G'day Steve,
Some feedback - I hope this doesn't seem ostentatious from a minor
contributor to the MapServer Project, but I have learnt alot from
scratch in the last few years, and have multiple systems running on
multiple platforms using multiple data sources, so I have a strong
sense of how difficult it can be to find and learn mapserver, and
think this would be a very worthy project.
On 04/01/2008, at 3:01 PM, MAPSERVER-USERS automatic digest system
wrote:
From: Steve Lime <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 4 January 2008 4:50:58 AM
Subject: New MapServer Demo (feedback requested)
Hi all: I've got some time to put together a new demo for MapServer
and would to get feedback from
the community on what it should look like. Currently there are a
number of options out there but none
of them are very comprehensive. Demos that I know about include:
- the Itasca demo application (came out of the MUM1 meeting):
http://maps.dnr.state.mn.us/mapserver_demos/workshop-5.0/
- Perry Nacionales' MapServer tutorial: http://
biometry.gis.umn.edu/tutorial/
- Mobile Geographics' MapServer Recipies: http://
www.mobilegeographics.com/mapserver/
- MN DNR MapServer Test Suite: http://maps.dnr.state.mn.us/
mapserver_demos/tests46/
- Various MS4W packages: http://www.maptools.org/ms4w/index.phtml
there was also a powerpoint I found from DM Solutions for php
mapscript that is an excellent tutorial - I assume there are files
that go with it. it was called php_mapscript_mum2. I would also like
to raise my own vote of thanks to Pericles for his tutorial - I still
refer to it!
There are of course lots of questions:
- should a demo be installable, hosted or both
at least installable (I assume you mean onto a user's computer.) This
would probably require some serious clarification about how paths and
permissions are defined to be multi platform, but it is likely to
form the basis for many mapserver installations down the line.
- what data should it use
As mentioned by many others, a small consistent (downloadable) set of
data (at least a small shapefile and a small raster) with some
demonstration mapfiles and html templates (I'm thinking of one like
Pericles here) which could be used throughout the whole book.
- should it cover just MapServer configuration (e.g. mapfiles)
No - should also have some detail on all aspects of using mapserver -
from efficient querying through good user interfaces to security.
- should it cover installation as well or should that be left to
how-to's
Assuming you produce this online - I would see the how-to's becoming
part of the whole package.
- what relationship to other packages (e.g. OpenLayers,
TileCache, Ka-map) should be demo'd
Other's have suggested this already, but I would see something like a
book (in a "wiki-fied" sense) which could be built and edited as
people were prepared to contribute :
Part I Mapserv CGI demo
Part II mapscript flavours
Part III applications / frameworks (the Geomoose / Ka-map etc stuff)
Part IV Data Sources
Part V dealing with platform differences
This doesn't really look so different to the current mapserver
documentation index - perhaps it just needs some rearranging content.
Obviously there are many people out there who could contribute who
know much more than I do, but I would be happy to help where I could.
cheers
Ben
--
Ben Madin
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