Mapbutcher has a great post on Web-Based GIS. He makes some good observations and provides some great examples about how difficult and complicated the mapping tools have been in the past. I appreciate what he has to say, and I have a some comments:
I think part of the frustration we have as GIS Professionals is that we sometimes fail to understand the separation between the data authoring tier of software and the data presentation tier of software in our GIS. With the availability of cloud storage and a larger emphasis the last few years on data sharing through Service Oriented Architecture and OGC Data Standards I believe we have inserted the third tier of data sharing between the data authoring and data presentation tiers. As a GIS Professional I hated it when advocates of Google Earth or Google Maps would talk about their system being a GIS. Both programs are great data presentation tools, but not very good data authoring tools. But, today I can author data using my favorite ESRI software and share it via web services so that the user can display it on their presentation tool of choice. I think the creation of the data sharing tier has helped many users have a more positive experience using geospatial data and at the same time has opened up what we do to an entirely new user base, one that loves using geospatial data, but doesn't want the complicated data presentation tools we have used in the past.
I think we currently have a good assortment of web-based data presentation tools (ArcGIS Server, Google Maps, GeoServer, ArcGIS Online). What I would like to do next is to create a community of GIS Professionals who collaborate together to produce a great set of free open source web-based data authoring tools that we can all benefit from.
I'd love to hear your comments either here or off-line. If any of you would like to discuss off-line you can reach me at rick.marshall@verticalgeo.com
I think part of the frustration we have as GIS Professionals is that we sometimes fail to understand the separation between the data authoring tier of software and the data presentation tier of software in our GIS. With the availability of cloud storage and a larger emphasis the last few years on data sharing through Service Oriented Architecture and OGC Data Standards I believe we have inserted the third tier of data sharing between the data authoring and data presentation tiers. As a GIS Professional I hated it when advocates of Google Earth or Google Maps would talk about their system being a GIS. Both programs are great data presentation tools, but not very good data authoring tools. But, today I can author data using my favorite ESRI software and share it via web services so that the user can display it on their presentation tool of choice. I think the creation of the data sharing tier has helped many users have a more positive experience using geospatial data and at the same time has opened up what we do to an entirely new user base, one that loves using geospatial data, but doesn't want the complicated data presentation tools we have used in the past.
I think we currently have a good assortment of web-based data presentation tools (ArcGIS Server, Google Maps, GeoServer, ArcGIS Online). What I would like to do next is to create a community of GIS Professionals who collaborate together to produce a great set of free open source web-based data authoring tools that we can all benefit from.
I'd love to hear your comments either here or off-line. If any of you would like to discuss off-line you can reach me at rick.marshall@verticalgeo.com
1 comment:
I was contacted by a reader and asked to clarify my comments. I will attempt to do that"
I am a retired Air Force C-130 Navigator and after I retired I founded VerticalGeo, a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business providing GIS consulting services to the US Air Force. We do quite a bit of consulting within Air Mobility Command's GeoBase program. We are used to working with some of the great enterprise mapping tools the GeoBase Program uses, but our company is too small (and we keep busy because our profit margin is low) to purchase tools such as ArcGIS Server for use in our own mapping projects.
I worked for ESRI for a year and have been a huge advocate for their software, but it is just too expensive for small companies like VerticalGeo to purchase much of their software, particularly the data sharing tier tools. VerticalGeo has purchased ArcGIS Desktop software and we do a pretty good job of data authoring. With the introduction of ArcGIS Online ESRI has delivered a free online Data Presentation tool that smaller companies like VerticalGeo can use to present their work without having to invest in the entire Arc Line of products. But, ArcGIS Online is limited in what you can do with it and how much data you can display. ESRI still doesn't have an enterprise system that can be used to author, distribute, and present data that is affordable for companies like ours to own. I am inspired that it looks like ArcGIS 10.1 will be offered as a SAAS product, because that makes the solution easier for companies like VerticalGeo to use on demand, but the cost is still too expensive.
We have recently been dabbling into the Open Source Geo Stack (http://opengeo.org/technology/) of software tools and it looks promising, but I believe for the most part Open Source GIS is a little bit light on the G (Geographic tools) and heavy into the IS (Information Systems). You have to be more of an IT professional than a Geographer to use most of the tools offered through Open Source vendors.
What I would like to see happen is for the GIS community to come together and build our own Open Source Geo Stack that is simple to install and use (light on the IS) and provides ESRI-like analysis and authoring tools (heavy on the G). Everyone likes to use Google Earth because it is a simple tool that works great and provides unparalleled visualization. It just isn't a data authoring tool. I would like to create a suite of geo tools that is simple to use, powerful, covers data authoring, distribution, and presentation tiers, and can be used by map makers and analysts alike.
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