[Cartoweb-users] RSS feeds and Cartoweb-mapserver data requests

[Oliver Christen]

As I said, Cartoweb is an enhanced user interface to interact with geodata.
Cartoweb needs Mapserver.
Mapserver is the map generating engine.
Geoserver is a bit like Mapserver but maybe easier to use for wms/wfs
services, but, quoting from the page I gave you the link a moment ago: "It
is used in conjunction with clients such as, OpenLayers (for web pages),
Google Earth, UDig, GVSig and others. "

I have never used UDig or GVSig so I dont know what kind of possibilities
they offer.

Anyway, you can certainly set up a Cartoweb/Mapserver on a server, use
Cartoweb for easy client interaction (queries, data editing, etc..) and
access Mapserver directly for WMS/WFS.

I dont know the exact difference between Mapserver and Geoserver, though
Mapserver offer more flexibility with layers handling while Geoserver has a
webinterface for configuration and map creation. Thats all I know.

regards
Oliver


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <brooks.glenn at comcast.net>
To: "Oliver Christen" <oliver.christen at camptocamp.com>
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2007 8:44 AM
Subject: Re: [Cartoweb-users] RSS feeds and Cartoweb-mapserver data requests


> Hi Oliver,
>
> Thanks again for your reply.  Actually the whole picture is that I wish to
> use cartoweb for client side feature editing and advanced spatial queries
> with a number of field managers in Africa.  The RSS feed thing is sort of
> a small data distribution idea of the whole project- directed towards
> pulling data into a mangers dashboard for daily text updates, etc--but
> also for sending daily data updates to remote databases.
>
> Can you say if there are additional documentation I might read about
> Cartoweb, that helps me understand how it might be different from
> Geoserver, or Mapserver?  I understand the basic mapserver WMS pretty
> well, but it looks like Geoserver is also similar to Mapserver, but offers
> the same WFS-T capability as Cartoweb.  It seems like you mention
> Geoserver does not have the user interface of cartoweb?? Is there
> documentation that compares the two?
>
> Thanks Again!
>
> Glenn
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: "Oliver Christen" <oliver.christen at camptocamp.com>
>> Hi
>>
>> first of all, Cartoweb is only a "frontend" for Mapserver. Mapserver
>> generate the map, but Cartoweb handle and prepare the map queries and
>> everything that goes around the map or the user's interaction with the
>> map
>> and related data.
>>
>> what I understand from what you say is you mostly need some kind of
>> geodata
>> webservice which would be only interacted through xml (rss is basicaly
>> xml)
>> requests.
>>
>> it really depends of your needs.
>>
>> if you only need WMS/WFS, you can't use the advanced functionalities of
>> Cartoweb anyway, so I suppose that pretty much answer your question.
>>
>> all you need is then to set mapserver as a WMS/WFS server and query it
>> directly to produce the desired map.
>> same for data update, a simple script can handle a xml stream and process
>> the data update in postgres or whatever.
>>
>> maybe you should look for Geoserver as I believe it may answer your needs
>> perfectly
>> http://docs.codehaus.org/display/GEOS/What+is+Geoserver
>>
>> regards
>> Oliver
>>
>> > Hi Oliver,
>> >
>> > Thanks for your reply. I am just becoming familiar with Cartoweb, so do
>> > not know the programming behind the scenes yet.
>> >
>> > My initial idea is to explore automating distribution of map outputs,
>> > and
>> > data updates betweenseveral different servers, and many individual
>> > laptop
>> > users in Africa who only plug into the internet once in while.  So just
>> > trying to learn if RSS feeds are more practical/ have lower bandwidth,
>> > and/or easier to "click on" by very non-techie folks, than managing
>> > PostGres or Cartoweb datastores.
>> >
>> > My other problem ( I admit shamefully) is that I don't completely
>> > understand yet how Cartoweb functionality works with Mapserver i.e,
>> > both
>> > have WFS etc...
>> >
>> > But thanks for assisting me with this.
>> >
>> > Cheers,
>> >
>> > Glenn
>> > -------------- Original message ----------------------
>> > From: "Oliver Christen" <oliver.christen at camptocamp.com>
>> >> Hi
>> >>
>> >> im not sure I understand correctly what you want, so maybe my answer
>> >> will
>> >> be
>> >> totaly off.
>> >>
>> >> you want to interact with cartoweb via rss feed ?
>> >>
>> >> "outputing" I may understand and that can probably be done easily via
>> >> a
>> >> dedicated plugin, but "automatically updating" ?
>> >> you would have to make separate script, webservice-like, to handle the
>> >> stream and do the appropriate "update", maybe
>> >>
>> >> but I have the feeling what you want to do is already done by the
>> >> plugin
>> >> "edit" actually available in CW, or am I missing somthing?
>> >>
>> >> regards
>> >> Oliver
>> >>
>> >> > HI,
>> >> >
>> >> > I am working on distributing GIS attribute information (and some
>> >> > other
>> >> > non-spatial data) to a simple business intellegence/reporting
>> >> > dashboard.
>> >> > The dashboard which will also include a transactional
>> >> > Cartoweb-Mapserver
>> >> > WMS/WFS for data entry into the underlying data bases.  Viewable by
>> >> > very
>> >> > non-technical people.
>> >> >
>> >> > I would like to ask if anyone has explored outputting (or
>> >> > automatically
>> >> > updating) GIS layers from Postgis to  mapserver or cartoweb WFS
>> >> > clients
>> >> > using RSS feeds?  Is this practicable/more simple/or a nightmare??
>> >> > It
>> >> > seems like it would be useful for routine data updates where there
>> >> > are
>> >> > many data stores to manage.
>> >> >
>> >> > Also, would like to find more documentation about Cartoweb methods
>> >> > for
>> >> > connecting to Mapserver -- particularly how to decide whether and
>> >> > when
>> >> > Cartoweb/clients should request data layers directly from data
>> >> > sources
>> >> > then send to Mapserver, versus connecting Mapserver directly to
>> >> > Postgres/postgis or native formats. I am unsure how this should be
>> >> > organized. (The goal here is field-based browser based data editing
>> >> > (
>> >> > ie
>> >> > create a new point in an existing layer, populate with attribute
>> >> > data-
>> >> > update the master database.  I get the transactional side from the
>> >> > user,
>> >> > just don't understand when should I connect directly versus sending
>> >> > request through Mapserver.
>> >> >
>> >> > thanks much,
>> >> >
>> >> > Glenn Brooks
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >>
>> >>
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>> >> >
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>
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