Hello all - I'm a relative newbie/first time poster looking for a little help. I've been trying to do something a little unorthodox here in the world of GIS, using a combination of tools (Manifold Enterprise 8.0.12 + postgres 8.3.5/postgis db + mapnik 0.6) to draw a fictional world, and find myself beating my head on the desk when i keep drawing blank maps.
Here's the overview scoop: I have a *fictional*, geo-located environment stored in a Manifold System .map file. It was imported from a group of .SHP files which had been exported out of MAPublisher and then expanded upon. I am now trying to export the drawing to a postgres/gis db (mimicking what the OpenStreetMaps project has done for real world data) so that i can connect to and draw maps/maptiles dynamically using Mapnik. Since this project uses a number of steps outside the 'normal' use of Manifold and/or Mapnik, I'm at a total loss as to what the problem is. I dont know if the breakdown is in Manifold, my Postgres setup, Mapnik (or a combo of all). I wish there was just a straight forward tutorial to walk thru, but i'm kinda making it up as i go along. Has anyone else out there tried something like this with any relative success? I've read a few great posts here, and in the Manifold community, which has shed more light on a few things, but nothing has completely solved the issue. I am open to any and all suggestions as I've been pounding on this for months now. Also, is there a way to build mapnik in windows to run in debug mode? i'm kinda flying blind with no feedback. --Some quick facts: The environment envelope (in LatLong) is 0, 0, 0.375, 0.375 and I've tried exporting to postgres using WGS84/ll as well as projecting it to Mercator (then re-projecting it to the specific SRID in my spatial_ref_sys). If i export everything to unprojected local SHP files from manifold, Mapnik will draw everything just fine. Also on the mapnik side, i can draw real world OpenStreetMap data from our postgres/gis db just fine, using the standard generate_tiles.py / xml mapfile combo. I have been using the same python script / mapfile combo for my fictional data and simply changing the postgis db info to my own, and the render envelope to fit my area. (i've been using the native extent bounds for the given srs) After an export to the postgres/gis db, i can view my fictional world data in Safe FME, and QGIS (so it's technically *there*)...but projections cannot be verified, and mapnik wont draw it. -- Sorry for the such a long/problem-filled first post, but on the off-chance that anyone out there has had some success with this...i'd love to hear what you came up with. I know i must be missing something simple...but grrrrrr, i dont know what! ;) Thanks a ton in advance for any advice! -will -- “The opposite of play isn’t work. It’s depression.” – Brian Sutton-Smith, professor of eduction (emeritus) University of Pennsylvania
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