[Freegis-list] Re: [GENERAL] Map of Postgresql Users (OT)

[Claire McLister]

Hi All,

  The only objection that I've heard to using Google maps is there  
are some 'copyright issues'. AFAIK, Google Maps come with a fairly  
liberal license. As long as you use it in a web application that is  
freely accessible to users, you are within their terms of use. The  
problem with other approaches was to get wide ranging map images.

  While it would be nice to showcase some of the other technologies,  
maybe we can get started on the map and move towards the showcase as  
the technologies and infrastructure becomes available.

  To kick things off, I have created a map for Postgresql users at:

    http://www.zeesource.net/maps/map.do?group=1122

  Go ahead and add yourself to the map with the password 'pgsql'. You  
can add entries to the map either by specifying a location  
information (address (US), city, state, and country) or just double  
click on a location.

  Use the color coding of Green -> Consultant, Red -> User, and  
Yellow -> developer.

  With this map, at least we'll start to collect the location  
information in one place. We do have an 'Export CSV' feature, so we  
can export this data to other maps and infrastructure as desired.

  Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Claire

On Dec 7, 2005, at 6:35 AM, Robert Treat wrote:

> On Wed, 2005-12-07 at 02:30, Arnulf Christl wrote:
>> Bruce Momjian wrote:
>>> Where are we on this?  Can we get it added to our web site?  Can  
>>> we have
>>> usernames added to the map?
>>
>> Hi,
>> yes, both can be done. But our server and connectivity are sort of  
>> slow,
>> so I was talking to some people whether they could host the services.
>> This will take a few more days. Anybody interested in operating a
>> spatial data infrastructure on stable servers (preferrably FreeBSD or
>> some Linux) with good connectivity feel free to contact us.
>>
>
> I'm fairly certain we can drum up some server space once we're  
> ready to
> host this for the postgresql site. For now even slow connectivity is
> probably fine as it will only be a few people looking at it until we
> finalize what we really need.
>
>> Additionally we got lost in a few technical discussions about  
>> whether to
>> implement the full scale service oriented standardized I-can-add- 
>> myself
>> version using PostgreSQL with PostGIS (which I would really like  
>> to see
>> as it promotes using PG as spatial data backend and also gives us GIS
>> guys a chance to show off cool technology).
>>
>
> As a side note, we need folks to help out with the elephant database
> monitoring project. That seems like an ideal project to help show off
> postgis. http://pgfoundry.org/projects/wilddb/
>
>> Claire favored an easy-to-use google-maps approach which would  
>> mean less
>> effort getting to run (they have it all up and running) but less
>> compatibility and unsolved copyright issues regarding the  
>> background maps.
>>
>
> Hmm...I thought this was all something that could be relatively  
> easy to
> solve. I think the main problem here was that I needed to test whether
> the maps mirroring would work in the main site; I believe it would,  
> but
> this should probably be confirmed, and I haven't had time to get  
> back to
> it. The other side being that showing of postgis does have a nice
> political upside that seems worth following up on.
>
>> Give us a few more days, by the weekend I will post a link so that
>> people can have a look at it. The link will ship with a list of which
>> software is being used and how it is configured. Ideally someone  
>> "near"
>> the PostgreSQL homepage could operate the service (we GIS folks never
>> stop considering spatial proximity).
>
> Yes, the plan would be to integrate it fully into the postgresql web
> infrastructure. We just need to figure out what that will take.
>
>>
>> What has to be done anyway is collect the coordinates of the  
>> users. It
>> would be nice to not start off with a blank map. We can provide  
>> some 20
>> users in Germany (most of them spatial). Either the name of a city or
>> the decimal degree coordinates of the position will do.
>
> I see this as sort of a secondary thing, but I already have  
> coordinates
> for most of the people listed on our developers page, so we can always
> start with that. I'm not against the idea of plotting other points
> though; we could have points for support companies, points for mailing
> list users, do some type of frapper style sign up; but that's  
> secondary.
> The first step is figuring setting up a system to display the
> coordinates, then we can add more knobs on how to get the coordinates.
>
>>
>> Best, Arnulf.
>>
>>> Arnulf Christl wrote:
>>>
>>>> Claire McLister wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Good point. This might actually be a problem. Google Maps API  
>>>>> requires
