In+ersec+ion for Spatial People

The gvSIG Association announces the publishing of the gvSIG 2.0 final version [1]. The main novelty of this version is its new architecture. The way gvSIG manage the data sources has been redesigned with the objective of improving the reliability as well as the modularity, benefiting the users as well as the developers. Besides it permits an easier maintenance and evolution of the technology. Therefore it has been an investment in the future with the aim of not limiting the technological evolution and establish the bases for a quick evolution.

However this new gvSIG Desktop version includes a series of new features:

• New installer that supports typical and custom installation.
• Add-ons manager that allows to install new extensions and customize gvSIG from the same application.
• Some changes in the interface of data management tools like:
  • File import/export
  • Table operations
  • New layer
• Layer load improved
• WMTS (Web Map Tiled Service) support
• Raster data cache
• Unified geoprocessing interface
• Import symbols, making the creation of symbols libraries easy.
• Export symbols, that allows to share complete symbols libraries with other users easily.
• Scripting framework (languages: Jython, Groovy and Javascript).

Nevertheless it's the last version of gvSIG, it has to be taken into account that it's really a new gvSIG, so you will find that some of the gvSIG 1.12 functionalities are not included. These functionalities will be included in following and continuous updates according to their migration to the new architecture. The main functionalities that are not included are the following:

• Georeferencing
• Legend by proportional symbols, graduated ones, dot density, quantities by categories and by expressions.
• Extensions: Network analysis and 3D

In the same way, there are several projects based on this new architecture that will allow to include new functionalities and improvements directly in gvSIG 2.0 in the next months.

Also it has to be taken into account that the level of stability of this new version is not as high as we would have wished, considering it a final version in order to be used by the community in an official way, and mainly to tackle the new developments on it.

For that, we encourage you to test it and send us any errors in order to fix them in the following updates. The known errors of this version can be consulted in [2].

From this version, several mirrors are now available to download the packages from gvSIG. These mirrors will be available within a few days.  

We hope you enjoy the new features of this version and you help us to improve it.

[1] http://www.gvsig.org/web/projects/gvsig-desktop/official/gvsig-2.0/downloads
[2] http://gvsig.org/r?r=bugs200

We remind you that the registration period for the second edition of the gvSIG Basic Course in English at the gvSIG-Training e-Learning platform is still opened.

This course lasts seven weeks and it is included in the Certification Program of the gvSIG Association [1].

- Details of the course:
Subscription until the 1st April 2013
Beginning of the course: 8th April 2013
End of the Course: 31st May 2013

For more information, you can visit the gvsig-training website [2], or write an e-mail to [email protected].

[1] http://www.gvsig.com/services/certification
[2] http://www.gvsig-training.com

A new version of the network analysis extension compatible with gvSIG 1.12 is now available.

It can be installed from the gvSIG add-ons manager (menu Tools > Add-ons manager, select the "Installation from URL" option, and the "org.gvsig.graph (1.1.0-1241 version)" plugin). SCOLAB Software Colaborativo and the gvSIG Association have participated at this update.

It includes the following new features:

• Speed improvements.
• Export route as layer.

The gvSIG-Training e-Learning platform opens its registration period for the second edition of the gvSIG Basic Course in English.

This course lasts seven weeks and it is included in the Certification Program of the gvSIG Association [1].

- Details of the course:

• Subscription until the 1st of April 2013
• Beginning of the course: 8th of April 2013
• End of the Course: 31st of May 2013

For more information, you can visit the gvsig-training website [2], or write an e-mail to [email protected].

[1] http://www.gvsig.com/services/certification
[2] http://www.gvsig-training.com

The 8th International gvSIG Conference will be held from November 28th to 30th 2012 at La Petxina Sports-Cultural Complex (Valencia - Spain). The provisional program is available with the paper sessions and workshops on the Conference web page [1]

All the presentations at the Conference, and the workshops given on Wednesday, will have simultaneous interpretation (Spanish-English and English-Spanish).

Registrations are free of cost (limited capacity) and must be done through the application form on the Conference web page [2].

For further information, please consult the Conference website [3]

[1] http://jornadas.gvsig.org/8as/program
[2] http://jornadas.gvsig.org/8as/Inscripcion/application-form
[3] http://jornadas.gvsig.org/

I'm glad to announce that Slashgeo is a proud media partner of the 8th International gvSIG Conference, to be held November 28-30, 2012, in Valencia, Spain. We of course frequently mention the open source gvSIG desktop GIS software. gvSIG has its Wikipedia page. One of its strengths is certainly its very active developers community.

