[AccessD] OT: Today's GIS

John B. john at winhaven.net
Tue Sep 16 12:00:14 CDT 2003


ESRI products can use many RDBMSs with the aid of ArcSDE, Oracle being one
of them.

They make a big deal out of partnering with Oracle but without SDE you
cannot fully utilize Oracle's Inherit Spatial Technology and even then it's
problematic. Intergraph on the other hand can fully utilize Oracle Spatial.

Any application that recognises the Oracle Spatial type can benefit from the
addition of Radius Topology. Basically it's an addition to the relational
model that allows the storage, interpretation and retrieval of spatial
elements directly in the DB. The main reason this is beneficial is speed and
having your data in an open environment. OpenGIS is a concept that has not
quite been realized yet because one of the two biggest players in the filed
does not want it to be fully open. They are "protecting their customer base
through proprietary formats" was a comment the owner once made. I think we
all know what that really means. And to their credit they have recently
implemented some widely accepted standards such as VBA.

Not a big deal in the ESRI world because they have Spatial Data Engine(SDE)
that they use as a good between for supported RDBMSs. Essentially does the
same thing, you just need to buy it too :o)

I'm posting this thread to DBATech too (for futher discussion if needed).
:o)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Charlotte
> Foust
> Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 10:41 AM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: Today's GIS
>
>
> I thought Oracle was the RDBMS of choice for ESRI.
>
> Charlotte Foust
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John B. [mailto:john at winhaven.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 5:18 AM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: Today's GIS
>
>
> :o)
>
> Yes, when they made the move to Arc8, which basically wants you to use a
> RDBMS for data storage rather than the "Info" flat file system used
> previously, most of the users rebelled. I would estimate that in
> Wisconsin (ArcInfo is the State mandated standard) that no one moved to
> using a RDBMS for over a yer and we're probably up to about 20% doing
> it. Hard to change almost 20 years of engrained habit.
>
> The really nice thing is that the ESRI line VBA capable and they are
> promoting the use of VBA instead of their own Macro languages.
>
> BTW for those of you who don't know what GIS is - it's Geographic
> Information System. Basically smart maps (and other graphics). Very
> powerful environments that allow one to connect intelligent graphics
> elements to information attributes that can be entered, edited and
> recalled via the graphics (and via queries). These graphic elements
> "know" about themselves and where they fit in the world. Queries can be
> attribute queries, spatial queries or a combination of both. On this
> list we all know attribute queries. A spatial query would be something
> Show me all of the residential areas that are adjacent to a water
> feature. A combination query would be one that uses the graphics
> elements and attribute information that has no graphic element such as
> "phone number". One such as Marty described, in laymen's terms: "let me
> see all of the residential units that have changed phone service within
> the last year". Cool stuff.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Haslett,
> > Andrew
> > Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 2:14 AM
> > To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
> > Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: Today's GIS
> >
> >
> > Lets hope ESRI get everything working properly in their latest
> > releases.
> > ;=)
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jim Lawrence (AccessD) [mailto:accessd at shaw.ca]
> > Sent: Tuesday, 16 September 2003 4:07 PM
> > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> > Subject: RE: [AccessD] Today's GIS (was Info: Free Windows Fortran 77
> > Compiler)
> >
> >
> > There has been some major chances in GIS capabilities over the last
> > twenty years. The new state art is ARCInfo. It is a full object
> > oriented data and graphic package with an extensive set of tools that
> > can link it into virtually any data sources and combine them
> > together. It is fully programmable as well. Some pretty heady stuff.
> > As you have observed, the GIS packages are much more than just a CAD
> > program.
> >
> > I may eventually start working in GIS, again...one of these days...an
> > old friend is now incharge of the local government services and has
> > extended an offer.
> >
> > Still debating.
> >
> > Jim
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> > [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of
> > MartyConnelly
> > Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 7:58 PM
> > To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> > Subject: Re: [AccessD] Today's GIS (was Info: Free Windows Fortran 77
> > Compiler)
> >
> >
> > I took a GIS course, a couple of years back at U Vic to keep my hand
> > in. It was all Unix MapSys.  I am still surprised how many people
> > don't think out of the box with GIS. I once had to find out how many
> > people had moved  in a year in a municipality surrounded by Ottawa. So
>
> > I did it with address matching and maps showing the actual moves; took
>
> > about a month to do. I came up with a figure of  30%. The urban
