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Re: [Geoserver-users] Choosing a webmapping server: GeoServer?
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From: Scott D. <sc...@da...> - 2007-07-17 16:42:32
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Alex, I think that is a strong stack you've put together. I'm using the =20 same stack working with the Portland Transit Authority to put up =20 slippy maps for their bus routes, light rail, etc. The website is due =20= to go live in the next month or two. (I'll post URLs to this list =20 when it goes live.) [shameless plug] It's also the same stack I talk about in my latest book, GIS for Web =20 Developers. <http://www.pragmaticprogrammer.com/titles/sdgis/> It's =20 available now in PDF, dead tree edition will be hitting the shelves =20 in Q4. There is a chapter dedicated to each of the technologies you =20 list. [\shameless plug] Not only are the various technologies strong on their own, but I have =20= to echo your sentiment about the vitality and speed of the =20 corresponding mailing lists. The communities surrounding PostGIS, =20 OpenLayers, GeoServer, et al are quite active and always helpful. Best of luck, Scott Davis sc...@da... On Jul 12, 2007, at 1:30 PM, Alexandre Leroux wrote: > > Hi list, > > Just a quick followup on my initial inquiry. So far, it seems my > colleagues and I have elected to go on with GeoServer instead of other > open source webmapping solutions. We're still in the process of =20 > learning > how everything works and exploring, but the prototypes we easily built > were convincing that GeoServer can suit very well our needs. > > For the curious ones, we plan to use GeoServer in conjunction with > PostGIS, TileCache and OpenLayers. We also used uDig to generate SLD > symbology. > > I have been positively surprised at the speed to which questions were > answered and reported bugs attended to. I hope our small team will be > able to help improve GeoServer and related apps in the future. Amongst > the reasons behind the choice of GeoServer was how easy it is to =20 > install > (we had several issues installing MGOS on Debian). > > Regards, > > Alex > --=20 > Alexandre Leroux, M.Sc., Ing. > Environnement Canada / Environment Canada > Centre m=E9t=E9orologique canadien / Canadian Meteorological Centre > Division de la r=E9ponse aux urgences environnementales / > Environmental Emergency Response Division > ale...@ec... > > > > Chris Holmes wrote: >> Well, obviously an answer on this list is probably going to be a =20 >> biased >> response, so take it with a grain of salt. >> >> I would definitely say GeoServer is quite mature in terms of =20 >> features. >> It's been an open source project for over 5 years, which means =20 >> that all >> the little fixes and improvements that make it easier have slowly =20 >> gotten >> in. We've also got a great framework in place, which makes it much >> easier for us to add new features. >> >> In terms of performance, right now we're a bit slower than MapServer, >> but in the next month or two we're going to have some improvements =20= >> that >> should put us right on par in terms of raw performance. We also =20 >> offer >> nice anti-aliasing, which slows down times a bit but makes things =20 >> look a >> lot nicer. We've also been focusing on another angle of performance, >> which is doing tiled maps and caching them. We have some decent =20 >> support >> for that, which leads to static maps performing really well, =20 >> better than >> you could do in a fully dynamic server. And by the end of summer we >> should have a java based caching engine that will let you plug in =20 >> to LRU >> and distributed caches. >> >> If you're talking about performance just in terms of java vs. C, I >> wouldn't worry about it. It now comes down more to implementation =20= >> than >> language, as the JVM is really good and gets faster every =20 >> release. For >> example streaming GML data through WFS was 4.1 MB/s with Java 1.4, =20= >> 8.8 >> MB/s with Java 1.5, and 10.7 MB/s on Java 1.6 >> >> We are doing a lot of performance testing these days, and I am =20 >> confident >> that relatively soon we will be as fast if not faster than =20 >> anything out >> there. >> >> In terms of comparison with MapGuide open source, where GeoServer =20 >> excels >> is implementation of open standards. We are fully compliant on WMS >> 1.1.1, WCS 1.0, and are the Reference Implementation for WFS 1.0 and >> 1.1, including WFS-T and locking. And we use the open SLD =20 >> standard for >> all our styling stuff, and support all kinds of SLD WMS =20 >> functions. Also >> all layers are 'standard by default' - you don't have to do any extra >> configuration to support the standard. GeoServer also just got =20 >> really >> good KML support, and the next release will have GeoRSS output. >> >> MapGuide excels at being a full stack mapping solution to quickly >> generate mapping sites. They have their own ajax viewer, =20 >> generated by >> the studio apps. For GeoServer we recommend OpenLayers, which is its >> own project that has a ton of power. We include some demos of how to >> get started with it, but for designing mapping sites you do have =20 >> to take >> a bit more initiative. But I think you also may get a bit more =20 >> control, >> since its not auto-generated (though I could be wrong, MapGuide =20 >> may have >> nice separation of concerns). The other thing lacking in =20 >> GeoServer is a >> nice online styling tool - you have to make your SLD in another =20 >> tool or >> by hand. I had thought that the Map Guide Web Studio was pretty full >> featured, where do you find it lacking? I fear GeoServer's web admin >> will be less featured, though I could be wrong, I haven't =20 >> investigated >> MapGuide's in depth. >> >> I hope that helps. I'd say the best thing is to just download the >> software and start playing with it. Good luck on figuring it all =20 >> out, >> and let us know what you decide and why. >> >> best regards, >> >> Chris >> >> Alexandre Leroux wrote: >>> Hi list, >>> >>> I'm new to the list and subscribed to have your input about =20 >>> GeoServer >>> and webmapping applications. >>> >>> Honestly, I'm a little confused about webmapping apps. There's so =20= >>> many >>> out there. Recently, we came to consider GeoServer as a possible >>> avenue. Our front runner is still MapGuide Open Source, but the fact >>> that it is harder to install on Debian Linux and that the Web Studio >>> isn't fully featured is a significant limitation to us. MapServer =20= >>> was >>> also considered. Please see this post and comments to learn more =20 >>> about >>> our context: http://industry.slashgeo.org/article.pl?=20 >>> sid=3D07/03/07/183222 >>> >>> To your knowledge, do you think a java webmapping-based solution, >>> including GeoServer, could be suitable? Would it be considered =20 >>> mature >>> in terms of features? Performance is important to us - are these =20 >>> java >>> apps up to par to serve maps and WM*? And finally, how would you >>> justify choosing a java-based solution in comparison to, say, a >>> MapGuide Open Source solution? >>> >>> I understand all tools can to do job and the context and constraints >>> are to be considered, but my hope is your comments will help us make >>> the best choice for our organization. >>> >>> Thanks a lot! :-) >>> >>> Alex >> > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------=20= > --- > This SF.net email is sponsored by DB2 Express > Download DB2 Express C - the FREE version of DB2 express and take > control of your XML. No limits. Just data. Click to get it now. > http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/ > _______________________________________________ > Geoserver-users mailing list > Geo...@li... > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/geoserver-users |
