Mapserver The PSU Experience

David PercyGeospatial Data Manager, Geology Department

William GarrickManager of Academic and Research Computing

Portland State University

2005 the year of OS GIS

• Books– Mapping Hacks– Web Mapping Illustrated– MapServer Essentials

• Google Earth• AutoDesk

Background of Presenters

• Percy– Over 20 years of scientific databases including

medical research– Hired by Geology department in 1998 as data

manager. GIS became an obvious need. – Began teaching in 1999, since then adding Field

GIS, GIS Programming and this year Web Mapping

• Will– Manager of Academic and Research Computing– Staff at PSU for 8 years– 12 Student Programmers

Previous Web Mapping at PSU

•Windows servers in offices running ESRI ~ 1998-2004: •Geology, and Urban Planning

•Map Objects, then ArcIMS: Oregon Geologic Map and reference

•First Mapserver foray in 2002, project abandoned not due to mapserver•Coastal data, database of Glacier Change, all science goes to the web now. •ASP pages transitioned to Apache, MySQL, PHP in 2003 in preparation for move to Open Source

Academic and Research Computing to the rescue!

• Managed servers with Linux• Ugly install of ArcIMS• Began discussion of Mapserver/PostGIS• Other projects requesting webmaps from ARC• Strong investment in Apache, PHP, MySQL

already.• Leverage existing strengths• Cost of Oracle/SQL Server prohibitive at PSU• Institutional support for Open Source solutions

Components of Open Source Web Mapping

The new “LAMP”

• L – Linux

• A – Apache

• M – MySQL

• P – PHP

• L – Linux

• A – Apache

• M – MapServer

• P – PostGIS

Open Source Components

• GDAL – Raster Library

• OGR – Vector Library

• GD – Graphics Creation

• Proj.4 – Coordinate Systems

• FreeType – Nice fonts!

• GEOS – Geometry Engine

• Shapelib – Shapefile library

Setting up a MapServer Site

• Installation– Build from source code– Install a package

• Get data on server• Create mapfile

– (analogous to AXL)

• Choose or write a front end – (similar to choice between HTML and JAVA)

• Stateless! – (No JAVA Servlets!)

A closer look at the “stack”

• Front end – – PHP/Mapscript with Javascript– PHP/Mapscript– Pure CGI with template substitution

• Data in – PostGIS or Shapefiles for vector– Geotiff, ECW or JPEG2000 for raster– Referenced and styled by MAPFILE

• Mapserver CGI built with all the right “includes”• Webserver – Apache• Operating system - Linux

The Big Choice:What front end?

• Percy facilitates open source sessions – Ka-Map– Chameleon– MapBender, MapLab, FIST

• Grad Students revolt!– Requirements defined

• Pan, Zoom, Query, some AJAX

– In a single weekend prototype developed– Currently used in three production systems, fourth

almost ready

• Demos!

Web Interfaces

• Ka-map

• Chameleon

• Maplab

• MapBlender

• FIST

• CGI

• Build your own

Conclusions

• Web Mapping is reliable and proven• GeoDatabases, combined with WFS and

WMS services are reliable and promising• Be careful what Open Source project you

align with– Many projects are brilliant, but orphaned

• OSCDL will continue support and development, both for map interfaces and backend datastreams.

Data Streams

• End of Monolithic Web Apps

• Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)– WMS– WFS

• Query for capabilities

• High Quality data streams from many sources, possibly aggregated through Google Earth

Data Management Partnerships

• Similar to co-location of servers

• Harness the expertise of PSU

• percyd@pdx.edu

• will@pdx.edu

GeoDatabases

• PostgreSQL – From Berkely, Ingress– Transactions, rollback and other modern

database features– Object – Relational DB

• PostGIS– Extensions for GIS functionality to PGSQL