WebGIS Discussions

[Navaneeth]

Why we do not have a simplified process of publishing a map from Geomedia to webmap.

Now the process is somewhat similar to belowas of version 2015 and I believe its same with 2016)

1- Use Sever Configuration utility to create an application (This basically copies some templated files with a name and change some settings)

2 - Use Administrator to publish a map to this application (Step 1 can be combined to the administrator)

3- Then create a new instance in Webmap administrator

4- Link the app from step 2 to this new app (From this point everything is complicated from a user prespective, which is what I have understood talking to clients)

5 -Configure a workspace, set it as default. 

Why not :

1- Create a connection to webmap server from Geomedia Administrator

2- Publish the map contents from Geomedia to webmap as an application or as a service (Option to choose what type and name etc can be given during the publishing process only once. Much like a wizard interface)

I feel this would be a cleaner and safer approach.

Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Hi Navaneeth,

I am sorry, but I do not have any suggestions of anything that can simplify the current process of publishing a map from GeoMedia to WebMap. But,  I will file a CR-Enhancement and request that simplification adding your suggestion on the CR-Enhancement.  This simplification process applies to WMS, WFS, and WebMap Publisher Portal services since these three types of services are the ones that required this multi-step process to publish to a Service Source and then create a new instance that is associated with that service source.

I will post the CR-Enhancement number in reply to your post once I have it filed. 

Kind Regards,

Carolyn

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Follow-up on the filing of the CR-Enhancement for your request.  The CR number is 1-M8ZWEP.

Kind Regards,

Carolyn

[lukasz.baraniak]

Assuming you have GeoMedia and WebMap on the same machine, and if you are setting up a WebMap Publisher Portal, you can try this alternative approach:
1. Fire up GeoMedia and set up/load your workspace
2. Open the WebMap Administrator
3. Click the Create button and follow the wizard to create a WebMap Publisher Portal type of Service Source.
4. Publish the GeoWorkspace to Metadata
5. Browse to the Geospatial Server Administration Console
6. Create a new WebMap Publisher Portal instance
7. On the final screen click the Configure button
8. Switch to the Data tab on the instance's configuration page and select the name of your freshly created service source
9. Click the Apply button

The last step should open the Configuration Portal, create a workspace and set it as a starting workspace for you automagically.

There is still a number of steps to follow, but less tools involved (only GeoMedia and the Administration Console).



I agree some of the workflows could benefit from a revision, though. This needs to be carefully thought through, however, so as to not sacrifice the power and flexibility they give to other users with more contrived needs. For example you can have one server machine hosting only Portal instances while the other (or others) act as service hosts. You could also have a single WMS service source exposed by two or more WMS instances (e.g. one open on an IIS website accessible from the intranet while the other can be reachable from the Internet but secured).

[Navaneeth]

Thanks for raising the CR. Hopefully the process will improve in future.

[Navaneeth]

Replying to hbm -> Geospatial Portal is a powerful product with so many features. But I would like to highlight some issues we face with the existing workflow and my opinion on those:

-Assuming GeoMedia and Webmap is on the same server machine - Eventhough you can install any software on servers, enterprises which we have been working with had strict security policies,firewalls restricting remote desktop access to the users once the server is in production mode. It is generally a cumbersome process of documentation, justification, approvals etc. So to add a new map, or change a layer to an existing map its a long process. 

I believe this is one of the main reasons the GWM administrator (Configuring map server,log etc) was moved to a web interface from a desktop one.

-The existing process has so many disconnected components. I feel this as a workaround done to make webmap publisher work when Gesospatial portal was introduced. Publisher files are located at C:\webmap publisher .... and service files are located at a different location.

-If the user is not a programmer(especially .Net) - there are parts of the service configurations which is difficult to understand for normal users and for some configurations we have to login to the server (which is difficult as I mentioned in the first point). We need users who are not programmers.

- Assuming you have multiple instances serving WMS for intranet ,internet or a seperate instance for portals - It would be nicer if we could connect and configure all these instances from one client PC having geomedia, than login into each of these servers to make any modifications any of the services.

- Power and flexibility for users with contrived needs - I completely agree to have this flexibility on the product for advanced users. But most of the simple users we have dealt with( which I believe is the majority), just wanted to publish the data or work they have done on desktop as a service or portal in the most simplest way. They needed a solution which could easily take their work from desktop to web without knowing any of the technology of complexity behind.

As a note: I have tried this 9 step process below on version 2016 and it does not provide me with the result I intended. It did launch the configuration portal and created the workspace. But did not migrate the styles properly and had issues with styles with scaling set as paper.

When you  do so much hardwork and you dont get an output it is a little disappointing, especially when the product is in its 3rd or 4th year.

Today we are in a well connected world, we control almost everything like AWS, Azure etc from a web browser and even mobile. We can configure our routers from mobile devices. And I feel this is very much possible to have the simplification users need to be built on to a software. Software should guide the users from start to end; than users trying to figure out what should be the next step.

Thanks.

[lukasz.baraniak]

Thanks for voicing all that and taking the time to describe the points in some detail, Navaneeth!

[mandrats]

Hi Navaneeth.

Just to followup on the 9 step process not providing the results you expected, there are post 2015 SP05 patches available that should resolve the styling issue's.

Log a SR with support and we can provide you with them.

Marc.