So, it’s 5 years since OSGeo was formed- that’s pretty cool! Spurred on by this post, I thought I would say a little bit about my involvement with OSGeo, and also rather clumsily segue this into an announcement about my impending change of job. It’s true- after years of not really thinking of myself as an archaeologist any longer, but rather ‘someone who works in an archaeological unit”, I’ve finally gone and got myself a real job. Anyhow, more on that later.

5 years ago, I was playing around with mapserver, because I wanted a way of serving data and some shiny web maps and we had no money to do it with. I sucked at it big time, with no programming experience, and barely any command line experience. My only linux knowledge consisted of messing around with a Sharp Zaurus (the best pda I’ve ever had), and I only really equated open source with “free as in beer”. I remember the excitement on the mapserver mailing list when OSGeo was announced, along with the open sourcing of MapGuide, and I also remember quite fancying the idea of a whole conference about this cool new stuff when FOSS4G was announced.

Since then, there have been so many lightbulb moments for me, such as getting the real “point” of open source, getting more involved with OSGeo via starting the UK chapter, breakthrough moments when I have really started to understand a particular program or language, getting over my fear of public speaking by talking about open source at conferences, teaching colleagues and strangers how to use this software, and getting consultancy jobs designing applications that use it.

Through that time, I’ve seen (heck, we’ve all seen) OSGeo go from strength to strength, and become a truly global organisation. More importantly though, it’s a great global community.

I should also say that my new job, as Web GIS Specialist/Lead Consultant at Astun Technology, could only have happened through the experience I’ve gained over the last five years, so thanks to everyone that’s helped with that. I’m sad to be leaving Oxford Archaeology, but massively looking forward to my new role, which I hope will allow me to keep up my involvement with OSGeo, and in particular the UK chapter.

Will I keep blogging? Yes, and hopefully more often as I learn lots of new and exciting stuff (new to me- I’m a recent very enthusiastic convert to Python-years after everyone else). Will I still be doing open source stuff? Hell, yes! Will I change the name of the blog? Pehaps…

I don’t often (ever?) ask for help on my blog but I’ve hit a snag with my continuing investigations into installing mapguide open source on ubuntu. My questions on the mailing list haven’t been answered, so I’m hoping that some kind blog reader will help me out.

The problem:

I can only use arbitrary x-y coordinate systems. This is officially recognised as bug 582, where categories.txt is in the wrong place, and a fix has been suggested.

The fix:

Move/copy (not sure which) categories.txt into the correct folder, and you should see all the coordinate system options.

But, there’s the rub- I can’t. I have moved, copied, reinstalled, changed makefiles, restarted, ran as root or non-root, checked environmental variables, and nothing changes. I still can’t see any other coordinate systems.

I think one of two things has happened:

1: Something went awry in my install that I didn’t notice.

2: The fix is actually more complex but no one will tell me what it is.

If the answer is 1) I would love it if someone could show me how to debug it, and where it might have gone wrong so I can try and fix it. If 2) I would be equally grateful if someone could tell me in very simple but precise terms how they fixed the problem.

Either way, I can offer eternal gratitude, good karma, complimentary blog-posting, and if I’m anywhere near your area I’ll buy you a pint/bar of chocolate/reasonably-priced indulgence of your choice.

Seriously guys, this is my last ditch attempt to persevere with what I think is the best web mapping application around at the moment, and I really, really want to make it work…

***

Edit (Jan 2008): Since Mapguide is being continually developed, these instructions are now a little out of date. For the most up to date instructions you should see the wiki pages on the osgeo site that I and others have been working on.

***

As promised, here are my instructions for installing the svn version of mapguide open source on Ubuntu 6.06 server. Standard disclaimer- I did this with a lot of help from the Autodesk team (thanks Trevor). Any improvements, or problems, let me know in the comments. Now, buckle up and get comfy because it’s a long ride…

Basic Setup
Install a basic Ubuntu Server 6.06 (the rest of this guide assumes no GUI and not running as the root user)

Using apt, install the following:
subversion, gcc, g++, flex, bison, automake 1.9, libjpeg62, libjpeg62-dev, libtool, zlib1g, zlib1g-dev, libxml2-dev, make

FDO
wget http://svn.osgeo.org/fdocore/branches/3.2.x/checkoutsvn.sh

edit checkoutsvn.sh with the following:
FDO_SVN_USERNAME=guest
FDO_SVN_PASSWORD=guest
FDO_SVN_SOURCEDIR=branches/3.2.x

mkdir fdosvn

cd fdosvn

run /path/to/checkoutsvn.sh, permanently accept the certificates and then cancel the script (ctrl+c for each checkout)

find .subversion/config (hidden directory probably in your home directory)

edit config with the following (either by commenting out or adding):

in the [miscellany] section:
use-commit-times=yes
enable-auto-props=yes

in the [auto-props] section:
*.* = svn:eol-style=native
*.sh = svn:executable

rm -rf fdosvn/*
rm -rf fdosvn/.svn

run checkoutsvn.sh again

cd /usr/local

sudo mkdir fdo-3.2.0
sudo mkdir fdo-3.2.2
sudo chown (your user) fdo-3.2.0
sudo chown (your user) fdo-3.2.2

cd ~/fdosvn

source ./setenvironment.sh

nohup ./build_thirdparty.sh > & buildthirdparty.log (if you want to log the build)
nohup ./build_linux.sh > & buildlinux.log