From the objective of the 8th International gvSIG conference, with its headline 'Making the Future: Technology, Solidarity and Business': "We have long been hearing and even worse, suffering the consequences of those who really know and are surely making fun of us especially if we tell them that we believe that solidarity should be a core value that guides both scientific and economical development.

Those who have been following us for some time know that in gvSIG we have always been talking about a new model of development and production that would allow us to produce more, better and more fairly; a model where solidarity would substitute rivalry. To construct this new model there has to be new ideas, new schemes, otherwise, if a new model is built based on old schemes this would then lead to utmost failure.

Now more than ever, it is time to consider this new model. Not only by using free software but also by adopting values ​​of collaboration and shared knowledge, replacing individualism with solidarity; this is what guides the development of science and economy, so that the business world follows ethics and responds to different values ​​other than the current ones."

A new final version of gvSIG Desktop has been released: gvSIG Desktop 1.12.

It's available at the Downloads section of the gvSIG website [1].

The main new features of gvSIG 1.12 are:

• Latest Sextante version (1.0) integrated.
• Usability improvements in general (view maximized by default, random colors, fixed size and color in labelling, “all supported” filter at loading files, more user-friendly mouse wheel zoom, non-modal locator window, etc.).
• Some bugfixes in Postgis driver.
• Khmer and Persian translations included.
• New versions of data access suported: WMS 1.3 and KML (latest).

The other new features, known problems, and other notes can be consulted at [2].

Credits:

• Improvements in the PostGIS driver and in the layout document:
  • Sponsor: Deputación Pontevedra [3] and Consellería de Medio Ambiente, Territorio e Infraestructuras de la Xunta de Galicia [4]
  • Developer: gvSIG Association [5] and Prodevelop [6]
• Improvements in usability, ODBC connections, OGC connections and more:
  • Sponsor: GeoEuskadi [7], Gobierno Vasco [8].
  • Developer: Software Colaborativo [9]
• Version release (bugfixing, testing and some new features)
  • Sponsor: gvSIG Association, Fundación de la Ingeniería Civil de Galicia [10] and universidade da Coruña [11].
  • Developer: CartoLab [12], Icarto [13], Software Colaborativo, and gvSIG Association

-------------------------

[1] http://www.gvsig.org/web/projects/gvsig-desktop/official/gvsig-1.12/descargas
[2] http://www.gvsig.org/web/projects/gvsig-desktop/official/gvsig-1.12/notas-de-version
[3] http://www.depontevedra.es/
[4] http://www.xunta.es/
[5] http://www.gvsig.com/
[6] http://www.prodevelop.es/
[7] http://www.geo.euskadi.net/
[8] http://www.ejgv.euskadi.net/
[9] http://www.scolab.es/
[10] http://caminos.udc.es/ficga/index.es.html
[11] http://www.udc.es/
[12] http://cartolab.udc.es/
[13] http://icarto.es/ 

The registration period for the 8th International gvSIG Conference [1], organized by the gvSIG Association, is now open. It will be held from November 28th to 30th in Valencia (Spain).

Registrations are free of cost (limited capacity) and must be done through the application form on the Conference web page [2].

Once the registration is done you will immediately receive a confirmation code. Please, keep this code for later consultations or for update the registration data.

In addition, we remind you that we are expecting communication proposals for the Conference. The deadline is September 28th.

You just have to send an abstract, following the template provided on the Reports section of the Conference web page [3] to [email protected] and the scientific committee will evaluate it to be in the conference programme. There are two types of communications: presentation and poster.

We expect your participation.

[1] http://jornadas.gvsig.org
[2] http://jornadas.gvsig.org/8as/Inscripcion/application-form
[3] http://jornadas.gvsig.org/8as/comunicaciones

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode.

