[clug] Open Source GIS URLS from last night

[Antti.Roppola at brs.gov.au]

hi all,

Last night I said I would post some URLs to the list. Here they are.
None are really "end-to-end" GIS solutions, but tools to build your own apps.

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PostGIS: spatial extensions for Postgres
http://postgis.refractions.net	GPL

PostGIS is an extension for Postgres that lets you define column's
data type as a GIS object (think spatially aware BLOB). There are also
SQL functions to let you use these GIS objects in queries. i.e.
	http://postgis.refractions.net/docs/ch04.html#id3388304

I note that PostGIS now some supports 4d, I presume this would be
ideal for stuff that changes elevation and time (for example, animations
of US airline traffic).

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Mapserver: A tool for rendering views of GIS data
http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu	MIT/X style

Wrap some GIS data sources (either GIS files or pointers to geometry
columns in a Postgres table) and Mapserver provides a way of requesting
map views of that GIS data. Mapserver can also act as a WMS or WFS server,
for example, allowing you to stream data held in your Postgres database
to other users across the Internet.

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GDAL/OGR: A GIS data abstraction library
http://www.gdal.org	MIT/X style

Rather than support data formats directly, support GDAL/OGR and you can use
any supported format. Also comes with utilities that let you convert GIS
data between supported formats. Recommended as a config option for Mapserver
since it means you can display data held in pretty much any format you
care to name.

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Some meta-sites
http://www.remotesensing.org	Initially home for many GIS projects
http://www.freegis.org		OSS GIS directory
http://gpsd.berlios.de/gps-hacking.html	Something on GPS for Mikal:
    "a gentle introduction to writing GPS-aware applications - or,
     How I Stopped Worrying And Learned To Love Spherical Trigonometry"  <grin>


Cheers,

Antti

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