RE: GDAL netcdf convention CF support

• To: <warmerdam@xxxxxxxxx>, "Gerry Creager N5JXS" <gerry.creager@xxxxxxxx>
• Subject: RE: GDAL netcdf convention CF support
• From: "Ron Lake" <rlake@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2005 11:13:48 -0700

Hi,

This would seem a natural extension to the OGC WFS specification.  Note
that GML incorporates (under features):
Coverages and support for time (as well as temporal reference systems)
and dynamic features.  Extending MapServer to being a WFS that supports
these features would be a good place to start.  You can likely go some
distance with the existing WFS spec.  What is needed of course is
support for 1) temporal data types (MapServer extension) 2) temporal

Cheers

Ron

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-galeon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-galeon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On 
Behalf Of Frank Warmerdam
Sent: August 21, 2005 1:41 PM
To: Gerry Creager N5JXS
Cc: gdal-dev@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; galeon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: GDAL netcdf convention CF support


On 8/21/05, Gerry Creager N5JXS <gerry.creager@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

Frank, et al,

I think we need to be thinking either about making GDAL more interested in 3D/4D datasets, as that's coming whether we're ready or not... in fact, for me, it's already here.. and then see if we need to

consider forking or augmenting Mapserver to accommodate it.

I see a lot of conceptual problems for Mapserver, and, for that matter, a LOT of GIS packages in incorporating 3D/4D data, and presenting it properly. This has been an issue for GIS practitioners since just about forever: They think in 2 dimensions and can't, as a group, appreciate the need for either vertical, or time. They represent time

series data as a series of static images.

I see, in Mapserver, a potential interface.  It's open-source and thus

maleable for applications like this. It won't be simple or straightforward, and in the end, Mapserver might serve solely as an example framework for a new 3D/4D display/dissemination tool, but it

*is* a starting point.

I'm kinda thinking about a melding of Mapserver and IDV, in th elong run.

Gerry,

The idea of extending mapserver and GDAL to better support 3D/4D
datasets has been brought up a few time, and I have generally been quite
... conservative ... in response.  I am concerned about substantial
complication and turmoil in the interfaces of both.

My personal opinion is that in the shorter term it would make more sense
to have a distinct multi-dimensional WCS server implemented that might
derive some code from MapServer, but that would otherwise be quite
distinct.  It would ignore all the vector and "portral" related support

in MapServer in favor of focusing on serving n-dimensional raster data via WCS.

There could be an n-dimensional equivelent to GDAL as well, that might
even include a GDAL plugin for 2D datasets, but that would have it's own
interfaces that are more organized to n-dimensional data.  Perhaps it
could even be closely related to one of the existing n-dimensional file
format libraries like netcdf or HDF (my understanding is that the next

general netcdf is based on HDF5).