Database, Web and Open Source

The implementation of Geographical Information Systems (SIT/GIS) may take place by means of different data and function distribution models, which depend on customers’ requirements but also on the degree of technology evolution required by the solution. Undoubtedly the system must be targeted to three goals, which are meant to certify its degree of quality: reliability, scalability and usability.
Our experience brought us to select three ingredients that provide a pivotal contribution to accomplishing suitable solutions for the most diverse requirements, by size and operating specifics: data management by means of spatial RDMBS; development of weboriented applications; use of Open Source technology.

• Information systems must be managed with proper tools; SIT/GIS are information systems.
• The support provided by RDBMS to spatial entities has achieved a very high quality, thus it guarantees stability, reliability and performance.
• The broader data communication band allows to develop and manage distributed applications that exploit Internet potential to the fullest and do not neglect high safety standards.
• The tendency to enhance weboriented solutions is confirmed by public funding being diverted towards the industry, e.g. the Public Connectivity System (SPC), which is bound to become the priority tool for horizontal and vertical interoperability.
• Free solutions, as technologically complex as they may be, from having to be installed on a single machine; this greatly improves management rationalization and optimization.
• Open Source provides technologically mature and reliable solutions and undoubtedly allows to keep costs under further control, and solves the issue of licensed use.
• Open Source makes it possible to enforce beneficial practices in the Public Administration, such as “reuse”, only theoretically enforceable with proprietary technologybased solutions.
• When we carry out our projects, within the countless options provided by open Source, we use preferentially a set of wellestablished and widespread solutions.
• Operating system: Linux, in its various releases: Debian, Ubuntu, Suse...
• RDBMS PostgreSQL with Postgis spatial expansion (http://www.postgres.org - http://www.postgis.org)
• Apache Web Server
• UMN MapServer cartography server (http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/)
• CMS Zope/Plone (http://www.plone.org)
• Weboriented programming languages such as php, jsp, Python, Javascript, HTML and AJAX/RPC technology.