In+ersec+ion for Spatial People

Here's the recent open source-related geonews in batch mode.

In software updates:

• GeoServer 2.1.4 had been released
• And so was GeoTools 2.7.5 released

• Geopaparazzi 3 has been released too, more here
• And as an indirect user of it, I'm happy that GEOS 3.3.4 was released too
• The OpenGeo Suite 2.5 was released, with updated Linux packages

In other news:

• If you missed it, see this informative comment from the DB4GeO developers, including comparing it to PostGIS 2.0 3D capabilities
• Regarding QGIS, here's fixing invalid geometries with Quantum GIS, another entry named SLD Support and other QGIS 1.8 Style Features
• For GeoServer, Accurate datum shift and full transformation control in GeoServer
• Here,s a summary of the FOSS4G-CEE Conference in Prague

• Here's an entry named GeoWebCache Tweaks Checklist

• And we haven't mentioned OpenStreetMap yet, improving the OpenStreetMap Profile Page for more Social Interaction

There is a new project on Github that has made a 3D view for OpenLayers!  It integrates AGI's new open source WebGL globe (Cesium) and uses the OpenLayers drawing & navigation tools to interact with the globe.  Support for WMS layers and feature importing are next on the to-do list.

A live demo can be found here:
http://jktaylor.github.com/openlayers/examples/adapters/editingtoolbar.html

The source code is available here.

Still in my geonews catching up process, here's the open source-related geonews not shared yet.

• Via LinkedIn I learned about HSLayers and Proxy4OWS,
  • For HSLayers: "HSLayers is yet another JavaScript Mapping framework. You can use it for building rich mapping portals, as well as use it’s parts for improving your simple OpenLayers-based map."
  • For Proxy4OWS: "It is transforming OGC WMS request types from the client, into WCS or WFS requests, so that the target server can accept them."
• For OpenStreetMap, I liked the 'Worst of OSM' page showing failed imports, I guess we wouldn't see this from proprietary providers (via)
• For those unable to move to 2.0, PostGIS 1.5.4 was released
• If you want to learn about GeoExt 2 development
• GeoNode 1.1.1 was released
• And so was MapProxy 1.4.0
• As an indirect user of GEOS, I'm happy that GEOS graduated OSGeo incubation
• The OSGeo also informed us of the First Open Source Geospatial Laboratory in South America and First African Open Source Geospatial Laboratory
• You might have an interest in the Comprehensive preview of MapGuide Open Source 2.4 series
• libais 0.7 was released: "C++ decoder for Automatic Identification System for tracking ships and decoding maritime information"
• APB informs us  that the famous AP, Associated Press, is moving to TileMill and Leaflet for their interactive maps

At last week's 3D GeoInfo conference, I learned about the open source Glob3 3D GIS and Glob3 Mobile 3D virtual globe.

There isn't much on the sourceforge website: "glob3 is an open source 3D GIS multiplatform framework written in java with a very non restrictive license and advanced features." 

​But you'll get more on this page for Glob3 Mobile: "Glob3 Mobile is an open source 3D multiplattform virtual globe engine, running in mobile devices (Android and Apple) and in HTML5 web browsers. In this first version, it allows to connect to any OGC WMS public layer, and show it on the globe. Glob3 Mobile is also a framework for virtual globe development. It allows to write plugins directly in Javascript, and these plugins can run in the three plattforms (Android / Apple / web browsers). The project is currently in development, but first plugin examples can be tested in this site."

The apps for iOS and Android are free.

I was at the 3D GeoInfo 2012 conference last week and I learned about the DB4GeO / DB3D open source geospatial database, which is a Java object-oriented database focusing on 3D data. It supports CityGML, has a RESTful API and has its own WebGL visualization tool.

Since I failed to find much about it on the web other than the GitHub page (it seems the code wasn't synchronized for a while), let me serve you the abstract [pdf] of last week's presentation: "The analysis of complex 3D data is a central task for many problems in the geo- and engineering sciences. Examples are the analysis of natural events such as mass movements and volcano eruptions as well as 3D city planning and the computation of 3D models from point cloud data generated by terrestrial laser scanning for 3D data analysis in various domains. The volume of these data is growing from year to year. However, there is no geo-database management system on the market yet that efficiently supports complex 3D mass data, although prototypical 3D geo-database management systems are ready to support such challenging 3D applications. In this contribution we describe how we reply to these requirements advancing DB4GeO, our 3D/4D geo-database architecture. The system architecture and support for geometric, topological and temporal data are presented in detail. Besides the new spatio-temporal object model, we introduce new ideas and implementations of DB4GeO such as the support of GML data and the new WebGL 3D interface. The latter enables the direct visualization of 3D database query results by a standard web browser without installing additional software. Examples for 3D database queries and their visualizations with the new WebGL interface are demonstrated. Finally, we give an outlook on our future work. Further extensions of DB4GeO and the support for the data management for collaborative subway track planning are discussed."

I'd like to see the differences between PostGIS vs DB4GeO features in regards to 3D geodata. Is DB4GeO more and a playground for researchers?