Apache/Php
cd (back to your home directory)

mkdir mgdev

svn co http://svn.osgeo.org/mapguide/branches/1.2.x/

install using apt:
libcurl3, libcurl3-dev, libxslt1.1,libxslt1-dev, expat

sudo mkdir /usr/local/mapguideopensource

sudo chown (your user) /usr/local/mapguideopensource

edit /etc/apt/sources.list to include the multiverse

install using apt:
sun-java-jdk5 (accept the license)

export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-1.5.0-sun-1.5.0.06 (or similar)

cd /your/home/directory/mgdev/Oem/LinuxApt

extract all the tar.gz files

./build_apt.sh

Build_oem
Install using apt:
automake1.7 (but don’t change symlinks or anything)

cd /your/home/directory/mgdev

./build_oem.sh

If you receive an error relating to CppUnit then do the following:

pushd Oem/CppUnit-1.9.14
rm aclocal.m4
popd

./build_oem.sh

Build Mapguide
Install using apt:
libexpat1, libexpat1-dev, doxygen

sudo chown (your user) /usr/lib/python-2.4

aclocal

libtoolize –force

automake –add-missing –copy

autoconf

./configure –enable-optimized

make

make install

Problems?
Can’t find webstudio?

cp -R /your/home/directory/mgdev/Web/Src/webstudio /usr/local/mapguideopensource/webserverextensions/www/webstudio

Whew, it’s been a busy and eventful week or so. More detailed posts to follow, but here’s a brief roundup of all that’s new in the world of Archaeogeek.

• Finally got Mapguide Open Source compiled and working on Ubuntu
• My presentation on Portable GIS has been accepted for FOSS4G 2007
• My southern counterpart is off to do his PhD

On that last point, we will be advertising soon to fill Leif’s post (more about it on his blog) and are always on the lookout for archaeological computing types at both offices, so if you’re interested then get in touch and let’s talk!

Archaeogeek is now back in the saddle/desk-chair after a few weeks break- firstly entertaining visiting parents and most recently scuba-diving in the Sound of Mull (Scotland)

In the mean time I have a few projects coming to fruition, and have been catching up on a few things that I wanted to learn more about (hello google maps and database integration). Firstly, we at Oxford Archaeology have been fortunate to have the services of a very skilled and enthusiastic work-placement student called Matt Jones from the University of Southampton for the last few weeks and he has been helping up get our basic web-based mapping sorted. This collaboration was the first to be arranged via the Antiquist Skills Exchange, where people can post about work they have available, or skills they can offer. It’s still a work in progress to some extent but Matt has done sterling work getting it looking good. Thanks also to Bill Woodall from the OpenLayers mailing list who helped immensely with the ajax code for getting the popups to work nicely.

Secondly, I have been fortunate to have some communication with the MapGuide Open Source development team in terms of getting MGOS working on Ubuntu. This is a long process, made slightly more difficult because of the difference in time zones, but we are making progress, and I am just amazed at them for assigning someone to spend time working with me to get the programme working. I can’t honestly imagine many large companies doing this, and it’s a great credit to the new open mindset at Autodesk. We are currently working through the compilation errors as they occur in the code, and I am taking copious notes so I’ll keep people posted.

Thirdly, Oxford Archaeology’s decision to release our data via wms/wfs is still a matter of debate. Unfortunately for every post or comment that approves of our decision, there is another that tries to figure out what we are gaining financially from the decision. I find this sad, as it’s indicative of a mindset in British Archaeology that we are trying to change. I’m not being naive- we might make some fuzzy and indirect gains from this, and certainly our internal efficiency will improve, but it’s really not the main point- we are making a commitment to the free exchange of data.

Well, at last it’s OK for me to tell people that Oxford Archaeology now has a WFS server that is accessible from the outside world. The address is:

http://mapdata.thehumanjourney.net/cgi-bin/mapservwfs.cgi

It’s a standard MapServer setup, and at the moment contains static data about the sites we have worked on over the last thirty years. This is still a work in progress and there are a whole bunch of things I would like to improve (but at least it’s up and out there):

1: As I said, it’s static data. The aim is to get our main databases into PostgreSQL (I’ve talked about this before, and it’s not an easy process to convert messy, historic, access databases into PostgreSQL). In some circles there is a question as to whether we should actually use live data. There are sometimes issues with people looting archaeological excavations, and we don’t want to make that any easier…
2: You may have noticed that I said databaseS (plural rather than singular). Oxford Archaeology only took over the Lancaster Office a few years ago and we are still working towards merging our core systems (along with upgrading them all to sensible, robust OpenSource platforms where possible). The problem with having two databases is that in many cases the fields are not directly compatible, so to get the data out in the shortest possible time I simply included the elements that were common to both, and I will work towards getting more information out.

