OpenGeo Suite Enterprise Edition 2.0 Launches

16 June 2010, 10:10am

New York, NY June 16, 2010 – OpenGeo today unveiled version 2.0 of its OpenGeo Suite Enterprise Edition, the first geospatial web-mapping solution to offer unlimited support on a complete open source mapping stack. The Suite, which includes a robust geospatial development environment, is also the first to include PostGIS, a powerful spatially enabled database built on top of PostgreSQL, to eliminate lengthy implementation processes.

Key components of the release include GeoServer, a Java©-based web mapping platform, GeoWebCache for accelerated map tile delivery, and GeoExt, a powerful JavaScript toolkit built on OpenLayers and Ext.js. It also adds GeoExt-based web applications for styling, editing and publishing maps on the web and a one-click project dashboard that gives administrators immediate access to all parts of the platform via a desktop application.

OpenGeo Suite 2.0 is geared toward GIS executives and IT professionals, combining full support for the open source stack with expertly tested software that is secure, certified and approved for production. Users can enjoy unlimited bug fixes and commercial-grade support from OpenGeo, the eight year-old company whose clients include Google, The World Bank, and Portland TriMet.

Chris Holmes, President of OpenGeo, described the capabilities of the product: “Our platform was designed and built from the ground up as an entirely web-based solution, marking a sea change in the geospatial mapping industry. Businesses, government entities and educational institutions are making more data publicly available and new tools are necessary to extract intelligent, usable information from it. The web-based design of OpenGeo Suite 2.0 means that we are able to meet this requirement and facilitate the changing needs of our users in a way that other solutions cannot.”

The entire Suite is pre-integrated, so users no longer have to go through each open source component to upgrade and check for compatibility. Stand-alone, production-ready downloads make it easier for users to install and upgrade scalable, multi-tier deployments of the OpenGeo Suite on existing operating systems such as Ubuntu, Red Hat 5 and Windows 2003 and 2008. New support resources include a gallery of examples with 'recipes' for styling and customizing maps and a live, interactive support manual.

Holmes continued: “OpenGeo Suite 2.0 provides a top-to-bottom web-mapping platform that can be used by anyone, regardless of experience. The new Suite is designed to combat some of the most common criticisms of open source software; namely that it lacks support and has a complex installation process. Our new platform is quite the opposite, offering unlimited support and bug fixes. It is also extremely user-friendly and intuitive, it installs quickly and it allows users to extend and complement the functionality of popular web- mapping platforms like Google Maps. They can style, edit and publish their own enterprise data and fully integrate it with their current system instead of simply creating a mashup.”

In addition to key new technology features, the user interface has been fine-tuned for use by customers with no programming experience. Features like the pgShapeLoader, a graphical interface for loading shapefiles into a PostGIS database, help users to efficiently store and search their data without ever leaving the GUI. The new GeoEditor tool provides a complete set of editing capabilities, while GeoExplorer and Styler allow users to publish their own maps.

Geo: International