Wednesday May 13, 2009
Wednesday May 13, 2009
GIS on the NetBeans Platform
In the comments to yesterday's blog entry Sven Reimers pointed to yet another NetBeans Platform application that I hadn't ever heard of before: Puzzle. Puzzle is a Java Geographic Information Systems (GIS) development platform built on top of the NetBeans Platform. The main goal of Puzzle GIS is to create a free, production ready and competitive tool as a valid alternative to commercial software.
Go here for all the details: http://puzzle-gis.codehaus.org/
The site asks itself the question why there is a need for a GIS application, since so many already exist. The answers provided are as follows:
- 100% Java (at least we try to be)
- Java Web Start supported
- One version for all operating systems
- No operating system limitation (just need a JVM 1.6 or more)
- No installation needed (because of Java Web Start)
- Built on NetBeans Platform for a professional architecture
- Built on GeoToolKit, a high quality GIS library
That, in a nutshell, sums up the reasons why Java is cool and why the NetBeans Platform makes perfect sense. Pluggability of the application might have been added as a motivation as well, though if distribution is going to be via Java Web Start, chances are that the application providers will want to keep control over the installation themselves.
Here are a couple of inspiring pictures (click to enlarge them) to show you where all this is headed:
Of course, a next step is to ask the project owners for an interview and to see if they'd like a screenshot of their cool application to be added to the NetBeans Platform Showcase. So watch this space.
May 13 2009, 07:16:20 AM PDT Permalink
3 Comments
Trackback URL: http://blogs.sun.com/geertjan/entry/gis_on_the_netbeans_platform
Comments:
Hi,
I'm glad that you noticed my application :D , but I think you already heard about it some time ago under a different name : AlterSIG.
And I had already been interview about it in december 2007 : http://www.netbeans.org/community/articles/interviews/johann-sorel-altersig.html
that was still the very beginning of the netbeans adventure.
Of course I agree to see my application on netbeans showcase page ;).
Here is a nicer screenshot of the 0.4-SNAPSHOT :
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/1852/puzzle04.png
Contact me if you need anything (or ask vincent brabant from the java champion's, he knows me)
Johann sorel
Posted by Johann Sorel on May 13, 2009 at 11:05 AM PDT #
Very inspiring, thanks for the news
By the way, Developer & Programmer, you should check out this :) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlFL-uJ4hmw
Posted by Bob on May 13, 2009 at 03:31 PM PDT #
Excellent news, Johann. I added the screenshot to the NetBeans Platform Showcase!
Posted by Geertjan on May 14, 2009 at 06:13 AM PDT #
Post a Comment: