[Mapserver-west] Crytozoology non-profit seeking advise

[Mark Torrance]

You can develop a site based on mapserver to get this done, and  
potentially use the ka-map interface which would let people pan and  
scroll around the map just like Google Maps.

But personally, given the limited programming background you  
described, I would recommend that you consider just using the Google  
Maps API (or Yahoo Maps, or MSN).  All of them offer a fairly easy  
way for you to request a map that has a bunch of points labelled on  
it.  You can use different icons for each point, so you might use  
colorcoded dots or balloon-like flags for the sightings, and use  
different colors depending on species, time, or other things.

The general gist of how to do this is that you write a program in a  
server-side scripting language like Ruby, PHP, Perl or Python.  The  
program takes parameters that are submitted through a web form, uses  
those to make a database query, and then turns the results into HTML  
code that includes JavaScript which requests a map be drawn using the  
API provided by the maps vendor.

If you want the maps to be more sophisticated, for example letting  
you plot lines that connect several points, or filling in regions by  
color, or using many different types of markers, or tons of markers  
so that you would not want to draw them client-side -- these would  
all be arguments for you to develop your own server-side map  
component by starting with Mapserver and ka-map.

I hope this was helpful.  For the record, I work for Vinq, a  
consulting company that has developed the free DataPlace.org site for  
Fannie Mae Foundation, working together with Placebase.  We started  
with our own mapserver-based mapping engine, and wrote our own ka-map  
like javascript interface before ka-map was available, but we are in  
the process of converting to ka-map.  We also ended up replacing  
mapserver with a combination of predrawn tiles using ESRI ARC engine,  
and overlays drawn using Mapnik, because of the higher quality  
cartography we were able to get.  DataPlace displays demographic and  
other social science indicators from US Census, HMDA, IRS, and other  
data sets.  Fannie Mae Foundation hopes to soon offer an API to  
DataPlace maps similar to the Google Maps API, but additionally  
letting users display maps with thematic overlays and showing data  
they have uploaded themselves.

I would be happy to answer questions about this individually as well.

--Mark Torrance

On Oct 10, 2006, at 9:06 PM, Fred wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I'm a volunteer at a non-profit cryptozoology related website and  
> we need some advise. Yes,  sasquatch, thyalicine and other  
> cryptids. But mainly sasquatch in the pacific northwest. After you  
> finish laughing, please read on. :)
>
> Any help is greatly appreciated!
>
> BACKGROUND: We have a bunch of volunteer investigators who input  
> sighting information into our web based database, we get about 50  
> reports/month. The info includes gps coordinates and date/time of  
> each sighting. We want to plot that data colorcoded based on the  
> date/time onto a map of the pacific northwest in order to reveal  
> migration patterns (if they exist at all). Of course we have  
> already done the analysis on existing data, but would like to  
> automate the process for all of the forthcoming data. We would like  
> to present the results via the web in the form of a map.
>
> The members are biologists, anthropologists and some rednecks :)  
> with elementary programming/scripting skills. We have an extra  
> server (preffer linux but will use windows if necessary) just for  
> this purpose and our goal is to implement this with all open source  
> software (ie cheap).
>
> I need some advice to see if it's even feasible to commence this  
> project based on our very limited $$$ budget, but available manpower.
>
> QUESTIONS:
>
> Is it possible to implement this using all open source software?
>
> What software would you use?
>
> Is an expert required to generate the data maps or can they be  
> generated on the fly by the server?
>
> I thank you for any help in advance,
>
> Fred
>
> Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo!  
> Small Business.
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