IMAGINiT Geospatial Solutions Blog

MapGuide Enterprise 2011

MapGuide Enterprise 2011 is now shipping.  I’ve been waiting for this release for some time now, as it is supposed to address some key components of the the MapGuide framework.  Of particular note for me is Fusion, or the Flexible WebLayout, which is supposed to be ‘much less buggy’, and more complete with additional out-of-the-box functionality including redlining, querying, and Theme tool. 

 

 

Fusion offers a much more pleasing UI experience for the user, however, with previous versions of the Fusion Layout, I just wasn’t comfortable implementing this into a client production environment.  With some ‘hacks’ and workarounds you could definitely get it functioning, but I just didn’t feel it was ready for prime time.  Time will tell if that’s changed.

 

As for the new tools, it’s exciting to functionality like this out-of-the-box:

Query Features

The new Query Features tool is essentially an ad-hoc query tool to query/filter any layer based on a property of that layer, and/or a spatial query.  The maximum results can be limited, and the queried features can be selected, and zoomed to through the UI.

A nice feature with this tool is that you can query a specific property, but then choose what prpoerty to output.  So maybe you want to look for all rooms that have a department code of ‘Pharmacy’, but you want to be able to see the resulting room number instead of a bunch of records returned with ‘Pharmacy’ as the return value.

 

 

 

Digitizing/Redlining

The Digitizing tool allows you to create points, lines, rectangles, and polygons.  The functionality actually takes advatage of one of the Open Source libraries MapGuide is built upon called OpenLayers.

OpenLayers is a JavaScript library for displaying map data in most modern web browsers, with no server-side dependencies

The layer that the objects reside on can be renamed, and the digitized objects themselves can be renamed and removed.  The digitized objects can also be saved out to a file in a standard GML format.

Currently, the default style of the markup objects is controlled in the Widget JavaScript file

 

 Theme

The Theme Tool allows you to build a theme on any layer in the map, on the fly.  In my test I performed a simple 6 rule theme by area of rooms.  The themed layer was created extremely fast!  However, the layer did not show up in the Legend.  I’ll need to look into this further to determine the cause.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s for now, so unitl next time,
Take care

Warren M

GeoTec 2010 – Day 1

Jeff Danielson, Editor of GeoPlace, kicked things off by taking care of a few house cleaning items, and then presenting the Geospatial Leadership Awards for 2010.  Kathleen Hastings, Managing Editor and Conference Program Manager took to the stage to introduce Markham Mayor, Frank Scarpitti.  The Mayor welcomed the attendees and discussed how Markham has been a leader in using and implementing geospatial technologies.

Josh Knauer followed with the Keynote Address titled: Embracing the Future of Geospatial Data Collection & Sharing.  Josh is CEO of Rhiza Labs who:

Are dedicated to putting people at the center of complex technology. We don’t think that powerful tools for visualizing, analyzing, and sharing data need to sacrifice simplicity, elegance, or usability

Josh’s presentation was a very incite full and thought provoking discussion on “crowd sourcing”.  Rhiza Labs are the brains behind the FluTracker website which tracks the progress of the H1N1 swine flu.  Another very interesting project Josh discussed was the Surui Carbon Project.  In summary, the project enabled the Surui tribe to be able to capture and map their lands for the purpose of identifying the potential for their forest to be entered into the global carbon trading market.  This project fascinated me a number of levels, including the moral aspect, but it was also a great example of what is possible when the technology is made simple enough for users to use.

In the afternoon session, where I was presenting, there was 2 great presentations by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), and the GIS team from The Weather Network.  The GTAA demonstrated a Properties Information Management System (PIMS) used by the Properties group for managing property and tenant leases, and all documents related.  The GTAA space data is stored in an Oracle Spatial database, and also incorporates the floor plans as background information.  The ROI for the PIMS application has been huge, with process no being performed in minutes as opposed to hours.  The team from The Weather Network described how they implemented a centralized GIS warehouse for managing the base information for all of the various platforms; TV, Web, Mobile.  The massive amount of data, and variety of data providers, was the driving force behind this initiative, as a better, more streamlined system had to be found, and one of the main components to their solution is FME from Safe Software.  FME has become one of the core applications for transforming all of the data in useable formats for The Weather Network.

The final session I attended was a panel discussion on Cloud Computing.  The panel was being moderated Kevin Macdonald of Thinkwrap Solutions, and the panel consisted of: Mano Marks (Geo Developer advocate for Google), Chris Pendleton (Bing Maps technical evangelist for Microsoft), David Stanley (CTO for PCI Geomatics), and Kris Woodbeck (CTO for Incogna GIS).  This was a great session with Mano and Chris describing how their respective companies view cloud computing, and what is available for technologies today.  A couple of the terms and phrases that resonated with me as how to describe cloud computing were: ‘offloading processing’ and ‘scales with need’.  Offloading processing refers to the ability to offload your required computing processing power to ‘someone else’, and scales with need refers to the ability for a system to scale up and down depending on the need.  High on the list of the attendees questions and concerns were around the topic of data privacy.  It’s obvious that there is no easy answer to this topic, but Microsoft and Google both believe that data in the cloud has the potential to be more secure than locally stored data.  It was also discussed that the privacy issue might just dissipate with time.

