at least favor) MapServer (e.g. p.mapper and GeoMoose) that could get some love here... Thanks for this info. I'm putting it in. I think the 5.6 features are performance centric (raster rendering improvements, single pass, etc...). The 6.0 release *should* have a more output-based focus with full support for the rendering plugin, new object structures including references, better SLD support, styles within labels and so on. XML mapfiles will be in 5.6. It's important to note that XML mapfiles allow users to define a configuration in XML but you must transform it to a .map file for use. I hope that might really have an impact on wysiwyg editors eventually. Sounds like an interesting roadmap, I'll spread the word... ;) Lars ___ mapserver-users mailing list mapserver-us...@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapserver-users ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] RE: Next 5 years for OSGeo
One thing I'll mention, in addition to all the other good comments that have already been posted, is that I have a really difficult time trying to get the GIS users in my organization to even consider making a switch to one of the open GIS desktop applications instead of the expensive proprietary commercial package they currently use, because (more often than not) of the rather big gap in the aesthetic quality of the cartographic products the open GIS packages can (easily) produce. Despite continuing improvements over the last couple of years, the gap will still need to close a good bit more in terms of average GIS users being able to quickly and easily produce production quality map products before there's much real hope of any significant numbers of them being willing to migrate to open GIS desktop packages. Some of the open GIS server packages can produce some really beautifully rendered map images now, but the desktop packages don't seem to be quite there yet. Easy map product templates (for unsophisticated end users) for placing all the map marginalia/decorations (labeling, symbols, legends, titles, charts, etc) and being able to produce a professional looking map quickly is still missing. All that off the map crap (as someone - I can't recall who - once called it) really does matter to a lot of our users, who often have to be able to compose and print (or render to PDF) some really slick looking, high resolution maps for public hearings and other meetings and presentations. Being able to use the old style Arcview DBF file raster image catalogs in an open GIS desktop package is another pain point for a lot of our users. We still use those a lot because we have some people who are tied to Arcview 3x (god help 'em) because of various extensions. I also prefer not to switch to a proprietary geodatabase raster catalog because the DBF-based ones can also do double duty (in complete shapefile format) as raster catalog tile index layers for Mapserver. I don't really want to have migrate a separate copy of our imagery to some proprietary geodatabase raster catalog data structure that only a single product can use. Also, with our bandwidth issues in remote field offices, connecting to a web map service is not always feasible, or even possible. We need to be able to have our imagery in a raster catalog that resides a local network file server where multiple users can all access it simultaneously in R-O mode, or even on a portable hard drive for use out in the field. This kind of raster catalog functionality seems to still be missing in several open GIS desktop packages that might otherwise be somewhat viable contenders as an Arcview replacement for average or casual desktop GIS users. If such functionality does exists as a plugin somewhere, maybe I just haven't found it yet, or maybe recent docs aren't fully available in English yet for some packages. If anyone can point me to a link for an open GIS Desktop package that has a plugin for Arcview old style DBF raster catalogs, with English docs, that just works with minimal manual configuration (no checking anything out of subversion or compiling any source code), a few of our users will be very eager to give it a test. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years for OSGeo
Perhaps this is related to Helena's OSGeo Edu posting , but more efforts towards outreach to the Elementary, Middle, and High School ( pre-college) educational communities. Working with them to set up pre-packaged lessons involving geographic concepts in which you can give the student a CD/DVD with project data and software that they could use at home on their Windows/Mac/Linux box. Not just basic viewing, but some analysis as well. Doug Doug Newcomb USFWS Raleigh, NC 919-856-4520 ext. 14 doug_newc...@fws.gov - The opinions I express are my own and are not representative of the official policy of the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service or Dept. of the Interior. Life is too short for undocumented, proprietary data formats. Helena Mitasova hmit...@unity.nc su.eduTo Sent by: OSGeo Discussions discuss-boun...@l discuss@lists.osgeo.org ists.osgeo.org cc Subject 09/14/2009 11:47 Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Next 5 years PMfor OSGeo Please respond to OSGeo Discussions disc...