[Xastir-dev] differences between postGIS and postgres?

[Paul J. Morris]

On Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:58:35 -0800
Brad Douglas <rez at touchofmadness.com> wrote:
> I'm still waiting for a persuasive argument for using a full-blown
> database for Xastir when SQLite will suffice if used properly.

As a persistence layer, SQLite will do fine.  To use Xastir with GIS
applications, it helps a lot for the persistence layer to be
spatially enabled, thus PostGIS or MySQL.  

> IMO, you guys are going _way_ overboard, here.  If you want all of
> these features, why not simply build it around a compact version of
> GRASS GIS? 

That sounds like writing a new APRS parser over GRASS or as an OpenJump
plugin.  Plausible, but a lot more work than using Xastir to store
position data in a form that GIS applications can use.  

>It'll be a lot easier than trying to rewrite the world.
> Xaster != GIS software and personally I'd like to keep it that way.
> If you want GIS features, by all means, please use GIS.

In my view that is exactly the reason for adding a spatially enabled
persistence layer to Xastir - it lets Xastir do what it is good at
(capturing APRS data), and makes the data available (as a layer queried
from the spatial database) for any other GIS applications.   All
without having to add GIS user interface support to Xastir or adding
an APRS parser to the GIS applications.  (Mind you, I do tend to think
of Xastir as a special purpose GIS application on its own right.)  

Interesting different perspectives.

-Paul
-- 
Paul J. Morris
Biodiversity Informatics Manager
Harvard University Herbaria/Museum of Comparative Zoölogy
mole at morris.net  AA3SD  PGP public key available