[maplab-users] RE: Usability

[Fred Warnock]

Hi Ryan,

In your last posting, you mentioned that it would be nice to have a
collection of symbols, fonts and projections.  I agree!

The symbols that we are using in our GMap demo were borrowed from an old
MapServer demo accessible from the MapServer site at UMN.  I looked, and
there is also a new demo there now.  Both can be found at
http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/dload.html
In case you were not aware, symbols can be vector, defined in the symbol
file, or right in the map file based on these specs
http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/doc36/mapfile-reference.html#symbology but they
can also be pre-made gif icons, and they can also be characters from a true
type font... I have no example of these, but I have tried both, and they
work really well and they are fairly easily added to a symbol file
(following the mapfile reference of course).

We are definitely considering distributing a symbol file with MapLab
containing a basic set of vector symbols to get started with, and hope that
MapLab users will contribute to it in the spirit of this open source
project.

As for fonts, the ones we have found that are distributable you can find in
the font file that is packaged with the GMap Demo which can be found here
http://www2.dmsolutions.ca/mapserver/dl/ (gmap-ms36.* are the newest
version)

There are very few freely distributable fonts, but as we find them, we'll be
sure to add them to the distribution of MapLab, and hope that MapLab users
will point out any freely distributable fonts they find.

As to the question about projections, we are working on a means of
simplifying accessing projections, and a method of creating lists of
projections.  It is our intention to include a list of a few projections for
Canada and the US that we think are commonly used, and we hope that MapLab
users, as they create their own lists to suit their needs, may contribute
them.

Thanks for your suggestions, I'll be adding them to our list of enhancements



Fred Warnock : Web, Graphic & Cartographic Design
             : DM Solutions Group Inc.

    web site : http://www.dmsolutions.ca
       eMail : warnock@dmsolutions.ca

        post : 72 Chamberlain Ave., 3rd Floor
             : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1S 1V9

         tel : (613) 565-5056  ext: 11
         fax : (613) 565-0925