-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: Free, open source map publishing tool - gdal2tiles
Date:   Sat, 17 Nov 2007 14:36:51 -0500
From:   Andrew Turner <[log in to unmask]>
To:     [log in to unmask]


On Tue, 6 Nov 2007 12:30:18 -0600, Maps-L <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>>
>> KML is quickly becoming a primary standard for distribution of geographic
>> content on the internet.
>
>May be for mashers. But hardly any professional in the GI and remote
>sensing industry uses KML for this purpose. It is simply not suitable, it
>has no data attribute or metadata carrying capabiities.

This is incorrect. KML does in fact provide mechanisms for carrying
additional data attributes, and is adding support for metadata.

http://code.google.com/apis/kml/documentation/extendeddata.html

>
>Google has even submitted KML to the Open
>> Geospatial Consortium.  Google Earth is simply a KML viewer and is
>> certainly
>> not the only program capable of displaying KML files.  NASA's World Wind
>> (public domain) is just one example of another program that can view KML
>> (although limited right now).  Even Microsoft Virtual Earth is starting
>> to
>> add KML viewing to its list of features.  In the next few years, we will
>> see
>> many other 3rd party applications (web browser plugins, etc.) that can
>> view
>> KML.  Also, don't forget that Google generates advertising revenue
>> simply by
>> listing a link to a website in its database.
>
>Exactly. Google Earth is gee-whiz but otherwise rather limited piece of
>technology that is a means to attract people to a place where Google
>displays advertising. Google Earth is a like a museum (perhaps art gallery
>is a better anology) where you can go and look, but you cannot do much
>more than look. The general public like it for this reason, but for most
>in the GI industry this is not what is wanted. They want to be able to
>query, manipulate, take out of context, and combine with other
>information, the information displayed on GE.

This is true of GoogleEarth which is primarily a viewer, and lightweight
content creation tools. But more tools are adding support for creating and
manipulating KML. And part of the OGC effort of standardization is adding
KML output to WMS. Other sites, like my own Mapufacture, also are building a
large, open database of data sources and simple querying capabilities.
GeoServer, and I believe ArcIMS 9.3, are two other widely used pieces of
software adding KML support.

>
>
>
>>
>> Another advantage of KML is that data created and hosted by many
>> different
>> institutions can all be integrated together seemlessly.  Try doing that
>> with
>> all the proprietary web-browser plugins that most map libraries are now
>> using.
>
>Map libraries should be providing their scanned maps in standard image
>file formats.

And using KML as a mechanism for syndicating the location (geographic and
URLs) is simple to do and effective.

Andrew Turner
http://highearthorbit.com
neogeographer

>
>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Nicholas J. Verge BSc. FGS
>> Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, UK
>>
>> Geologist
>>
>
>
>
>--
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>Nicholas J. Verge BSc. FGS
>Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, UK
>
>Geologist, amateur meteorologist & stormchaser
>Member of European Storm Forecast Experiment (ESTOFEX)
>http://www.estofex.org/