> > planners started berating me about the figure being way too high.
> >  So I showed them the figures I got from Bell Canada. The number of
> new
> > residential phone connects in the year was 33% in that municipality.
> At
> > that time there were no cell phones.
> > One phone call to Bell could have given them a ball park figure rather
> > than using GIS.
> >
> > John B. wrote:
> >
> > >If you haven't worked in GIS for awhile I think you'de be pleasantly
> > >surprised how far they've come.
> > >
> > >I was a GIS Project Manager in the late 90's just as Intergraph
> > made a huge
> > >switch in philosphy. They adapted Windows NT as their OS of choice
> > >and jumped from Unix to NT, Eventually, after they migrated their
> > >customer
> > base,
> > >they got out of the Unix OS(Clipper) business all together, although
> > >they
> > do
> > >support using other OS based DBs via networks.
> > >
> > >There are basically two main companies involved in GIS now,
> > >Intergraph (which is publicly held) and ESRI (which is privately
> > >owned). Intergraph
> > has
> > >a lot of other companies using their technologies to target specfic
> > >tasks/audiences. ESRI has a lot of companies writing add-ons or
> > supplements
> > >to their software.
> > >
> > >It's an amazing set of technologies!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >>-----Original Message-----
> > >>From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> > >>[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of
> > >>MartyConnelly
> > >>Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2003 10:02 PM
> > >>To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> > >>Subject: Re: [AccessD] Info: Free Windows Fortran 77 Compiler
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>Cadastral from french cadastre meaning to register. Hence a Land
> > >>registry system.
> > >>
> > >>However don't go near the Quebec  Land Registry based on old
> > >>Seigneurial  land titles everything was measured in perches or some
> > >>other obscure 17'th century measurement.
> > >>
> > >> Yup I worked on two GIS cadastral mapping systems linked to land
> > >>assessment databases one in Ottawa with a Honeywell 6000 GCOS
> > >>mainframe and one PDP 11/70 Intergraph system in Calgary.
> > >>
> > >>Gustav Brock wrote:
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>>Hi Jim
> > >>>
> > >>>Sounds impressive. But cadastral? Even my trusted "American
> > >>>Heritage Dictionary" (bought in Olympia 1986 for USD 4.95) had to
> > >>>give up on this. Google, however, revealed this page among others:
> > >>>
> > >>> http://www.co.blm.gov/cadastral/cadhome.htm
> > >>>
> > >>>Is that what your project was about?
> > >>>
> > >>>/gustav
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>>Wow, that dates things...I was pretty decent Fortran programmer
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>back in the
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>>>late seventies, early eighties...I build a complete cadastral
> > >>>>AutoCAD application that translated coordinates from Clarke's 1886
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>global positional
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>>>formula spheroid to conic and mecaider map projections, on an
> > Intergraph
> > >>>>system, running on an old PDP11-70 VAX. I was a lot brighter then
> > >>>>and remember little about it except that one period missing in a
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>the code could
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>>>result in 100 plus pages of errors. I hope they have improved
> > the error
> > >>>>handling routines.
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>>Thanks for the heads up Marty and maybe I will take a stroll
> > down memory
> > >>>>lane. (Even though it is a bit over-grown.)
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>>Jim
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>>-----Original Message-----
> > >>>>From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> > >>>>[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of
> > MartyConnelly
> > >>>>Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2003 5:09 PM
> > >>>>To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> > >>>>Subject: [AccessD] Info: Free Windows Fortran 77 Compiler
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>>I was looking at the Fortran95.Net compiler on this site when I
> > >>>>came across this free for personal use Fortran 77 compiler. a bit
> > >>>>dated but... Still useable with some of the good stat-math packs
> > >>>>that are floating around on the net.
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>>http://www.salfordsoftware.co.uk/compilers/ftn77pe/index.shtml
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>_______________________________________________
> > >>>AccessD mailing list
> > >>>AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> > >>>http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> > >>>Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>_______________________________________________
> > >>AccessD mailing list
> > >>AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> > >>http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> > >>Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > >_______________________________________________
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> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
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