From the open source / data front:

• MapBrief claim that the battle for open source in the enterprise in behind us, from the WSJ: "[...] for reasons including ease of innovation and cutting the time to get products to market"
• Interesting, announcing QMap: A simple data collection application using QGIS
• Unless I'm mistaken, we haven't mentioned yet the new 'shp.js' open source javascript Shapefile parser (via GGD)
• In case you missed it in our PR section, there's an Education version of gvSIG
• GeoTools 8.1 has been released, mostly a bug fix release
• Portable GIS version 3 has been released too
• Here's a summary of State of the Map 2012 held in Tokyo
• It's done, OpenStreetMap data license is now ODbL
• And yes, some crazy people try to sell open source geospatial code

From the Esri front:

• Here's What’s New in ArcGIS Online for September 2012

From the Microsoft front:

• New imagery to Bing Maps, a lot of it, Global Ortho & 17 Million SqKm of New Satellite Imagery

From the Google front:

• Plenty of geoblogs mentioned the Atlantic article on the secretive Ground Truth program in an article named How Google Builds Its Maps—and What It Means for the Future of Everything
• Google shares a breakout of Google Maps search terms by country for this Summer
• They also have an entry on the need to save the elephants and how to do it the geospatial way
• You can also Explore the Forefront of Japanese Space Science with Google Maps
• Here's the official entry on the latest imagery update in Google Maps and Google Earth, a lot of it
• The GEB shares an entry on Viewing city lights in Google Earth and why not, another entry on Google Earth Fractals

Interesting Directions Mag articles:

• Does Your Local Government Need A Drone?
• New Spatial Information Act for Australia
• Trucking Fleets Leverage Traffic Data to Work Smarter, Cut Costs
• New Resources for GIS Job Seekers

In the miscellaneous category:

• The SPOT 6 satellite is alive and well with its first images, it was successfully launched on September 9 and has a spatial resolution of 1.5m
• LizardTech (MrSID) Releases Express Server 8

In the maps category:

• Via APB, here's a Map the World’s Friendships from Facebook and Stamen
• Here's a gigantic 3D map of the deaths in Grand Canyon
• NASA wants you to help map an asteroid

The Minister of Transport and Public Works, Enrique Pintado, presented gvSIG Batoví, the first Uruguayan distribution that has given rise to gvSIG Educa, on Thursday, 6 September 2012.

gvSIG Educa is a customization of the gvSIG Desktop Open Source GIS, adapted as a tool for the education of issues that have a geographic component. The aim of gvSIG Educa is to provide educators with a tool that helps students to analyse and understand space, and which can be adapted to different levels or education systems. gvSIG Educa facilitates learning by letting students interact with the information, by adding a spatial component to the study of the material, and by facilitating the assimilation of concepts through visual tools such as thematic maps or helping to understand spatial relationships.

In this way, gvSIG Batoví is the beginning of an open source software that will be probably adapted and used in a lot of countries. gvSIG Batoví is a software promoted by the National Survey Department for CEIBAL Project, whereby primary and secondary education students will be able to access to educational information represented on maps.

"From the Ceibal Project implementation, the government seeks to promote policies that support the development and benefit of the education of children, our future and present of the country", Pintado highlighted, specifying that by their geographical characteristics, Uruguay can't produce goods on a large scale, "but we can generate unlimited knowledge without any limit".

During the presentation of this new tool, event attended by the Undersecretary of the Ministry, Pablo Genta, the National Director of Surveying, Jorge Franco and the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Héctor Cancela, the Minister noted that "Uruguayan people can distinguish ourselves by the intelligence, capacity for innovating and research, and link that knowledge to development." "And for that, this new software called 'gvSIG Batoví', will be fundamental, because it allows the Gurises to access to a immense universe of knowledge", he said.

The “gvSIG Batoví” application is the result of the joint work between the National Survey Department, the Faculty of Engineering and the gvSIG Association, and students will be able to gain Geography knowledge with it, using the XO -low cost laptops-. It will be applied to other
knowledge areas like History, Biology...

The most interesting thing is that the student or teacher can create their own thematic map from the different information layers. Whit this option, the knowledge by discovery is promoted, converting the cartographic work in a learning knowledge.

With “gvSIG Batoví”, a first group of thematic maps of the Uruguayan territory is offered, for example political and physical maps, population distribution, communication and transport infrastructure and land cover. The ease to access to these thematic maps -as plugins to be installed from the application- will allow to share cartography between teachers and students of the whole users community easily.

Beyond the educational field, the professional users of the gvSIG technology will be able to access to these new functionalities from plugins. It will be an easy way to share territorial information.

URL of the project: http://www.gvsig.org/web/home/projects/gvsig-educa