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Open Source Web Mapping

w ith UMN MapServer

Daniel Morissette

DM Solutions Group Inc.

MapServer History

1994 1995 1996 1998 19991997 2000 2001 2002 ...

ForNetpr

ojectstarts(img

serv)

Shapelib+

GDrelease(maps

erv)

Version1

.0

Version2

.0(Pub

licrelease

asForNetMapS

erver)

Version3

.0(UM

NMapS

erver,rast

er+Truetypea

dded)

Version3

.3(Ma

pScript

,PROJ4

added)

Version3

.4(PHPM

apScriptadded)

Version3

.5(OGCW

MS,OGR

,GDAL,S

DE,etc.)

Version3

.6(Pos

tGIS,O

racleS

patial,

...)

Version3

.7underdev't

Web-b

asedArc/Info

AMLG

eneration

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Architecture of a Typical MapServer Application

HTTP

Server

(Apache,

IIS,

etc.)

MapServer

mapserv CGIor

MapScript + PHPor

MapScript + Perlor ...

MapFile

Map Data

External Data

HTML Template

(or App. Scripts)

HTTP/CGI Request(x,y click location,

layers status on/off,

etc.)

Client Browser Internet Web Server

MapServer Key Features

v Server-side

v Focus on web mapping, not on GIS analysis

v High performance and reliability

v Multiplatform (Windows 95 to XP, Linux, *BSD, Solaris,MacOSX)

v Runs with Apache, Microsoft IIS/PWS, Netscape Enterprise,NCSA Httpd

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MapServer Key Features

v Scriptable via MapScript

v OGC WMS Client and Server

v On the fly reprojection (vectors and rasters)

v Direct support for multiple file formats

Input Data Formats

Rasters:

v TIFF, EPPL, PNG, JPEG, GIF

v GDAL (30+ formats)

Vectors:

v Shapefiles

v OGR (TAB, MIF, DGN, Arc/Info coverages, GML, Tiger, ...)

v PostGIS, ESRI SDE, Oracle Spatial

Others:

v WMS server connection (and WFS in 3.7)

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Output Map Formats

Up to version 3.6:

v PNG, JPEG, GIF, WBMP

Version 3.7 (under development):

v Vector output: Flash SWF, PDF, GML (WFS)

v 24 bits image support

v Output to any GDAL format

User Interface Widgets

v Map Legend

v Reference Map

v Scalebar

v Navigation controls

v Query support

v ROSA applet

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Simple CGI 'mapserv'

v No coding required, only configuration

v Predefined functions

v Controlled via CGI parameters

.map file

.html template

vector/raster data

'mapserv' CGI

MapScript

v Allows maximum flexibility

v Full access to all MapServer internal structures

v Take advantage of existing scripting language modules

v Available for:

PHP, Perl, Python, Tcl/Tk

Java (experimental)

v Used by MapLab, Neapoljs, etc

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OGC Web Services (OWS)

v Interoperability between multiple vendors

v Web Map Service (WMS)

Publish Capabilities (XML)

Serve maps (PNG, JPEG, GIF) for selected area, layers,SRS, etc.

v Web Feature Service (WFS)

Publish Capabilities (XML)

Serve vector data in GML format

Transaction support (data update)

MapLab

v MapEdit Create and Edit .map files

v MapBrowser Browse WMS servers and add WMS layers to

map

v GmapFactory Generate a standalone mapping application

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MapLab P lans CWC

My Website

Map Context (XML)

UI Context (XML)

MapBrowser

GMapFactory

Map Context (mymap.xml)

UI Context (myui.xml)

mymap.html(HREF to CWC Service with

ref. to mymap.xml and myui.xml)

CWC Service

WMS WMS