@lists.os geo.org On Sep 14, 2009, at 11:40 PM, Howard Butler wrote: On Sep 14, 2009, at 4:01 PM, Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo) wrote: Hi everyone, a recent chat I was asked about our vision for OSGeo over the next 3 and 5 years. I'd really like to hear thoughts on the matter and pool a few of the ideas together for further discussions amongst committees, projects, chapters and the board. It's also a good way for the board nominees in the upcoming election to get a sense of where other members are thinking these days. My measurement of success for OSGeo and priorities I hope it shares in the next 3-5 years are the following three items: - Continued expansion of the local chapters. Local chapters make OSGeo real in the sense that mailing lists, websites, and an IRC channel can't. - The conference continues uninterrupted for the next five years, and we start to use it our central fundraising piece. - Cross-project collaboration, like the journal, osgeo4w, metacrs, benchmarking, system administration, and geodata continues to be fostered by us. From my biased developer's perspective, these have been OSGeo's biggest accomplishments along with the local chapter development and consolidation of the conference. +1 on these, including OSGeo Edu efforts as another example of cross- project collaboration Helena Howard ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss inline: graycol.gifinline: pic02306.gifinline: ecblank.gif___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] RE: Next 5 years for OSGeo
Julia Harrell ha scritto: numbers of them being willing to migrate to open GIS desktop packages. Some of the open GIS server packages can produce some really beautifully rendered map images now, but the desktop packages don't seem to be quite there yet. Easy map product templates (for unsophisticated end users) for placing all the map marginalia/decorations (labeling, symbols, legends, titles, charts, etc) and being able to produce a professional looking map quickly is still missing. All that off the map crap (as someone - I can't recall who - once called it) really does matter to a lot of our users, who often have to be able to compose and print (or render to PDF) some really slick looking, high resolution maps for public hearings and other meetings and presentations. Hi Julia. Have you tried QGIS recently? The quality of cartographic output has improved considerably, and I do not find is particularly limited. It would be very useful if you (or your users) could let us know specific missing features (perhaps opening a wish o the trac) so next version will be ok for your use. Please note however that the missing features may cost very little to implement, so that if you can avoid paying a few licences of prprietary sw, the thing may make economic sense even in the first year (not to spaek about longer term returns). Being able to use the old style Arcview DBF file raster image catalogs in an open GIS desktop package is another pain point for a lot of our users. We still use those a lot because we have Have you tried GDAL virtual rasters? They can be produced easily, and can be read by QGIS smoothly. All the best. -- Paolo Cavallini: http://www.faunalia.it/pc ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] RE: Next 5 years for OSGeo
Julia, Two very good points. The first, cartographic output, comes up a few times a year and OSGEO has a wiki page on it: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/OSGeo_Cartographic_Library. In my opinion the solution described on the wiki is way too ambitious and instead should focus on creating a library of helper functions to deal with only the map surround components (leave the symbology and GUI up to the desktop app, etc). My current workflow calls for Mapserver to render the map portion in PDF (maybe someday create a GeoPDF), and use Inkscape to interactively add most of the surround (still have to figure out the graticule). On the second point, image catalogs, GDAL's VRT format may be a good replacement. But I don't know of a GUI tool to create/edit a VRT file, only a couple of command line tools to create them. In theory, any desktop app using the GDAL library should be able to use VRT files, but I haven't done any performance testing... Best Regards, Brent Fraser Julia Harrell wrote: One thing I'll mention, in addition to all the other good comments that have already been posted, is that I have a really difficult time trying to get the GIS users in my organization to even consider making a switch to one of the open GIS desktop applications instead of the expensive proprietary commercial package they currently use, because (more often than not) of the rather big gap in the aesthetic quality of the cartographic products the open GIS packages can (easily) produce. Despite continuing improvements over the last couple of years, the gap will still need to close a good bit more in terms of average GIS users being able to quickly and easily produce production quality map products before there's much real hope of any significant numbers of them being willing to migrate to open GIS desktop packages. Some of the open GIS server packages can produce some really beautifully rendered map images now, but the desktop packages don't seem to be quite there yet. Eas y map product templates (for unsophisticated end users) for placing all the map marginalia/decorations (labeling, symbols, legends, titles, charts, etc) and being able to produce a professional looking map quickly is still missing. All that off the map crap (as someone - I can't recall who - once called it) really does matter to a lot of our users, who often have to be able to compose and print (or render to PDF) some really slick looking, high resolution maps for public hearings and other meetings and presentations. Being able to use the old style Arcview DBF file raster image catalogs in an open GIS desktop package is another pain point for a lot of our users. We still use those a lot because we have some people who are tied to Arcview 3x (god help 'em) because of various extensions. I also prefer not to switch to a proprietary geodatabase raster catalog because the DBF-based ones can also do double duty (in complete shapefile format) as raster catalog tile index layers for Mapserver. I don't really want to have migrate a separate copy of our imagery to some proprietary geodatabase raster catalog data structure that only a single product