Open Source Technology Continues to Gain Momentum with Geospatial Professionals
"This contribution advances OSGeo's mission of supporting and building the highest quality open source geospatial software," said Frank Warmerdam, president of the OSGeo Foundation. "Opening the CS-Map source code will ensure that all organizations and developers have access to this industrial-quality comprehensive library of map projections and coordinate systems, including several capabilities not previously available in open source."
"Autodesk recognizes the central values of open source community and enterprise development, including faster innovation, more frequent product updates and lower overall cost of ownership," said Lisa Campbell, vice president, Autodesk Geospatial. "By contributing the code for CS-Map, Autodesk hopes to meet users' needs while continuing to encourage community participation in software and application development."
Coordinate System Technology Integral to Geospatial Analysis
CS-Map is a coordinate system and map projection library that enables users to more easily support geographic coordinate conversions and allow accurate and precise geospatial analysis. It currently supports a library of more than 3,000 map projections and coordinate systems. Coordinate systems are fundamental pieces of any mapping or geospatial application and are constantly being added and updated. With open source code, the open source community will be able to develop coordinate conversions as needed and give organizations and developers access to this critical piece of technology.
Autodesk acquired CS-Map through its acquisition of Mentor Software in September 2007. CS-Map is currently embedded in most Autodesk geospatial products, including AutoCAD Map 3D and Autodesk MapGuide Enterprise.
Open Source Geospatial Projects See Further Adoption
OSGeo currently hosts 15 open source geospatial projects, including MapGuide Open Source and FDO Data Access Technology. Since the organization's founding in 2006, its projects now represent code contributions from more than 200 developers including a base of more than 6 million lines of code.
The MapGuide Open Source project also announced the addition of MapGuide Maestro to the project, which is a new map authoring tool for MapGuide Open Source. MapGuide Maestro is a free application that eases the management of spatial data in MapGuide Open Source and has specialized interfaces for editing the following components of MapGuide Open Source: feature sources, Layer definitions, Map Definitions, Web Layouts and Fusion Layouts.
Organizations large and small are reaping the benefits of the continual updates from the community. The Resort Municipality of Whistler, British Columbia has adopted MapGuide Open Source to help promote Whistler2020 -- a program aimed at preserving Whistler's environment with sustainable, eco-friendly practices. KidsGIS, an eco-friendly GIS portal developed by volunteers from the geospatial field to teach children about the environment, includes an online mapping application built on MapGuide Open Source. Both projects also draw on FDO Data Access Technology to incorporate data from multiple sources.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real. Fortune 1000 companies rely on Autodesk for the tools to visualize, simulate and analyze real-world performance early in the design process to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://www.autodesk.com.
Autodesk, AutoCAD and Autodesk MapGuide are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. OSGeo and Open Source Geospatial Foundation are trademarks of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation in the USA and/or other countries. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
(C) 2008 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Contact: Brett Smith (415) 547-2405
Email: brett.smith@autodesk.com
Web site: http://www.autodesk.com/
