Geomajas 1.6 makes it easier for developers

17 May 2010, 9:41pm

Ghent, Belgium – May 17, 2010 – Geosparc, the company commercially supporting the open-source GIS application framework Geomajas, announced today the availability of Geomajas 1.6, the renewed and stable version of the open-source software framework ideally suited for building performing, scalable and cost-effective web-based GIS solutions. The new version is a giant leap forward compared to the previous version. Geomajas 1.6 has a modular architecture, uses the GWT for the client side, comes with advanced security features, uses Spring for system configuration, comes with services for rendering and feature handling and voluminous technical documentation.

Modular Architecture

The Geomajas framework is now fully modular with a clear definition of a public API and extension points. This improves the overall system design and increases clarity and consistency. A lot of attention was given to assuring separation of concerns and break-up in clear responsibilities. The modular architecture also benefits extensibility because it allows for easy creation of additional modules and plug-ins. The public API describes both the supported/stable API as well as an experimental API. The latter allows the Geomajas community to peak ahead and give early feedback on future API extensions.

GWT face: Google Web Toolkit for the Client Side

In addition to the dojo face, a GWT face has been added. This allows engineers to develop, test and debug applications in a single programming environment (Java).
It also helps in establishing cross-browser compatibility, as GWT solves many of the differences in browser behaviour. Users have access to a very extensive GWT showcase, samples and documentation.

Advanced Security

The new Geomajas security allows users to configure and apply access and restrictions on a fine grained level. Geomajas now supports both functional constraints (commands, tools) as well as data constraints (layers, geographical extent, features, attributes). Authentication and authorization can be administered through multiple external services.

System Configuration using Spring

Leveraging an industry standard technology, the Spring Framework, the overall flexibility and extensibility is substantially improved. Users can configure many aspects of the system, including client and server side features, transaction management and security.

Services for Rendering and Feature Handling

Geomajas now features state-of-the-art process configuration and extensibility thanks to the introduction of configurable pipelines and services for rendering and feature handling. This also enables the introduction of caching, additional rendering steps, spatial manipulation and analysis, etc.

Technical Documentation

As part of a well defined API, extensive Javadoc and a user guide (120+ pages) are provided. The latter covers amongst others the architecture, configuration guidelines, information on faces and explains how to extend Geomajas.

More information about Geomajas 1.6, a technical showcase and free downloads are available at the link below.

Geomajas 1.6 technical showcase and free download

Geo: International