Spatial Galaxy

A great divide separates the typical Open Source developer and user.
Each has differing expectations, assumptions, and priorities. The interaction between developer and user can be helpful, cordial, confrontational, or antagonistic.

Of course this all stems from being on opposite sides of the fence. The key to a successful relationship is communication and understanding (not exactly a new revelation). Unfortunately its not possible for one developer to communicate directly with thousands of users. So developers resort to blogs, websites, forums, and mailing lists in an attempt to foster some sort of dialogue. This works, although it can become so consuming that development time vanishes away in an attempt to keep up the lines of communication.

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Why would you want to run the Windows version of QGIS on Linux? Because its there. Actually, it may be a useful way to test the Windows version without firing up the dusty old Win32 box.

I did this more out of curiosity than anything else. I installed Crossover Linux (http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxoffice) on an Ubuntu Dapper box. During the install process you are given the option to install Windows software. Of course QGIS isn’t in the list of supported software, but there is an option to install Unsupported Software.

The QGIS installer ran fine, however there was a problem with the fonts — they were invisible. I clicked my way through the install, unable to read the options/buttons. Obviously this is an issue if one didn’t know where and when to click.

Once installed, QGIS ran fine, although there were some font issues, specifically with the Plugin manager. I was able to load a PostGIS layer, zoom, pan, and identify features.

While Crossover Linux uses Wine under the hood, you can also run QGIS under Wine itself.

I remember growing up and reading predictions for the new year developed by some prognosticator, supposedly in the know. Of course most of the time it was all wrong, but often made for interesting reading. With that in mind, here are my top 10 predictions for Open Source GIS (OS GIS) for 2007.

Top Ten OS GIS Predictions (in no particular order)

1. OSGeo will be a synergetic force, fostering new cooperation and collaboration between projects.
2. OSGeo will struggle with being “all things to all people” but will settle into its niche by year-end.
3. Quantum GIS will release version 1.0, five years after its conception.
4. The FOSS4G 2007 conference in Victoria will be the biggest ever, bringing together all facets of the OS GIS community. Commercial GIS vendors will be lurking about the conference floor in significant numbers.
5. The Big Commercial GIS vendors will continue to take notice of OS GIS although by year-end its likely they “still won’t get it”.
6. A “killer” web mapping interface will be developed and cause a mini-revolution across the geospatial web space.
7. An odd alliance will develop between an OS GIS project and a big commercial GIS vendor.
8. Paul Ramsey will finally throw up his hands and implement raster support in PostGIS.
9. GRASS GUI debate/discussion/development will heat up again, the result being a new improved interface.
10. I will be exposed as a charlatan and unable to predict anything in the future.

There you have it. Maybe your crystal ball is better than mine. If so, here’s your chance to go on record.

I was interested to read that ArcGIS Image Server is now available. Now I admit that I haven’t had any advanced information about the product (has anybody?) but was disappointed to find that its only supported on Windows servers.

Disappointed but not surprised. I was hoping for a more open API (specifically something other than ArcObjects and/or .Net) and the ability to use image server on Linux/Unix.

In an effort to obtain a faster and lightweight solution, I decided to use Lighttpd (AKA Lighty) with FastCGI to power MapServer. Snooping around the MapServer site yielded no clues on how to configure Lighty. It turns out to be fairly simple.

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It amazes me how people fail to communicate when speaking about technical matters. I’m sure you have heard this refrain: “My computer doesn’t work” or perhaps “Program XYZ blows up”. Ok, in the general sense there is some information being conveyed here. Often times the speaker is not merely providing a fact but asking for help in a very oblique manner.

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What happened to the GISDirtbag?

He (or she?) seems to have disappeared off the face of the blogosphere. After stirring the pot with several posts (see example), he is gone.

I wonder, did the lawyers from some unnamed giant take him down? Or did he say the wrong thing about the wrong person/group/software/topic and disappear on a lonely road late at night?

Perhaps he retired and I missed the announcement. In any event it all seems mysterious and to my suspicious mind, perhaps even sinister…

I’ve had to lower my expectations of the Open Source GIS user community. Now that I have your attention, I’ll explain. The OSGIS user community by and large is composed of a great bunch of folks. Its the few that have soured my outlook a bit. I repeatedly see posts to mailing lists blasting one application or the other (usually not to the project’s own list but another). The software stinks, doesn’t work right, the developers are stupid, its not as good as X, Y, or Z, and so forth.

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How can we make getting started in Open Source GIS easier? To begin with, it needs to be easier to

1. Discover
2. Install
3. Use

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Lets face it, GIS systems are complicated. Typically there are multiple servers and applications that make up a “system”. Each of these represent a potential point of failure, thus creating a brittle system. Brittle systems break. The definition of the word brittle is:

Brittle

Solid, but liable to break or shatter

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