[Openstreetmap] But what the hell can a GIS really DO?

[Tyler Mitchell]

Good discussion starter, Jeremy.  I believe that getting the internal spatial 
querying smarts of GEOS/PostGIS is another critical rung in the ladder.  By 
pushing GIS analysis to the server side and having some easy-to-use front-end 
tools, we'll be able to do so much more.

Tyler

On May 13, 2005 12:33 am, Jeremy Stocks wrote:
> I have been in the field of GIS nearly 14 years. I have seen every new
> craze come and go. But something exciting is slowly happening , thanks to
> the following factors. I shall list them:
>
>   a.. The web for GIS is starting to come of age. Applications which are
> able to serve large quantities of data necessary for GIS are now here. b..
> The rise of free web GIS such as Mapserver which allows people to publish
> their own maps on the internet as long as they have a connection. c.. The
> removal of selective availability on GPS receivers is allowing ordinary
> users access to precision they other wsie would never have had.
>
> These changes, particularly the web and GPS are giving ordinary users power
> to create maps they were previously never able to do. Now I am told the
> location-based industry according to the Guardian article
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1453293,00.html is going to
> be worth a lot of money in the future.
>
> The apps I am seeing are impressive but are only the tip of the iceberg.
> Everyone is serving out datasets based on exisiting features such as roads,
> railways and contours.
>
> But what would be very exciting would be what I call "conceptual" maps,
> where the GIS actually does what many of us in the industry have dreamed it
> can do, namely the ability to create new maps based upon amalgamations of
> the existing data layers into new products which we call GIS models. This I
> argue is the very deep heart of GIS and what enticed many of us into the
> profession long ago.´These can be used to answer questions such as:
>
> 1. Tonight there is a frost. Where are the likeliest danger spots for me on
> my local roads given the predicted temperature? Can I upload aGPS location
> back to the map server to confirm or deny the frost location, thus
> improving the model? 2. I am going paragliding. Where would the best
> thermic areas be for me to fly at this moment in time? Can my in-flight GPS
> tracks be uploaded to the server to truth the model it puts out? 3. I am
> going off piste skiing. Where is it most dangerous given the recent heavy
> snow falls and what conditions will I likely encounter? Can I feedback my
> skiing experience back into the map served?
>
> I would appreciate a discussion on this topic. Any takers?
>
> BTW it's Friday. Here in Munich a web map which showed me the location of
> one of its nearest famous beergardens would be useful!!!