Incubator Application: GeoMOOSE

[warmerdam]

Incubator Application Committee,

Request for Project Incubation, Questionnaire: Project Name:

GeoMOOSE - ​http://www.geomoose.org

1.) Please provide the name and email address of the principal Project Owner.

Bob Basques is the primary project contact for Incubation (bob.basques ci.stpaul.mn.us )

2.) Please provide the names and emails of co-project owners (if any).

The GeoMoose PSC is listed below:

Dan Little - danlittle yahoo.com
Jim Klassen - klassen.js gmail.com
Brian Fischer - bfischer houstoneng.net
Eli Adam - eadam co.lincoln.or.us
Brent Fraser - bfraser geoanalytic.com

3.) Please provide the names, emails and entity affiliation of all official committers

Bob Basques - bob.basques ci.stpaul.mn.us - The City of Saint Paul and SharedGeo
Dan Little - danlittle yahoo.com - Excensus and Freelance
Jim Klassen - klassen.js gmail.com - SharedGeo
Brian Fischer - bfischer houstoneng.net - Houston Engineering
Eli Adam - eadam co.lincoln.or.us - Lincoln County, OR
Brent Fraser - bfraser geoanalytic.com - GeoAnalytics

4.) Please describe your Project.

1. GeoMOOSE is a browser based mapping framework for displaying distributed cartographic data. It is particularly useful for managing spatial and non-spatial data within county, city and municipal offices (from which GeoMoose originated). It extends the functionality of MapServer and OpenLayers to provide built in services, like drill-down identify operations for viewing and organising many layers, selection operations and dataset searches. GeoMoose is a client-side Javascript web interface that can be configured to use most raster based mapping engines. GeoMoose's strengths include: Abstraction of mapping data layer control that enables individual data custodians to manage their own mapping data including cartography and frequency of updating. Each layer is considered a service unto itself that GeoMoose is configured to access. This services architecture also extends to the integration of TOOLs in the GeoMoose presentation layer. More information is available here: ​http://www.geomoose.org/docs/geomoose_overview.html[[BR]]
2. GeoMOOSE is fast, performing well with hundreds of layers and/or services at a time. Data from multiple custodians can be maintained with different tools and on different schedules as each map layer has it’s own set of configuration files for publishing, symbols, templates as well as source data.
   
3. Templated (MAPBOOK) methods for initialization of the interface display. What this does is enables interface administrators, which need not be GIS and/or programming professionals, the opportunity to set up their own Mapping Web Interface that includes just those layers, tools and services they desire.
   
4. A very high level of extensibility exists with GeoMoose related to systems integration. All Map Layers, Tools, and (other web) Services are defined inside of the MapBook and are easily accessible and interchangeable between interfaces.
   
5. It is a very extensible client for MapServer (and most other Map Services available) and adheres strongly to a Service-Orientated Architecture
   
6. It strives to be as REST-ful as possible.

5. ) Why is hosting at OSGeo good for your project?

There is a definite overlap in the Goals of the project with those laid out by OSGEO. It is hoped that the design goals of the GeoMoose project are in alignment with, and improve upon OSGEO goals. GeoMoose is built upon existing OSGEO projects, MapServer and OpenLayers. Design objectives include:

1. Code must be developed in an Services Oriented Architecture.
   
2. Configurability for users.
   
3. Easy maintenance for data owners.
   
4. A client interface for MapServer and WMS, but designed to be open to other image and data server engines.
   
5. Targeted use cases for local governments.

6.) Type of application does this project represent (client, server, standalone, library, etc.):

Client-side web interface framework

7. ) Please describe any relationships to other open source projects.

Initial development has been focused on using MapServer as the Server side Component. The Map UI is based on the OpenLayers display Library. The Code base does not require MapServer and can be coded against other server side engines such as WMS services. The Windows Installer is built on top of the MS4W stack.

8. ) Please describe any relationships with commercial companies or products.

1. Implementation, Support and Customization - Houston Engineering plays a role in identifying and fixing bugs in the code as well as subsidizing of the programming costs via related projects. They focus on Windows based solutions.
   
2. Implementation, Support and Customization - SharedGeo has contributed code to both the GeoMoose (and MapServer) development communities as well as implemented and supported GeoMoose based services on primarily Linux.
   
