dhis2-devs team mailing list archive

[Jason Pickering <jason.p.pickering@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dropping support for GML really makes no sense and I am totally against it.

As there are potentially many clients of DHIS2 which will never generate a
shape file. I just discussed last week a use case where an external system
would need to integrate with DHIS2, and there would need to be an automatic
way of importing the coordinates and/or polygon geometry. Since this
external system would never generate a shape file (but could generate a
standard format like GML), how would you propose to solve this use case by
dropping GML support Callle?

GML is more standard than our own approach to storing something which is
similar to GeoJSON as coordinates, and will thus, allow more integration
opportunities.

>From an open source point of view  we should be using open standards based
approaches, like GML and other standards recommended by OGC, instead of
locking people into importing geometries with only a single proprietary
format.

Nothing wrong at all with importing the shape files however, but the last
time I tried that client Knut, it did not work for me (or at least the
worklfow which I needed).

Regards,
Jason


On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 12:41 PM, Knut Staring <knutst@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> We should definitely have both. Halvdan, did you backport the fix you made
> to 2.18? I just tried importing there but nothing happens on the client
> (haven´t yet asked for the server log)
>
> On Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 12:39 PM, Calle Hedberg <calle.hedberg@xxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> I would not DROP GML support, just ADD support for importing shapefiles.
>>
>> Regards from Sarpsborg, Norway
>> Calle
>>
>> On 25 March 2015 at 14:23, Halvdan Grelland <halvdanhg@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm not really seeing any reason to drop GML support altogether, but the
>>> prospect of letting users directly import shapefiles is an interesting one
>>> for sure. I'd be very interested to have a look, Knut.
>>>
>>> As I'm sure you all know handling (and not to mention creating) GML is
>>> fairly complex and I'm not really convinced moving the complexity from
>>> established GIS suites like GDAL and QGIS and into DHIS2 itself is a clever
>>> move. In fact I'm sure it would open up a whole new world of hurt.
>>>
>>> Jason is also right in assuming that accepting different coordinate
>>> systems/projections would not be an easy fix but requires a major rewrite
>>> which is, quite frankly, not worth the effort. The middle ground solution
>>> to this would of course be to consume different projections and reproject
>>> them into the desired format before storage but we're then introducing the
>>> complexity I'm advicing against.
>>>
>>>
>>> 2015-03-25 11:27 GMT+01:00 Jason Pickering <jason.p.pickering@xxxxxxxxx>
>>> :
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hi Knut,
>>>>
>>>> As for the app, I did not try it and agree with Calle that it is much
>>>> easier for people to import a shape file directly. However, we do not
>>>> always (but usually do) have a shapefile to import, so I would not be in
>>>> favor of removing GML support at all.
>>>>
>>>> I seem to recall from a while back  that it was not possible to update
>>>> coordinates with the app.
>>>>
>>>> See below from our private correspondence on this a  while back Knut
>>>> (June 2014)
>>>>
>>>> >actually in a way it does work to update the existing OU, but the
>>>> problem is, we need the shapfiles and matching dbf files. And some details
>>>> of that dbf file need to match the existing OU details in the >db, which in
>>>> case may be different. So I am looking though the solution that will help
>>>> map the OU units with the existing OU units. I will soon post you on this.
>>>>
>>>> So, not sure that was sorted out and if the workflow of supporting
>>>> update to coordinates is supported?
>>>>
>>>> @Calle, as for the WGS84 , agree that it would be "nice", but it would
>>>> be a rather big change I suspect. At the moment, the coordinates are stored
>>>> in the database without any reference to any geographical coordinate system
>>>> whatsoever. So allowing anything other than EPSG:4326 would require that
>>>> information to be stored some place and possibly reprojected into a single
>>>> coordinate system prior to feeding it to the GIS. Would be nice to have,
>>>> but not really sure how big of a change it would be, but does not feel like
>>>> it would be trivial.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Jason
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Wed, Mar 25, 2015 at 6:13 AM, Calle Hedberg <calle.hedberg@xxxxxxxxx
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi
>>>>>
>>>>> Another change that would be advantageous would also be to drop the
>>>>> requirement that the datum have to be WGS-84 standard - some countries are
>>>>> using other datum standards and might prefer to have all their data in that
>>>>> datum.
>>>>>
>>>>> Note though, that this is less important in practice than the ability
>>>>> to import shapefiles directly.
>>>>>
>>>>> Regards
>>>>> Calle
>>>>>
>>>>> On 25 March 2015 at 12:11, Calle Hedberg <calle.hedberg@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi
