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This HowTo does not automatically email me when a comment has been submitted. Please email me using the email link in the header if you need me to address your comment in a timely manner.


This Wiki is a product of my Capstone Project for my Masters in Geographical Information Systems (MGIS) at Penn State University. The objective of this Wiki is to introduce open source web mapping applications from a non-developers perspective—from installing Linux OS to publishing a web map.

The Web Mapping HowTo in the left sidebar will help you get started. This HowTo contains a lot of information in text format, therefore, I highly suggest taking the time to read carefully and check your syntax. One incorrect input or skipped step may create many unnecessary hours of frustration. I purposely omitted screenshots and other graphics as this HowTo is designed to be a concise guide to creating a web map.

The Web Mapping HowTo demonstrates:
  • installing Linux (Ubuntu), Apache HTTP, and MapServer,
  • installing PostGIS database server with the PostGIS spatial extension,
  • creating spatially enabled tables in PostgreSQL/PostGIS
  • importing and/or exporting shapefiles to/from PostGIS, and
  • building a basic web map using MapFish.

The HowTo includes a a MapFish tutorial that displays water wells locations in the State of New Mexico. The data for the demo is queried from a PostGIS database. Data layers for the MapFish tutorial, served through a WMS, include USGS topographic maps and water well data.

The HowTo culminates with a Live Demo that identifies the depth to water at nearby water wells relative to a user defined location. The data for the demo is queried from a PostGIS database. Base layers for the data, served through a WMS, include aerial photos, USGS topographic maps, and a geologic map of New Mexico.

I encourage the community to become part of this Wiki and use it as a place to gather and share ideas. Please login to post comments.

Thank you and enjoy,

Andrew Parker

Created by: admin last modification: Tuesday 07 of April, 2009 [22:05:10 UTC] by andrewp


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author message
smoreano
Ubuntu installed!
on: Tue 03 of Mar, 2009 [20:19 UTC] score: 0.00
biggrin Thanks for your great directions. I was able to install the Ubuntu operating system in 50 minutes. I did need to follow your directions exactly. I used a PC laptop with the wireless internet. The only part that I tripped up on was whe the instrucitons said " Now restart the system" and so I just closed the CLI and shut down the system. I SHOULD have read the entire line in which I was directed to shut it down usind CLI. I don't think it really mattered but perhaps the wording of that sentence can be altered for us direction challenged folks!

I'll play around with the Umbuto for a bit before I move on to the next stage of installation.

Sandra


author message
smoreano
glossary
on: Tue 03 of Mar, 2009 [20:28 UTC] score: 0.00
I thought it might be nice to add a few terms that I had never heard of

CLI - command line interface
GUI - graphical user interface
ISO - International Organization of Standards - but what is it?
Infra Recoder External ??? I still don't know what that is. but it looks like I need it to create and ISO. And I still don't know what that is.
Canonical??? - I am guessing that is a company that makes the Ubuntu OS for Linux.
Wubi - is this a software that that allows you to install Umbutu without having to erase and or reformat the hard drive? not sure
Distro - Is this short for distribution and does it encompass all of the possible luniux OS software out there? Not sure.

author message
smoreano
nit picky things
on: Wed 18 of Mar, 2009 [14:57 UTC] score: 0.00
My comment will address this line of text.

"I purposely omitted screenshots and other graphics as this HowTo is designed to be a concise guide to creating a web map."

I don't really understand this sentence. I think you mean to say that you have omitted screen shots because you think they might distract the user from following the directions. Would they? So far I I find the hardest thing is that I don't have feed back after entering my lines of commands in the CLI . So I don't know how to find out if I did it right,


Secondly it would be nice if these bullets


The Web Mapping HowTo demonstrates:

* installing Linux (Ubuntu), Apache HTTP, and MapServer,
* installing PostGIS database server with the PostGIS spatial extension,
* creating spatially enabled tables in PostgreSQL/PostGIS
* importing and/or exporting shapefiles to/from PostGIS, and
* building a basic web map using MapFish.

matched with the outline on the left side bar. They don't sync so I get a little confused.


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