Current Page: NeXtMidas Training Maps & Imagery Background
| Background NeXtMidas is not and does not wish to be a GIS (Geographic Information Service) application. Maps and imagery provide a context for other data being plotted. No support for imagery analysis. A brief history of maps and imagery in NeXtMidas: Pre 2004 - "The Dark Ages" The only maps available were Type 1999 files (like `world.prm`). When the user zoomed in they got the infamous "black screen of death" and lost their bearings. (This can still be seen when running `XGEOPLOT` in X-Midas.) 2004 - MAP Option Tree Directly plots various NGA map and image formats. Uses the OpenMap libraries for reading the files, but plots them in the NeXtMidas `PLOT`. Problem - Need full set of NGA data on local disk or over NFS. 2005 - LayerGMap Added a NeXtMidas client for the GoogleMaps service. Advantage - Can plot maps without local copy of data. Problem - Requires internet connection, Google-owned server, server software not available for purchase (as of 2006). 2006 - LayerNMS A two-week effort to build and install a prototype system, called NeXtEarth, that would provide a client-server architecture similar to GoogleMaps but using the MAP option tree for the server. Advantage - Have "ownership" of the server installation. Problem - Custom protocol, limited feature set. 2007 - LayerWMS Uses the industry-standard OpenGIS Web Map Service (WMS) protocol. NeXtMidas client can connect to any number of third-party servers. Advantage - Industry standard, supported by many organizations, COTS and GOTS servers available.