[Freegis-list] FW: [vtp] freefs 0.9a released - os wfs implementation

[Matt.Wilkie]

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Hranac [mailto:robhranac at vfny.org]
Sent: 2001 November 08 08:19
To: vtp at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vtp] freefs 0.9a released - os wfs implementation


VFNY has released an alpha version of an open source WFS 
implementation in Java, using PostGIS as the datastore. 
Installation of the alpha is recommended for the, um, 
adventurous only.  We will have a beta by December and a 1.0 
out by January that will both be more robust and much more
user-friendly.  However, we wanted to gauge developer interest 
in this project now rather than later.  If you are interested 
in contributing, please let me know.  Full details are given 
below - feel free to contact me with questions.  Note that my 
hidden agenda in sending this to VTP is that some day I think 
it would be smart for the VTP tools to read data from a WFS.

Regards,
Rob Hranac
Director / Senior Developer
Vision for New York (VFNY)
377 Broadway
11th Floor
New York, NY  10013

tel: (212) 219-6052
email: robhranac at vfny.org
www.vfny.org

*******************************************

RELEASE NOTES:
	Free Feature Server (FreeFS) 0.9 alpha release -
www.sourceforge.net/projects/freefs
	from Vision for New York (VFNY) - www.vfny.org
	contact info: robhranac at vfny.org

*******************************************

OVERVIEW:
This is the first release of FreeFS, a product that VFNY has
developed as an implementation of the OpenGIS Consortium's (OGC, 
www.opengis.org) Web Feature Server v0.0.13 (WFS) specification.  
VFNY develops FreeFS in order to spur the adoption of interoperable 
geographic data standards by data providers.  FreeFS is intended to 
serve as a free, fast, easy to use, and comprehensive geographic 
vector data translator for geographic 'web service' applications.  
FreeFS aspires to be the primary translator between the current 
cacophony of geographic storage formats and Geography Markup
Language (GML) for vector-based geographic data.

*******************************************

LICENSE:
FreeFS is currently released under the GPL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.htm).
However, VFNY is cooking up its own license, which is somewhat less
restrictive than the GPL.  When we have completed it (early 2002), 
we will change the licensing terms.  We will, of course, fully 
honor the terms of the GPL when we do so.  If you are interested is 
using the code and have objections to the GPL, please contact us.

*******************************************

FUNCTIONALITY:
This release is targeted more at the development community than the 
user community and functionality is quite limited; minimal testing 
has occurred exclusively on a single development server.  However, 
FreeFS does follow the WFS v0.0.13 spec enough to lay claim to be 
the first bonafide, open-source implementation of the spec.  
Currently, FreeFS implements the WFS GetCapabilities, 
DescribeFeatureType, and GetFeature interfaces, but not the
OGC Filter spec or any transaction interfaces.  FreeFS serves data
exclusively from PostgreSQL, using the PostGIS extension from the 
clever people at Refractions Research Inc. (www.refractions.net).  
Error handling in this version is essentially non-existent and 
documentation is limited to these release notes and the javadocs.  
The only feature implemented in FreeFS not mandated in the WFS spec 
are the metadata JSP pages, which mostly serve to help users 
understand what FreeFS is doing and give spiders a chance to index 
it.  One note: almost no efforts have been made to implement 
security in FreeFS.  If you have sensitive data that you do not 
want to grant public access to, do not use this alpha version of 
FreeFS to serve it. VFNY will likely add security features in 
future releases.
*******************************************

FUTURE:
VFNY will release a 0.9 beta version of FreeFS in December 2001, 
which will include the following improvements:
		 Filter Capabilities
		 Web-based Administration

VFNY will release a 1.0 version in January 2002, which will 
include the following improvements:
		 Error Handling
		 User Documentation
		 Minor Transaction Handling
		 Connection Pooling

Future releases, coming in early 2002, will focus on:
		 Increased geographic storage format support
		 Increased output type support
		 Security and access control
		 Full transactional support
		 Cascading WFS support
		 Advanced schema support

Of course, VFNY will enthusiastically accept patches, functional 
extensions, critiques, comments, and love from other developers 
and interested parties, regarding FreeFS.  We intend to play 
nicely with the open-source GIS development community and have no 
commercial interests in the development of FreeFS and other 
OpenGIS technology.  When enough developer interest materializes, 
VFNY will begin to release nightly builds and set up a CVS 
repository.  Please send comments/suggestions/flames to: 
robhranac at vfny.org.

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