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Thuban Support

About Thuban

Thuban is a multi-platform interactive geographic data viewer. It is licenced under the GNU GPL and uses various Free Software components. It offers the main functionalities to visualize and analyze spatial data:

• Vector- and Rasterdata Support
• Navigation and Data-Queries
• Legend Editor and (automatic) classification
• Projection Support
• Table Management and Joins
• Printing and Vector Export

Thuban has been designed to also serve as a basis for specialized GIS-applications. Such customized work-flows on-top of Thuban benefit from the further emerging core and commonly share new functionalities. Complexity of custom application range from simple extensions upto upto powerful application like the georeferenced chemical exposure simulation and analysis tool GREAT-ER.

Commercial Support

Being the main developer of Thuban Intevation offers extensive support for Thuban:

• Consulting
• Implementation of new features (see also below)
• Applications based on Thuban (like GREAT-ER)
• Training (by our partners)

Feature implementation

The first step for a new feature is to estimate the costs by analysing in-depth what needs to be done and ensure the actual aims can be fully satisfied.

For small features we will invest our own time to make up the technical analysis. For larger features we share the costs with the requestor. We take over half of the costs, because in case the requestor decides against the implementation, we can publish the analysis results in order to find other clients. This may also be a ground for pooling the costs, but it takes the first mover to invest into the in-depth analysis.

How is a implementation practically performed?

We take much care for qualitiy assurance. Thus whenever possible, the the implemention will be accompanied by unit tests. The tests actually specify the functionality in detail. The costs for writing the tests are already included in our estimates.

The user documentation is kept uptodate with the new features. The costs for this are already included in our estimates. By default this is done for the english manual. Other/additional languages are possible on request.

We are working directly with the revision control system CVS. By default, a new feature is added to the main development branch. However, some features can be (additionally) backported to a stable release series, eg. the 1.0-series.

How are implemented features incorporated into Thuban releases?

Since any contracted feature is directly managed in the central source code revision control system, it will automatically be part of the next release of Thuban. New releases are prepared on a occasional basis, usually after some comprehensive changes or after relevant bug fixes.

However, making a new release means to prepare thoroughly tested easy-to-install packages for various GNU/Linux and Windows systems. Usually this means an efford of 2-4 days. A requestor can decide to contract for a immediate new release for a fixed rate of 1.800 Euro net.

Currently requested features