Proposal

1. Introduction

Providing update and enhancement to the UbuntuGIS package repositories (stable and unstable) and creating a new Debian repository containing the latest version of the OSGeo softwares (the same concept as what is done by UbuntuGIS, but for the next debian stable release).

2. Background

UbuntuGIS is a repository containing the binaries of multiple OSGeo software. It is an easy way for people to install and use these softwares as they simply have to add the repository to their lists and install them. The non-official Debian repository would be a similar repository for the next Debian Stable distribution (Wheezy). Debian is heavily used as servers and there is an important lack of osgeo package updates. Since the debian stable release process is very long, this results that the osgeo packages in the official repo are very obsolete. (ie. squeeze gdal version is currently 1.6.3)

Availability of precompiled binaries eases the adoption of OSGeo software by making it easier for new users to install and test the software.

3. The idea

The idea of the project is to first update all softwares in UbuntuGIS for Raring and update the DebianGIS unstable repository. After that it would be to improve some packages by asking the community, on the mailing list mostly, what they feel is lacking in the packages and what isn’t working that way the fixes would really benefit the community (ie.Java community etc.). Then I would install a new repository for Debian Stable as the current DebianGIS only covers Debian Unstable. After that, I would update the UbuntuGIS documentation to have guidelines for new people who would like to add or update packages in the repository and create new similar documentation for the DebianGIS stable repository. If time permits, I would like to work with the OSGeo Live team to add new packages that they use to the repository to make the OSGeo Live installation and update easier.

4. Project plan (detailed timeline: how do you plan to spend your summer?)

Week 1-3: Setup and Debian packaging introduction

• Configuration of a build environment for Debian and Ubuntu.
• Setup to build packages for Debian unstable/stable and Ubuntu lucid, precise quantal and raring (i386 and amd64)
• Basic debian tutorial and learning the workflow to create/update a package.

Week 4-5: Porting all current packages for Ubuntu Raring.

• Test and fix debian code to be compatible with Raring.
• Update UbuntuGIS unstable PPA with all softwares.

Week 7-10: Ubuntu Stable and Unstable Package Updates

• Push Ubuntu Stable to a its new state. (biannual upgrade: software code security fixes etc.)
• Collaborate with the user on the mailing list to be aware of the known issues and provide new package and/or fixes. (ie. Java packages)
• Update all softwares to the its latest version.

Week 10-11: Create a new debian repository (for the next stable release)

• Learn how a debian repository is structured.
• Setup a new server for the debian stable repository.
• Test and fix debian code to be compatible with Debian Stable
• Update all the packages from DebianGIS unstable to the new repository

Week 12-13: Update and create new documentation

• Write more UbuntuGIS documentation for new contributors: Debian/Ubuntu build procedures, setup how tos etc.
• Create new Documentation for the debian stable repo
• If time permits, create new packages to help OSGeo Live DVD.

5. Future ideas / How can your idea be expanded?

The OSGeo Live CD project makes use of UbuntuGIS packages when they are available. If time permits at the end of the summer, I will contact the OSGeo Live project maintainers and see if there are OSGeo packages that they would like to see added to the UbuntuGIS and DebianGIS repositories to make their life easier.

Explain how your SoC task would benefit the OSGeo member project and more generally the OSGeo Foundation as a whole:

This would greatly help the use and adoption of all the OSGeo softwares on Ubuntu and Debian as it is a lot easier for a new user to install a package from a repository than compile it from the source. This would help to spread the OSGeo softwares because of the ease of installation.

Please provide details of general computing experience:

(operating systems you use on a day-to-day basis, languages you could write a program in, hardware, networking experience, etc.)

On an day to day basis I use either Ubuntu or Windows depending of the work I have to do. I have tried a lot of differents Linux distribution like Debian, CrunchBang, OpenSuse, ArchLinux to name some. I also already do some minor maintenance on the UbuntuGIS repository. I can code in Python, C, C++, C#, Java, PHP and Javascript.

Please provide details of previous GIS experience:

I have some experience with PostGIS, MapServer, OpenLayers and GeoAlchemy mostly as a user and with a bit of developing.

Please provide details of any previous involvement with GIS programming and other software programming:

As I was working part-time I didn’t work on a big project but I made small contributions to MapServer, worked a bit with OpenLayers and contributed to the UbuntuGIS repository. This helped me learned about the differents technologies and softwares used in GIS programming. So I’ve touched to a bit of everything in GIS programming but I didn’t go very deep.

Off course, I also developed small applications at school in many differents languages. Please tell us why you are interested in GIS and open source software:

I didn’t know much about GIS before hearing about Mapgears and Google Maps. But now I know that it involves many people and many softwares and that it is still evolving a lot which makes it really interesting as there is always something new coming out or something new to add.

I really like the way Open Source works, where everyone who has an idea can contribute to the project for everyone to use. I also feel that being able to contribute in a community is a much more rewarding experience and that more people benefits from the work that is being done. It creates a community of people across the world who wish to attain the same goal.

Please tell us why you are interested in working for OSGeo and the software project you have selected:

I feel that this project is important for the community as it is the easiest way for people to access the OSGeo Softwares which are only asking to be known. It would also be a great way to really work in an Open Source environment and create something people will use and even contribute to.

Please tell us why you are interested in your specific coding project: I already worked a bit on packaging and I would like to go deeper and learn more about it. I feel that this project would be a really good opportunity to do that and help the OSGeo community at the same time by providing up-to-date packages.

Would your application contribute to your ongoing studies/degree? If so, how?

It would not directly contribute since we are mainly using Windows, but the coding of Makefiles and the packaging are useful skills when developing on Linux which could become necessary in the future.

Please explain how you intend to continue being an active member of your project and/or OSGeo AFTER the summer is over:

I intend to continue working at MapGears once my studies are over and continue to contribute to DebianGIS/UbuntuGIS packaging as well help maintaining the launchpad ppa repositories and the debian stable specific repo.

Do you understand this is a serious commitment, equivalent to a full-time paid summer internship or summer job?

Of course I do.

Do you have any known time conflicts during the official coding period? (June 17 to Sept. 27)

University starts at the beginning of September so I would have to start working on the project at the end of May. Since I’ve already been involved with the UbuntuGIS project while working at Mapgears as a part time student in the last year, I already know the community and wouldn’t really need the initial community bonding period and could start working on my project as soon as it is approved.