can use. Also, with our bandwidth issues in remote field offices, connecting to a web map service is not always feasible, or even possible. We need to be able to have our imagery in a raster catalog that resides a local network file server where multiple users can all access it simultaneously in R-O mode, or even on a portable hard drive for use out in the field. This kind of raster catalog functionality seems to still be missing in several open GIS desktop packages that might otherwise be somewhat viable contenders as an Arcview replacement for average or casual desktop GIS users. If such functionality does exists as a plugin somewhere, maybe I just haven't found it yet, or maybe recent docs aren't fully available in English yet for some packages. If anyone can point me to a link for an open GIS Desktop package that has a plugin for Arcview old style DBF raster catalogs, with English docs, that just works with minimal manual configuration (no checking anything out of subversion or compiling any source code), a few of our users will be very eager to give it a test. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] RE: Next 5 years for OSGeo
I wonder if Mirone allows you to create VRT files (or could be modified to do it). http://w3.ualg.pt/~jluis/mirone/index.htm David. -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Brent Fraser Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 1:06 PM To: Julia Harrell; OSGeo Discussions Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] RE: Next 5 years for OSGeo Julia, Two very good points. The first, cartographic output, comes up a few times a year and OSGEO has a wiki page on it: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/OSGeo_Cartographic_Library. In my opinion the solution described on the wiki is way too ambitious and instead should focus on creating a library of helper functions to deal with only the map surround components (leave the symbology and GUI up to the desktop app, etc). My current workflow calls for Mapserver to render the map portion in PDF (maybe someday create a GeoPDF), and use Inkscape to interactively add most of the surround (still have to figure out the graticule). On the second point, image catalogs, GDAL's VRT format may be a good replacement. But I don't know of a GUI tool to create/edit a VRT file, only a couple of command line tools to create them. In theory, any desktop app using the GDAL library should be able to use VRT files, but I haven't done any performance testing... Best Regards, Brent Fraser Julia Harrell wrote: One thing I'll mention, in addition to all the other good comments that have already been posted, is that I have a really difficult time trying to get the GIS users in my organization to even consider making a switch to one of the open GIS desktop applications instead of the expensive proprietary commercial package they currently use, because (more often than not) of the rather big gap in the aesthetic quality of the cartographic products the open GIS packages can (easily) produce. Despite continuing improvements over the last couple of years, the gap will still need to close a good bit more in terms of average GIS users being able to quickly and easily produce production quality map products before there's much real hope of any significant numbers of them being willing to migrate to open GIS desktop packages. Some of the open GIS server packages can produce some really beautifully rendered map images now, but the desktop packages don't seem to be quite there yet. Eas y map product templates (for unsophisticated end users) for placing all the map marginalia/decorations (labeling, symbols, legends, titles, charts, etc) and being able to produce a professional looking map quickly is still missing. All that off the map crap (as someone - I can't recall who - once called it) really does matter to a lot of our users, who often have to be able to compose and print (or render to PDF) some really slick looking, high resolution maps for public hearings and other meetings and presentations. Being able to use the old style Arcview DBF file raster image catalogs in an open GIS desktop package is another pain point for a lot of our users. We still use those a lot because we have some people who are tied to Arcview 3x (god help 'em) because of various extensions. I also prefer not to switch to a proprietary geodatabase raster catalog because the DBF-based ones can also do double duty (in complete shapefile format) as raster catalog tile index layers for Mapserver. I don't really want to have migrate a separate copy of our imagery to some proprietary geodatabase raster catalog data structure that only a single product can use. Also, with our bandwidth issues in remote field offices, connecting to a web map service is not always feasible, or even possible. We need to be able to have our imagery in a raster catalog that resides a local network file server where multiple users can all access it simultaneously in R-O mode, or even on a portable hard drive for use out in the field. This kind of raster catalog functionality seems to still be missing in several open GIS desktop packages that might otherwise be somewhat viable contenders as an Arcview replacement for average or casual desktop GIS users. If such functionality does exists as a plugin somewhere, maybe I just haven't found it yet, or maybe recent docs aren't fully available in English yet for some packages. If anyone can point me to a link for an open GIS Desktop package that has a plugin for Arcview old style DBF raster catalogs, with English docs, that just works with minimal manual configuration (no checking anything out of subversion or compiling any source code), a few of our users will be very eager to give it a test. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] RE: Insurance for contractors?
