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| Subject: | Re: GISList: I concede! .E00 Rules! |
| Date: |
01/12/2002 08:46:17 PM |
| From: |
The Geissmans |
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As a semi-outsider (I created a sort-of-GIS 25 years ago, but have been a
vanilla software person since, until now) this is fascinating. One gets
the impression of GIS being a quasi-medieval craft industry that's incredibly
labor intensive, doing entirely one-off tasks. Map this bird species in this
catchment. Determine if that hillside has enough hours of sunlight to permit
a particular flower to grow. Find an optimal location for the distribution
of a very specialized good. If the tasks are all unique and labor-intensive,
then converting from one format to another isn't perceived as a waste of
time and effort, it's the essence of the job -- the data to do that analysis
can only be obtained in the XYZ format from one particular server in Bhutan,
so take it or leave it. Considering that so many hours are necessary, perhaps
one loses track of the unnecessary hours, especially considering many of the
unneeded tasks are fun.
My perspective is someone who wants to create some XML describing a map, which
may include the outcome of some fancy analyses BTW, and receive back that map
from a map server. (Currently evaluating MapInfo and ESRI products.) How
the
server works, whether it has to transform data, or any other complications
are
of little interest. I want reliability and simplicity -- minimum
maintenance.
Would I be willing to spend an extra few thousand for the server? Well, if
the
product can save 5 or 10 hours or effort and hassles with help desk over its
lifetime, there's $1000. An open source product for free? Then we would
become
our own support group, at the cost of perhaps a full time staff position,
recurring. My point is that there are reasons to go with the IBMs,
Microsofts
and ESRIs of the world, despite their drawbacks. However, this perspective
may
not be shared by those to whom the expenditure of lots of labor to create
custom
results is the normal state of affairs.
Jim
>I think one of the major points in this thread is that data translation is
the
>key. The best thing about this is that data translation is easy whether
using
>FME or PCI's GDB Technology or GRASS's various translation tools (the 3
I'm most
>familiar with). With data translation as easy as it is (in a Visual Basic
>course we created our own *.e00 data reader which displayed a preview of
an e00)
>and data as cheap as it is (free) I don't see a point to complaining
except that
>it requires knowing (understanding) multiple data formats. One complaint I
>would have is that the public agencies are obviously using the most expensive
>tool in the creation and management of this data and that can't be the
best use
>of tax dollars.
>
>>
>> Any way... I've been here before, about 10-15 years (20?) before. Then it
>> was IBM and DEC reps huddled together behind cipher locked doors with the
>> mainframe staff. Calling in the regional sales staff to wine and dine the
>> boss till he didn't mind signing off on the latest multi-megabuck purchase
>> order. They held up well! For a while.
>>
>> ESRI may already be dead if history holds. Pick the model: IBM or DEC,
>> slightly different, about the same. Either way, dead man walking. Hanging
>> onto the data already captured is the last stand. Good luck!
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