>>>>> each server that is serving the map to be registered with  
>>>>> Google, and
>>>>> send the corresponding key when making the Javascript request.
>>>>>
>>>>> Unless the mirrors can each send their own keys, this will not  
>>>>> work.
>>>>>
>>>>> Claire
>>>>
>>>> Hi, more cross posting...
>>>>
>>>> Sounds like this task should be solved using WMS and WFS services.
>>>> Google is cool but in order to foster both Open Source and  
>>>> standards
>>>> (OGC) we would suggest to use e.g. MapServer as WMS to produce  
>>>> the maps
>>>> and GeoServer as WFS to manage geomtries. Those OWS services  
>>>> could then
>>>> be included in any OWS client, web interface, etc. Everything is  
>>>> there
>>>> and ready to go, the effort to get it to run should be minimal.
>>>>
>>>> Our clients usually operate PostgreSQL databases with several  
>>>> million
>>>> geometries - those 500 to 600 markers could be hosted on any
>>>> antediluvian box and still be fast. You will know what to about
>>>> mirroring, we would probably suggest to implement P2P - read Ward
>>>> Cunninghams ideas  int he keynote at the Wikimania conference  
>>>> this summer...
>>>>
>>>> We have done the user mmapping Mapbender users with tooltips,  
>>>> direct
>>>> link to the website, etc. You can have a look at it on the project
>>>> homepage http://www.mapbender.org
>>>> Its done Wiki-style so that users can enter their own position  
>>>> (use the
>>>> blue flag) or remove or edit any position (use the i-button). No  
>>>> user
>>>> accounts yet but security and authentication is in place and  
>>>> have just
>>>> not yet been necessary (still waiting for spatial spam...)
>>>>
>>>> We will spread word about spatial data management using
>>>> PostgreSQL/PostGIS with MapServer, GeoServer etc. at the
>>>> http://www.opendbcon.net (database fundamentals) on Nov. 8. and  
>>>> 9. in
>>>> Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
>>>>
>>>> This idea is on short notice but i would be really very excited  
>>>> if i
>>>> could show the map there! We suggest the following alterantive  
>>>> actions:
>>>>
>>>> - It should be easy to add a geometry_column to the existing  
>>>> PostgreSQL
>>>> database which alredy has the positions. Add a GeoServer WFS to  
>>>> access
>>>> the geomtry and a MapServer for WMS display.
>>>> - Alternatively send Paolo or us or both the geo-positions and  
>>>> we add
>>>> them to our existing OWS infrastructure (that will takt a few  
>>>> hours of
>>>> work only).
>>>>
>>>> Beause there is not so much time until the conference this would  
>>>> just be
>>>> be a prototype which should in the long run move to the  
>>>> PostgreSQL or
>>>> PostGIS homepage or Wiki or both. Yet another idea:  Mediawiki (the
>>>> Wikipedia software) is also right now introducing geometries to  
>>>> the Wiki
>>>> database - obviously also using PostgreSQL/PostGIS. This would be
>>>> another cool multiplier.. and there we also meet with Google again.
>>>>
>>>> Best, Arnulf.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> On Oct 26, 2005, at 6:02 PM, Robert Treat wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Wednesday 26 October 2005 18:24, Claire McLister wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Oct 26, 2005, at 2:08 PM, Brent Wood wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> There has recently been a thread on the Postgres user list  
>>>>>>>> about a web
>>>>>>>> based postgres user/developer map. Claire has built a Google  
>>>>>>>> map based
>>>>>>>> system, getting locations from IP addresses.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Just so people know, this map can be found at:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>  http://www.zeesource.net/maps/map.do?group=456
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm going to loop in a few more people here :-), namely the pg  
>>>>>> web
>>>>>> team who
>>>>>> will probably be able to give pointers on site integration.  
>>>>>> One thing
>>>>>> to keep
>>>>>> in mind is that the postgresql website is statically mirrored  
>>>>>> onto a
>>>>>> number
>>>>>> of different servers, so any solution we come up with will  
>>>>>> ideally allow
>>>>>> itself to that. I believe a google maps system can do this (we  
>>>>>> can
>>>>>> mirror the
>>>>>> javascript code and the location/data file on all mirrors and the
>>>>>> google map
>>>>>> will work with it as is), which is why I originally went with  
>>>>>> that
>>>>>> type of
>>>>>> solution.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -- 
>>>>>> Robert Treat
>>>>>> Build A Brighter Lamp :: Linux Apache {middleware} PostgreSQL
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Freegis-list mailing list
>>>>> Freegis-list at intevation.de
>>>>> https://intevation.de/mailman/listinfo/freegis-list
>>>>
> -- 
> Build A Brighter Lamp :: Linux Apache {middleware} PostgreSQL
>