>>>>>>
>>>>>> HISP-SA would strongly support dropping the GML step - or at least to
>>>>>> short-cut it with an option to import shapefiles directly. GML adds nothing
>>>>>> to the mix, it just makes the process more cumbersome and "techie".
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>> Calle
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 24 March 2015 at 18:57, Knut Staring <knutst@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi Jason (and Halvdan),
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Not directly related, but since GML is coming up again, it could
>>>>>>> perhaps be good to revisit Sushil's app, which is meant to bypass GML and
>>>>>>> import shapefiles directly.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If you (and others on the list) have some time, it would be good to
>>>>>>> get more feedback on it.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Knut
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Tue, Mar 24, 2015 at 4:05 PM, Halvdan Grelland <
>>>>>>> halvdanhg@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Yeah as discussed just now we should support output from qgis and
>>>>>>>> gdal at least. Currently working on that.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> 2015-03-24 16:03 GMT+01:00 Jason Pickering <
>>>>>>>> jason.p.pickering@xxxxxxxxx>:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I just exported this from QGIS.  Would seem strange if we could
>>>>>>>>> not support this,as it was just an export from a shape file.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Regards
>>>>>>>>> Jason
>>>>>>>>> On Mar 24, 2015 9:30 AM, "Halvdan Grelland" <halvdanhg@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Actually, small error in my example: pos elements should have lat
>>>>>>>>>> and long separated by whitespace:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> <gml:pos>-45.046450667490049 30.904516454945856</gml:pos
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> 2015-03-24 14:05 GMT+01:00 Halvdan Grelland <halvdanhg@xxxxxxxxx>
>>>>>>>>>> :
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> By the way, here is the relevant quote from the GML Point
>>>>>>>>>>> Profile:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> "A Point is defined by a single coordinate tuple, with the
>>>>>>>>>>> coordinate values being specified by the gml:pos property. Data instances
>>>>>>>>>>> compliant with this profile shall use only the gml:pos property."
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> 2015-03-24 13:57 GMT+01:00 Halvdan Grelland <halvdanhg@xxxxxxxxx
>>>>>>>>>>> >:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> The gml:Point element only supports gml:pos coordinate tuples
>>>>>>>>>>>> (a single one, of course). The gml:coordinates element is expected to have
>>>>>>>>>>>> multiple points, which is why it is parsed in that particular way.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> The only real bug on our part here is that we for some reason
>>>>>>>>>>>> allow gml:Point to contain a gml:coordinates element with a single
>>>>>>>>>>>> contained coordinate, thus being incorrectly output as seen in Jasons
>>>>>>>>>>>> example. I realize we might have allowed this for a while, though, as the
>>>>>>>>>>>> logics of this has remained unchanged by the recent GML importer rewrite.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> My suggestion is that we follow the standard GML point profile
>>>>>>>>>>>> and remove support for gml:coordinates within gml:Point entirely. Jason,
>>>>>>>>>>>> could you try with the following XML, please:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>  <gml:featureMember>
>>>>>>>>>>>>     <ogr:OpenDemolandHealthFacilities
>>>>>>>>>>>> fid="OpenDemolandHealthFacilities.4">
>>>>>>>>>>>>       <ogr:geometryProperty><gml:Point
>>>>>>>>>>>> srsName="EPSG:4326"><gml:pos>-45.046450667490049,30.904516454945856</gml:pos></gml:Point></ogr:geometryProperty>
>>>>>>>>>>>>       <ogr:Name>Crow Site</ogr:Name>
>>>>>>>>>>>>       <ogr:NAME_1>Bird</ogr:NAME_1>
>>>>>>>>>>>>       <ogr:Region>Animal</ogr:Region>
>>>>>>>>>>>>       <ogr:Country>Demoland</ogr:Country>
>>>>>>>>>>>>     </ogr:OpenDemolandHealthFacilities>
>>>>>>>>>>>>   </gml:featureMember>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Of course, If you feel otherwise let me know.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Halvdan
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> 2015-03-24 13:09 GMT+01:00 Jan Henrik Øverland <
>>>>>>>>>>>> janhenrik.overland@xxxxxxxxx>:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Halvdan, quick fix. Points should never have more than one set
>>>>>>>>>>>>> of brackets.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Tue, Mar 24, 2015 at 12:01 PM, Jason Pickering <
>>>>>>>>>>>>> jason.p.pickering@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hi there.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I am using the GML importer to import coordinates.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Here is a snippet of the GML I am importing
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  <gml:featureMember>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>     <ogr:OpenDemolandHealthFacilities