3: At the moment, there is no fancy front-end to this. I have two candidates in mind for frontends, and I’ve talked about them both a fair bit. They will serve two different purposes, in other words for internal and external use. Externally I’m working towards using OpenLayers, although this might mean that I have to convert or re-project all of our data that is in British National Grid format into WGS84 so I can use something like Google Maps as a backend. Not a problem, I just haven’t done it yet. OpenLayers will give me a fairly basic, but nice looking interface that works in a way that people are familiar with from Google Maps and other sites. It is easy to install and can be built into any web page, so it can be embedded in our corporate site and not look out of place. Internally I want to use MapGuide OpenSource, as it has advanced functionality and a fairly slick style built in (I could use Mapserver and build a front-end myself but this seems like the best approach). However, as my last few posts have explained, I am having quite a lot of trouble compiling this on our platform of choice, so we’ll see.

4: There is only one layer so far. We’ll work on this, but often have licensing issues with our data, so we’ll have to check that out first.

Anyhow, enjoy.

Well, my first attempt at getting Mapguide Opensource working on Ubuntu screeched to a massive halt last week with some version conflicts that even the mighty mailing list couldn’t solve. I’m kinda hopeful that if I start from scratch and install only the absoloute basics, then I might avoid the same problem. Unfortunately I can’t get anyone on the list to admit that they’ve successfully managed to install it on Ubuntu, otherwise I could pick their brains mercilessly!

If anyone reading this blog has had success installing Mapguide on Ubuntu, then please let me know in the comments. I promise not to hassle you too much…

On a happier note, Oxford Archaeology now have their first publically available WFS server. I can’t post the address yet until I get permission, but in the first instance it will be serving details about where in the UK we’ve done work. We hope to include more layers soon, but that depends on clearance from other organisations.

The next step will be a nice web interface for the data. I’ve been playing with OpenLayers a lot recently, and that would be the easiest option, but I would like to get Mapguide Opensource up and running because I think the ajax interface for that is about the slickest I’ve seen.

Well, I’m three days in to trying to compile and install the latest version of MapGuide OpenSource on Ubuntu Dapper Drake and it’s quite hard going. Maybe it’s just naivety on my part, but I’m constantly amazed at how many other packages are required, that are not in the documentation, before the various components will install. It’s not the first time I’ve done this either, as I tried it on Suse 9 and Fedora 4 last year and I had the same problem then. I wonder if sometimes the developers forget that relative n00bs like me might have clean systems, without all the extra libraries installed.

Anyhow, once I finally get through it (if it’s even possible…) I’ll post some updated instructions and pointers to try and make the process a little easier in future, both for me and others. At the moment it has failed again, so I’ve had to admit defeat and ask on the mailing list. Hopefully I’ll make some progress tomorrow…

Well, today was day one of the FOSS4G conference in Lausanne, Switzerland. I’m a bit of a conference n00b, having only made it to UK events in the past, and certainly nothing of this size or calibre. So, couple that with the fact that I’ve forgotten most of my school french or german vocab and it’s been a learning experience!

The workshops that I attended today were on MapGuide Open Source, which was what I was concentrating on when I signed up but I think I would rather have attended the workshop on PostGIS instead of the Introduction to MapGuide Open Source this morning. Having already used MGOS for a few months now I’m reasonably familiar with the basic functionality, although as always a proper grounding in the fundamentals is incredibly valuable. The most interesting aspect that I was unaware of is MapAgent, a set of html forms built in to the standard MGOS installation that expose the xml-based resource database and allow you to interrogate it. With MapAgent it’s possible to alter much of the layer symbology and client-level appearance of your map, such as the Web Layout without needing to use MapGuide Studio, which will soon be a fully commercial product, or it’s slightly limited but free alternative Web Studio by DM Solutions.

The afternoon session was far more advanced, covering the development of web-based applications to enhance MGOS, such as an interface for digitising features on screen or serving live kml to Google Earth. This session required a better understanding of php and javascript than I have, unfortunately, so went way over my head. It was really inspiring though, and I do hope to improve my coding in those areas (when I get chance). I’m not sure that either session convinced me that MGOS should be a primary part of our emerging Spatial Data Infrastructure though, as it does blur the lines between service provider (the Server), the Data Store, and the Client Interface. Boy though, that client interface is slick. Hmm, the jury’s out on this one.

This evening there was a meeting about OSGEO, which was mainly a request for people to set up Local Chapters, and a discussion on the exact form that such groups should take. I confess that I started off in the meeting not very interested, but after mulling it over I can see that such a group in the UK could potentially provide a focus for lobbying for public ownership of geospatial data as well as increasing public awareness (and adoption) of Open Source software in the UK. It’s quite telling that there are very few Brits at the conference, and whether that’s symptomatic of a British reluctance to get involved in OS Software is an interesting question.

Finally we hooked up with Tyler Mitchell and had an entertaining evening meal in a pizzeria where all the pizzas were named after celebrities! I can’t say that I tried the Brad Pitt, or even the Tony Blair- I went for a Swiss Politician who’s name I’ve forgotten. No mushrooms you see…

[Posted from my hotel room on my zaurus pda (so no linkalicious goodness, though I'll try and rectify that later, with a proper keyboard]