On June 6 and 7, Geomap GIS America will be hosting its free annual seminar featuring the new releases of Autodesk solutions. This year, Geomap innovates by offering this seminar online,. The goal is to facilitate participation to this event and allow more people to attend. The presenters will cover the complete lifecycle of a BIM-Geomatics project including a LEED® component. This event will offer the opportunity to optimize each of the four important steps of a project: plan, design, build, and manage, by leveraging Autodesk 2013 solutions and Geomap’s expertise. This online event will be accessible from your workstation to encourage a small carbon footprint and for greater flexibility.

All participants will have the opportunity to see the most recent solutions for 3D modeling, infrastructure network conception, land planning, collaboration of information and optimization of a project, to decrease costs, accelerate the realization and minimize the environmental impact.

Here a brief overview of  the Software to be showcased during the seminar: AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013, AutoCAD Map 3D 2013, Autodesk Revit 2013,Autodesk Infrastructure Modeller, Ecotect, Vasari, Autodesk Infrastructure Map Server, Buzzsaw, Vault AEC and much more.

Visit our “Events” section on www.geomapgis.ca to register for free

Visit our web site for more information

About Geomap:

Geomap GIS America specialises in solutions and services integrating the innovative concepts of Geomatics and BIM (Building Information Modelling) for the Municipal, Facilities Management (FM), Transportation and Utilities Networks industries since 2000. These solutions implemented in public and private organizations, large accounts and international projects allow spatial manipulation of an organization’s assets information and representation on maps, reports, dashboards and in databases. This data can be processed and queried to obtain results in the form of drawings, thematic maps, reports and graphics. Geomap is a certified developer and authorized Autodesk reseller. Geomap is also involved in the geospatial open source community and is a Microsoft, Oracle and Business Objects partner

Richard Perez

BIM & Architecture Solutions Manager

Phone: 450 461-1158 #226

Email: [email protected]

While I wait until next week to share geonews in batch mode, James made me aware of a great MapBox project: the Maki open source point of interest icon set for cartography.

What it is? "Designed pixel-by-pixel to look great at small sizes but scale up elegantly. We designed Maki specifically for TileMill with the goal of creating an international, comprehensive, and stylistically unified point of interest icon set. Each symbol is drawn three times at different sizes to maximize crispness and readability. Maki symbols are based on international recognized symbols, following precedents set by AIGA and other international symbol systems, but preserving a unique look at feel.

Use Maki for everything from adding context to the base map of your mobile app to highlighting critical data on your disaster map. Just download the icons and start using them with TileMill or put them on your server to integrate with another mapping API."

As pointed out by James, The Noun Project jumped in the Maki train. Looking for previous related entries, I found, those two: Impacts of Symbology Changes for Organizations and Map Symbols and A Summary of Thematic Mapping Techniques.

DM yesterday published an article named Ten Things You Need to Know About OpenStreetMap. While you probably already know all this if you're a regular reader, it still constitutes an excellent refresher.

Follow the provided link for the details, here's the ten items:

1. OpenStreetMap's definition; "OpenStreetMap is a free worldwide map, created by people like you."
2. OSM’s Name is Singular
3. The OpenStreetMap Foundation Manages and Supports the Effort
4. OSM is Changing its License from Creative Commons to ODbL
5. Mapping Parties are Events to Expand OSM
6. Google’s Recent Decision to Charge Heavy Users of its Google Maps API is Pushing Developers to OSM
7. Where to Get OSM Tiles
8. Many Apps Offer OSM Data as an Option
9. Some Countries are Heavier OSM Contributors and Users than Others
10. OSM has an Annual Conference, The State of the Map

Also announced earlier this week is the opening of the registration for State of the Map 2012 conference, to be held in Tokyo September 6-8th, just before FOSS4G 2012 at the same location. [correction: rather same "region" of the world... FOSS4G 2012 being held in Beijing, sorry]

Join us for a FREE Web-mapping and Geo-enabled Tools Meeting  Wednesday, May 16th from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. at the Oregon Coast Community College in Newport, OR

This all-day conference will introduce participants to some commercial and open-source web-based services, demonstrate how other organizations are using them, and ways to use these services to create and serve your GIS data on the web.  This meeting is hosted by the Central Coast GIS user group (http://www.orurisa.org/ccgisug) and is open to anyone.  There will be people from various disciplines, backgrounds and knowledge level (beginners to developers).  Presentations will be given by ESRI, OSU, OpenGeo, USGS and Ecotrust (and others) on a variety of web mapping topics including; Open source software products, The National Atlas, and Madrona.      

Please Register via:  http://ccgisugwebmapping2012.eventbrite.com/

http://orurisa.org/2012_coastal_Web_Mapping_Meeting

Eli

Another benefit of my participation to FOSS4G-NA 2012 was learning about GeoTrellis, an open source geographic data processing engine for high performance applications.

From the website: "GeoTrellis accelerates geoprocessing tasks by harnessing the power of multiple cores, processors, and servers through distributed geoprocessing. By breaking large or complex tasks into smaller units of work and optimizing their execution, the framework can concurrently leverage massive computational power to produce results 10-100 times faster than traditional geoprocessing software. [...] Faster is not just faster, it’s different. For example, a truly responsive user experience makes it possible to create public participation planning tools or educational games that incorporate sophisticated geospatial models."