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In 2007, I had the opportunity to work on my first Open Source GIS application.
A municipal client needed a map based website, and they wanted a cheap but reliable
solution. They asked me what the options were. I first considered one
of the free mapping APIs like Google Maps and Virtual Earth. But, when they
provided the list of requirements, I realized the mapping APIs would not suffice.
They needed more advanced search capailities and had all of the data in shapefile
format. To me, it then made sense to look into Open Source GIS. I started
looking on the OSGeo website and considered
some of the software there including MapServer. I started using MapServer,
but after setting it up, relaized it was not quite as rich in features as I was
hoping. I then remembered that AutoDesk recently released MapGuide as an Open
Source project.
MapGuide Open Source (MGOS) was extremely
easy to install and setup my first site, especially compared to other open source products.
I had my first site running within a day and completed the website in about 80 hours
for the client. Not bad for a free, open source product. I used the
AJAX viewer sample that came with the MGOS download and added some custom tools.
Click the link below to view the website.
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