[Geoserver-devel] Removing ASCII grid output format from WCS?

GeoServer GeoServer Developer
1

Hi all,
with this mail I want to discuss the eventual removal of the ASCII grid
output format from the WCS codebase.

The output format produces the classic ESRI ASCII grid, a text based export format suitable only for single banded raster data.
I was discussing with Simone about it, and we are skeptical about its current usefulness:

  • Limited functionality, due to single band support

  • Inefficient format, and inefficient implementation (dumps to file first, streams out later, inviting timeouts)

  • Difficult to discover MIME, it’s reported as “application/x-gzip” along the output formats

  • Unaware of significant usage in the wild

  • The GML grid output format provides a better alternative, still human readable, but human readable and can be streamed
    If you disagree, we’d like to hear why.
    If you agree, what option should we follow? Two ideas:

  • Simple code removal, not worth spending extra effort

  • Migration to community module, to provide soft landing for those that might have been using it
    Thoughts?

Cheers
Andrea

···

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2

FYI:

I've had users which because of the simplicity to create them (when you use Fortran als programming language...), used them to create time series for (dispersion) models.
So that could be an argument?

I've had a lot of fun setting these up for Geoserver...
(so I would not vote for complete code removal, unless I was the only user for ascii grids :-))

(now moving to netcdf...)

Regards,

Richard Duivenvoorde

On 6/12/23 17:44, Andrea Aime wrote:

Hi all,
with this mail I want to discuss the eventual removal of the ASCII grid
output format from the WCS codebase.

The output format produces the classic ESRI ASCII grid, a text based export format suitable only for single banded raster data.
I was discussing with Simone about it, and we are skeptical about its current usefulness:

  * Limited functionality, due to single band support
  * Inefficient format, and inefficient implementation (dumps to file first, streams out later, inviting timeouts)
  * Difficult to discover MIME, it's reported as "application/x-gzip" along the output formats
  * Unaware of significant usage in the wild
  * The GML grid output format provides a better alternative, still human readable, but human readable and can be streamed

If you disagree, we'd like to hear why.
If you agree, what option should we follow? Two ideas:

  * Simple code removal, not worth spending extra effort
  * Migration to community module, to provide soft landing for those that might have been using it

Thoughts?

Cheers
Andrea

==
GeoServer Professional Services from the experts!

Visit http://bit.ly/gs-services-usfor more information.

Ing. Andrea Aime
@geowolf
Technical Lead

GeoSolutions Group
phone: +39 0584 962313

fax: +39 0584 1660272

mob: +39 339 8844549

https://www.geosolutionsgroup.com/

http://twitter.com/geosolutions_it

-------------------------------------------------------

Con riferimento alla normativa sul trattamento dei dati personali (Reg. UE 2016/679 - Regolamento generale sulla protezione dei dati “GDPR”), si precisa che ogni circostanza inerente alla presente email (il suo contenuto, gli eventuali allegati, etc.) è un dato la cui conoscenza è riservata al/i solo/i destinatario/i indicati dallo scrivente. Se il messaggio Le è giunto per errore, è tenuta/o a cancellarlo, ogni altra operazione è illecita. Le sarei comunque grato se potesse darmene notizia.

This email is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. We remind that - as provided by European Regulation 2016/679 “GDPR” - copying, dissemination or use of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify us immediately by telephone or e-mail

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3

I would go for the hard removal.
We need to concentrate our resources on things that matter and I don’t think anyhow would commit suicide over the remova of Ascii Grid format from GeoServer.

···

Regards,

Simone Giannecchini

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Ing. Simone Giannecchini
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Founder/Director GeoSolutions Italy
President GeoSolutions USA

phone: +39 0584 962313
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This email is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. We remind that - as provided by European Regulation 2016/679 “GDPR” - copying, dissemination or use of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify us immediately by telephone or e-mail.

==
GeoServer Professional Services from the experts!

Visit http://bit.ly/gs-services-us for more information.

Ing. Andrea Aime
@geowolf
Technical Lead

GeoSolutions Group
phone: +39 0584 962313

fax: +39 0584 1660272

mob: +39 339 8844549

https://www.geosolutionsgroup.com/

http://twitter.com/geosolutions_it

Con riferimento alla normativa sul trattamento dei dati personali (Reg. UE 2016/679 - Regolamento generale sulla protezione dei dati “GDPR”), si precisa che ogni circostanza inerente alla presente email (il suo contenuto, gli eventuali allegati, etc.) è un dato la cui conoscenza è riservata al/i solo/i destinatario/i indicati dallo scrivente. Se il messaggio Le è giunto per errore, è tenuta/o a cancellarlo, ogni altra operazione è illecita. Le sarei comunque grato se potesse darmene notizia.

This email is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. We remind that - as provided by European Regulation 2016/679 “GDPR” - copying, dissemination or use of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify us immediately by telephone or e-mail

4

Hi Richard,
mind, we are talking about the ability to produce a ASCII Grid in WCS output,
not about the ability to read one and create a layer out of it.

Cheers
Andrea

···

Regards,

Andrea Aime

==
GeoServer Professional Services from the experts!

Visit http://bit.ly/gs-services-us for more information.

Ing. Andrea Aime
@geowolf
Technical Lead

GeoSolutions Group
phone: +39 0584 962313

fax: +39 0584 1660272

mob: +39 339 8844549

https://www.geosolutionsgroup.com/

http://twitter.com/geosolutions_it

Con riferimento alla normativa sul trattamento dei dati personali (Reg. UE 2016/679 - Regolamento generale sulla protezione dei dati “GDPR”), si precisa che ogni circostanza inerente alla presente email (il suo contenuto, gli eventuali allegati, etc.) è un dato la cui conoscenza è riservata al/i solo/i destinatario/i indicati dallo scrivente. Se il messaggio Le è giunto per errore, è tenuta/o a cancellarlo, ogni altra operazione è illecita. Le sarei comunque grato se potesse darmene notizia.

This email is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. We remind that - as provided by European Regulation 2016/679 “GDPR” - copying, dissemination or use of this e-mail or the information herein by anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this email by mistake, please notify us immediately by telephone or e-mail