FYI: In some states professionals are restricted from forming LLCs or corporations. The law requires that you are personally liable for your work. In some states professionals are only allowed to form special LLCs or corporations. This may only apply to licensed professionals at this time, but as the line between licensed professions and other professions blurs this may become a more foggy issue. Landon Office Phone Number: (209) 946-0268 Cell Phone Number: (209) 992-0658 -Original Message- From: discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org [mailto:discuss-boun...@lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Miles Fidelman Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 5:23 PM To: OSGeo Discussions Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] RE: Insurance for contractors? Michael P. Gerlek wrote: * in the US, sole proprietorship is the way to go for simple one-person, garage-based shops Having contracted as both a sole proprietorship and a corporation, I'd qualify that one. Sole proprietorship is easy, but. - you don't get quite as many tax benefits - you open yourself up to a lot of personal liability, even with insurance - if you have any serious assets (say a house or stock portfolio that hasn't completely tanked), putting a corporate shell between you and a lawsuit provides some serious protection - you can simplify some of the paperwork by incorporating as either Subchapter S or an LLC Miles ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss Warning: Information provided via electronic media is not guaranteed against defects including translation and transmission errors. If the reader is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this information in error, please notify the sender immediately. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] Re: OSGeo Board Elections 2009
Jeff McKenna I nominate Jeff McKenna to the OSGeo Board of Directors. Jeff has been active in OSGeo since being voted as a founding charter member. He leads the conference committee and has assisted in each of the annual FOSS4G events since 2004. Jeff has been very active in the MapServer community for almost 10 years. Not a trained developer, he has made a point of trying to help new users in any way that he can: such as through documentation, installers (MapServer 4 Windows, OSGeo4W), and answering general mailing list questions. He is a member of MapServer's Project Steering Committee (PSC), which is responsible for the direction of the product. Jeff is a frequent traveller, and enjoys spreading his passion for FOSS4G through workshops for new users around the world. He actually enjoys training new users, and has held workshops at many universities and colleges. As he is now operating his own consulting company based on FOSS4G, on the East Coast of Canada, I believe Jeff has the experience and he will bring passion and a strong voice to the OSGeo board. Julien-Samuel Lacroix Paul Ramsey wrote: OSGeo Members, The OSGeo Board Election for 2009 is now beginning. The first stage is the nomination of candidates for the board. Board membership is for a two year term, and half the Board is refreshed each year. This year there are five seats up for election. http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2009#Board_Election Anyone can submit a Board nomination, however only Charter Members are eligible to serve on the Board. The complete list of charter members is available by combining * (2009 additions) http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2009 * (Prior years) http://www.osgeo.org/charter_members Please submit your nominations, consisting of name and a paragraph describing why you think this person would make a good Board member, to c...@osgeo.org. Please ensure that your nominee is actually willing to serve, prior to nominating them. The nomination period will close at midnight Monday 21th September 2009, and will be followed by a one-week voting period. Yours, Paul Ramsey OSGeo Chief Returning Officer (2009) -- Julien-Samuel Lacroix Mapgears http://www.mapgears.com/ ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Re: [mapserver-users] Updated MapServer flyer
All, I could do something for collecting the data with perl, haven't worked with PDF output yet though. bobb Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo) wrote: Not a bad idea Bob. I'd also like to take it a step further and have some basic web forms that help to create the flyers so that no software is required on the client - e.g. enter the info, press create and download a PDF. Anyone want to help put their CGI and PDF lib skills into this kind of thing? It could even be used for creating business cards, etc. On Tue, 2009-09-15 at 08:38 -0500, Bob Basques wrote: All, OK, probably a weird idea, but. . . . while looking for the brochure mentioned here (only found the old one so far . . .came into the thread in the middle) . . .a thought occurred to me. Why not make this project brochure creation thing a step in the incubation process. Use some sort of basic template and each project has it's own brochure. bobb Lars Lingner m...@lingner.eu wrote: Steve Lime schrieb: Hi Lars, thanks for working up an updated brochure, looking at the old one it could use it. Some comments... - I think I'd avoid the MapServer website screen shot in favor of another app. The website text features the security fix announcements which while a reality in a project aren't marketing friendly. I can offer a couple of sites as could others I bet. I like your example, nice and colorful. If someone could point me to MapServer powered sites, I'll update the screenshot in the flyer. - Perhaps the screen shots could be a bit taller, more of a square aspect ratio#63; Ok, I'll take a further look. - Under features it might make sense to highlight output options: all sorts of raster images, PDF, SWF, SVG and templated text - Might include input and the new output plugin architectures as features - The Leverages best-of-breed sentence could be reworked to say we leverage other OSGeo projects including GDAL, GEOS, PostGIS and Proj.4. I think we should really emphasize the reliance on other OSGeo projects. - In the last feature sentence I think MapBuilder can be removed. There are some frameworks specific to (or that at least favor) MapServer (e.g. p.mapper and GeoMoose) that could get some love here... Thanks for this info. I'm putting it in. I think the 5.6 features are performance centric (raster rendering improvements, single pass, etc...). The 6.0 release *should* have a more output-based focus with full support for the rendering plugin, new object structures including references, better SLD support, styles within labels and so on. XML mapfiles will be in 5.6. It's important to note that XML mapfiles allow users to define a configuration in XML but you must transform it to a .map file for use. I hope that might really have an impact on wysiwyg editors eventually. Sounds like an interesting roadmap, I'll spread the word... ;) Lars ___ mapserver-users mailing list mapserver-us...@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapserver-users ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