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> fid="OpenDemolandHealthFacilities.4">
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>       <ogr:geometryProperty><gml:Point
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> srsName="EPSG:4326"><gml:coordinates>-45.046450667490049,30.904516454945856</gml:coordinates></gml:Point></ogr:geometryProperty>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>       <ogr:Name>Crow Site</ogr:Name>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>       <ogr:NAME_1>Bird</ogr:NAME_1>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>       <ogr:Region>Animal</ogr:Region>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>       <ogr:Country>Demoland</ogr:Country>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>     </ogr:OpenDemolandHealthFacilities>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   </gml:featureMember>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This seems to import fine, but on the database side, I see
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> this
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  Crow Site               | [[-45.0465,30.9045]]
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Note, the double square brackets. The GIS says there are no
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> valid coordinates.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> When I replace these double brackets with single ones
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Crow Site               | [-45.0465,30.9045]
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Things work OK. This is a 2.19 snapshot version, unsure of
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the revision.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Is this an issue possibly with rev 18488?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Jason
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Jason P. Pickering
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> email: jason.p.pickering@xxxxxxxxx
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> tel:+46764147049
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Post to     : dhis2-devs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>>>>>>>> Post to     : dhis2-devs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>>>>>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>>>>>>>> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> Knut Staring
>>>>>>> Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo
>>>>>>> Norway: +4791880522
>>>>>>> Skype: knutstar
>>>>>>> http://dhis2.org
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>>>>>>> Post to     : dhis2-devs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>>>>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>>>>>>> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *******************************************
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Calle Hedberg
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 46D Alma Road, 7700 Rosebank, SOUTH AFRICA
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tel/fax (home): +27-21-685-6472
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Cell: +27-82-853-5352
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Iridium SatPhone: +8816-315-19274
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Email: calle.hedberg@xxxxxxxxx
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Skype: calle_hedberg
>>>>>>
>>>>>> *******************************************
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>> *******************************************
>>>>>
>>>>> Calle Hedberg
>>>>>
>>>>> 46D Alma Road, 7700 Rosebank, SOUTH AFRICA
>>>>>
>>>>> Tel/fax (home): +27-21-685-6472
>>>>>
>>>>> Cell: +27-82-853-5352
>>>>>
>>>>> Iridium SatPhone: +8816-315-19274
>>>>>
>>>>> Email: calle.hedberg@xxxxxxxxx
>>>>>
>>>>> Skype: calle_hedberg
>>>>>
>>>>> *******************************************
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>>>>> Post to     : dhis2-devs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>>>>> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Jason P. Pickering
>>>> email: jason.p.pickering@xxxxxxxxx
>>>> tel:+46764147049
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>>>> Post to     : dhis2-devs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>>>> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> *******************************************
>>
>> Calle Hedberg
>>
>> 46D Alma Road, 7700 Rosebank, SOUTH AFRICA
>>
>> Tel/fax (home): +27-21-685-6472
>>
>> Cell: +27-82-853-5352
>>
>> Iridium SatPhone: +8816-315-19274
>>
>> Email: calle.hedberg@xxxxxxxxx
>>
>> Skype: calle_hedberg
>>
>> *******************************************
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>> Post to     : dhis2-devs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
>> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Knut Staring
> Dept. of Informatics, University of Oslo
> Norway: +4791880522
> Skype: knutstar
> http://dhis2.org
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
> Post to     : dhis2-devs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~dhis2-devs
> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>
>


-- 
Jason P. Pickering
email: jason.p.pickering@xxxxxxxxx
tel:+46764147049