3. Implementation and support - NorthStar Geographics have implemented and support GeoMoose based services.
   
4. Implementation and Support - MidwestGIS have implemented and support GeoMoose based services
   
5. Training Materials - Open Technology Group - Mastering MapServer & GeoMoose
   

9. ) Which open source license(s) will the source code be released under?

​http://www.geomoose.org/info/license.html

10. ) Is there already a beta or official release?

Numerous releases. Initial release was 1.0. The current Stable release is 2.4, and and a Beta 2.6 release is available.

11. ) What is the origin of your project (commercial, experimental, thesis or other higher education, government, or some other source)?

The City of St. Paul, MN - Public Works Department started development of an AJAX interface for MapServer. The AJAX client code was released in late 2006 by the City of St. Paul as open source for others to use and in hopes it would initiate a developer community to help maintain and contribute to the source. The AJAX client code has been given the name GeoMOOSE. Today there are active developers and commercial interests maintaining the source code. GeoMoose has been implemented in many spatial data environments for Local, County, Regional and State governments as well as by commercial interests.

12. ) Does the project support open standards? Which ones and to what extent? (OGC, w3c, ect.) Has the software been certified to any standard (CITE for example)? If not, is it the intention of the project owners to seek certification at some point?

1. Use of direct WMS feeds has been implemented, and as funding becomes available certification of this capability will be followed up on.
   
2. Use of OpenLayers provides support for it's many standard formats
   
3. Use of MapServer provides for it's many standard input formats
   

13. ) Is the code free of patents, trademarks, and do you control the copyright?

Yes

14. ) How many people actively contribute (code, documentation, other?) to the project at this time?

Six and a few others on email list and wiki

15. ) How many people have commit access to the source code respository?

Six

16. ) Approximately how many users are currently using this project?

1. The example page on the website will give an indication of how many folks are actively using the Package. ​http://www.geomoose.org/wiki/index.php/GeoMOOSE_Gallery
   
2. The email list routinely reveals deployments throughout several continents.
   

17. ) What type of users does your project attract (government, commercial, hobby, academic research, etc. )?

The development environment was originally from a local City Public Works and focused on Infrastructure Maintenance Management business processes, but the code base is very flexible in nature and can be used for a variety of different business needs. The project allows a data manager to more easily distribute the data maintenance tasks as well as handle potentially many hundreds of layers in the publication process. The Promotional emphasis at this time is Government, primarily Local and Regional and related Commercial interests.

18. ) If you do not intend to host any portion of this project using the OSGeo infrastructure, why should you be considered a member project of the OSGeo Foundation?

We, the PSC, intend to use the OSGEO infrastructure where applicable. The GeoMoose Email lists have been moved to the OSGEO servers. And we, the PSC members, would actively support moving other aspects of the project support to OSGEO as needed.

19. ) Does the project include an automated build and test?

GeoMoose is available as a MS4W app and has recently been incorporated into the OSGeo Live DVD project to great success. There are also .tar.gz releases. There may be future work for inclusion with ubuntu-gis ppa. The build and tests are not currently automated.

20. ) What language(s) are used in this project? (C/Java/perl/etc)

1. PHP and JavaScript are the primary default languages.
   
2. There is some xml, html, .map, and other various minor parts.
   
3. Users could use Python, Ruby or other scripting languages.
   

21. ) What is the dominant written language (i.e. English, French, Spanish, German, etc) of the core developers?

English

22. ) What is the (estimated) size of a full release of this project? How many users do you expect to download the project when it is released?

The current release size (v2.4 - GeoMoose core) is: 9.2mb
The current release size (v2.4 - GeoMoose / MS4W) is: 10.3mb
The current release size (V2.4 - GeoMoose / MS4W / WebMercator Demo) is: 47.6mb
The project has been open sourced since 2006 and hosted at sourceforge. In the 2008 - 2009 time frame, GeoMoose was downloaded a over 3000 times.

​http://www.geomoose.org

[blammo]

Major Update to the incubation application. Consequence of the FOSS4G (2011) Denver conference and all the hallway conversations about moving GeoMoose along through Incubation.

[blammo]

Expanded Names of Project owners and committers.

[jive]

Jody Garnett has been assigned as mentor as per InnComm meeting 15