All in all, a very good day.

Until next time,
Take care

Warren M

AutoCAD Map 3D 2011 – Workflow Enhancements

I stated last year, that the Workflow Designer that was introduced in AutoCAD Map 3D 2010 was probably one of the most exciting features I had seen in a long time.  Albeit, this initial release was somewhat limited in it’s capabilities, the foundation was set for an extremely powerful tool for end users. 

True to their word, Autodesk has added a lot of functionality to this tool with the addition of a ton of new activities.  This is going to be EXTREMELY powerful.

This workflow functionality in AutoCAD Map 3D is actually being driven through something called Windows Workflow Foundation.  The Workflow Foundation is defined as:

A programming model, in-process workflow engine and designer to implement long-running processes as workflows within .NET applications

This means that the core engine behind this tool is actually part of Windows and is not specific to Autodesk.

Well, what exactly is a ‘workflow’ you ask?

Essentially, a workflow can make it easier to automate repetitive tasks.

More specifically, a workflows is a repeatable process that can be encapsulated into re-useable, shareable, format.  The Workflow Designer in AutoCAD Map 3D could be considered a sort of ‘macro recorder’, where you can define your workflow process in a user friendly GUI, and save that workflow.

 

By simply dragging’n’dropping different Actions and specifying the action parameters, a user can automate repetitive tasks in mere minutes.  Anybody that has done any sort of customization, development, or automation scripting will quickly see the benefits of this tool.

The new Workflow tasks enable you to:

• Connect to more vector data sources―not just SDF or SHP files.
• Change and save feature layer styles, and run analysis such as buffering or spatial overlays.
• Execute ANY AutoCAD, AutoCAD Map 3D, and AutoCAD® Raster Design commands.
• Even execute in-house LISP routines or custom applications.

The resulting workflow is nothing more than an XML representation of the series of commands/processes defined in the workflow.  Workflows can be shared, inside or outside your organization, making it easier to standardize the way in which tasks are performed.  This should help maintain more consistency and in turn, hopefully, fewer errors. It will also mean that users can spend less time doing tedious, repetitive tasks, and new staff can become more productive in less time, and with far less effort.

Until next time,
Take care

Warren M

AU 2010 – Call for Proposals

Wow!  Is it that time of the year already?  Seems to come faster every year, but alas, that is just part of the aging process I suppose…

So, if you enjoy sharing your knowledge, and feel you have a great idea for a class, or presentation, on any Autodesk products, be sure to check out the Call for Proposal page.

For you veteran AU presenters out there be sure to check out the What’s New This Year page.  It’s important to note that Autodesk is looking for NEW content, so simply submitting the same presentations you’ve done before won’t work this year.  There are also many changes to the types and lengths of classes/sessions taking place this year and   the honorariums will also be modified to reflect these changes.

Don’t delay!  Get working on those submissions and be sure to submit them by May 14th! 
Don’t wait… because you know it’s going to be May 13th before you know! 

Until next time,
Take care

Warren M

Civil 3D Data to GIS

I know some of you who follow this blog regularly might be asking yourself:

What the heck am I doing talking about Civil 3D?

Well, that’s a fair comment, because I usually avoid the ‘civil’ side of the business and IMAGINiT has many ‘civil minded’ techs that can talk much more intelligently about Civil 3D.

However, this recent announcement by Safe Software was way too exciting not to talk about.

Safe Software’s FME product is a core application for many organizations that need to manage various data transformations.  With this recent announcement, essentially, FME now has the ability to extract Civil 3D data directly to a GIS. 

What’s the big deal you ask?
I’ve have been asked on many occasions, by a variety of clients, how to improve the workflow of getting data from Design to As-Built to GIS.  Up until now, there really hasn’t been an efficient workflow to handle this, but this is a potential game changer.  Check out this video on how Civil 3D data can be pushed out to a GIS.

Until next time
Take care,

Warren M

WLIA 2010

So… I had to miss the start of the Canada – Russia Men's Olympic Hockey quarter-final yesterday because I couldn’t stream the Canadian broadcast from a US based IP while sitting in the Minneapolis airport!  But I’m Canadian!! it shouldn’t matter ‘where’ I am? but alas it does matter where you are which would seem to be a serious flaw in broadcast copyrights if you ask me…  But I digress…

My travels were bringing me to Wisconsin, so, hello from the Wisconsin Land Information Association 23rd Annual Conference in Appleton, Wisconsin.

This year’s theme is ABC’s of GIS: ACCESS, BUILD, COMMUNICATE. We all are faced with challenges regarding information and education at our workplaces. We need to get information, work with information and disseminate information to others. We educate by presenting to a county board or oversight committee the benefits of a new technology investment, explaining to a customer how an investment in a specific software or service will benefit their organization, learning a new process to streamline our workflow or showing a public user how to navigate a GIS website. We are constantly working with these challenges.

The conference is 3 days of training and education opportunities for the attendees.  Day 1 kicks-off the conference with a series of 1/2 day workshops on a variety of topics.  The following 2 days consistes of dozens of classes broken up into 5 different tracks:

• Surveying, Mapping and Data Development
• Data Integration and Distribution
• Politics, Policy, and Administration
• Innovative Applications and Technology
• GIS/Education & Awareness

My role is two-fold at this conference: in addition to presenting a class Friday morning in the Surveying, Mapping and Data Development track, I am also doing booth duty in the exhibit area as technical resource to support our sales team.  The traffic through the exhibit areas has been pretty steady, and we’ve met some great people, had many good conversations. 

I’m busy making some final tweaks to my presentation, and looking forward to the Women’s Olympic Hockey Final tonight between Canada and the US.  Should be a great Game…  I apologize to my US colleagues and friends, but….  Go Canada! 

MapGuide Open Source: Install Execution Error

I just ran into a situation that I had not come across before.  I downloaded the latest MGOS onto a box with Windows Server 2003 installed.  After the download was complete, I went to run the EXE and received the following error:

Windows cannot access the specified device, path or file

After some research, it appears that the OS has ‘blocked’ the file because it was an exe.  To get this to run, just simply goto the Properties dialog for the file and click the ‘Unblock’ button.  The installation will then work as expected.

Until next time,
Take care.

Warren M

SPAR 2010

Innovate… Connect… Learn…

This is the slogan for the SPAR 2010. 

What is SPAR 2010 you ask?

I had to ask the same question when I received an email from Tom Greaves, the CEO of Spar Point Research LLC, informing me of the event.  Tom came across my post referring to Point Cloud technologies from Autodesk University and informed me of the upcoming event.

SPAR 2010 is the 7th annual conference on 3D Imaging and Positioning for the  Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing, and Security industries.  Topics include: 3D laser scanning, mobile, surveying & mapping, LIDAR, dimensional control, asset management, scan-to-BIM, CAD/GIS integration, security planning & forensics and digital heritage preservation.

As I mentioned in a previous post, 3D scanning, and point clouds in general, are showing up in a wide range of disciplines.  Obviously, as the 3D scanning hardware costs fall, the availability of data and service offerings increase, and Tom indicated that there are going to be over 30 different companies will be in attendance, including the major players in the industry.

The conference schedule includes over 30 different classes separated into Tracks for various disciplines., and the agenda looks like there is some great content to take in at this conference. 

Besides, what better place to be at the beginning of February than Houston, Texas? At least from my perspective, because as I sit here writing this article it is a balmy –26C (-15F) outside, with no end in sight for the cold front…

Until next time,
Stay warm!

Warren M

ADN Conference ‘09

Well I’m here in Vegas this week to take in the 2009 edition of Autodesk University.  AU, as it’s termed, is a gathering of Autodesk professionals from around North America and the world.  As the ‘university’ name suggests, AU is all about learning, and with more than 600  classes, labs and technical sessions, there is no shortage of content for all levels of users.  As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I will be presenting one class, co-presenting on one class, and assisting in two labs (GS118-2L & GS318-2L) at this years event.

The ADN Conference, or Autodesk Developer Network Conference, is usually held a day ahead of the conference opening, so I have flown in a day early to take in the conference.

So what is the ADN Conference you ask?  Well, to answer that question, you first need to know what the ‘Autodesk Developer Network’ is…

The ADN is a membership program for developers.  Whether your an individual or commercial software developer, the ADN membership: provides the business, software, support, and training you need to meet your customers’ needs.  Regardless of the applications you might be developing, the ADN provides developers with access to many resources.  The benefits of being a member of the ADN are many, and as someone who has done some development over the years, I can attest to the value of being a member.

Anybody that does any level of application development, or customization of Autodesk software products, should give serious consideration to becoming a member of the ADN.

So… now that you know ‘what’ the ADN is, back to the conference…

The ADN conference is a chance to network with fellow developers from around the world, and to really get at the heart of Autodesk technologies.  The conference provides the opportunity to:

• Hear from Autodesk executives and engineers where Autodesk is taking design software technologies in the coming year—and beyond.
• Learn about the latest Autodesk application development technologies—today and tomorrow.
• Do some networking of your own with Autodesk staff and your fellow developers during breaks, lunch, and the evening reception.

While much of what is discussed at these sessions today falls under NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreements) so I can’t talk about details, suffice to say there are some exciting things happening on the next product releases.  If you want to know how you to can see what’s coming in future product releases, check out this post!  The conference also gives developers insight into the long term goals and strategies for the Autodesk products, and I must say the future looks very bright.  The day was capped off with some great food, beverage, and fun at the ESPN Zone at the New York, New York.

Until next time,
Take care.

Warren M

MapGuide Open Source 2.1

The latest release of MapGuide Open Source was officially released the other day.

In addition to many bug fixes, some of the highlights include:

• Raster Re-projections
• Implementation of the CS-Map coordinate system library
• Improved error reporting
• Improvements in stability and performance

You can find the MGOS 2.1 download here.