[Geowanking] a modest proposal for google maps

[James Macgill]

> How do we share *simple* map information, like the kind that the google maps
> API supports, basically markers, marker data (content), and line overlays?
> GML?  Too complicated at first blush.  
Everything else... not complicated enough at second or third blush...
(oh, your not using the same CRS as me?, hay points are nice, what
about lines... now polygons... now lets put some attributes in with
this... and styling, and ...)

GML too comlex? yes it is in its full scope, 2.1.2 is just about
managable and GML 3.0 in full is too complex for almost everybody.

But and its a big BUT, if you have a specific application in mind, and
you spend a little time comming up with a schema for your problem that
is NOT complex (i.e. without lots of substituon groups and nested
feature membership and cubic spline curves) then GML can be very easy.
 Add to that the ability to push data in and out of a transactional
WFS (like geoserver) and you are up and running with a lot of power
and flexibility.  You can filter the data, do spatial queries (dwithin
with a limit is VERY handy for gmaps markers if you want the ones near
the center of the map but without getting more than a hundred or so
results...)

James