View source for MapServer 2008 SOC Ideas

= MapServer 2008 SoC Ideas = 

Enter ideas for development projects here.  Note these are just suggestions - students are welcome to propose projects based on their own interests that relate to MapServer.  

== Support for reading SVG symbols ==

Add support for SVG as an alternate method to define vector symbols in a MapServer symbolset.

== Other Ideas: ==

The following MapServer-dev thread outlines a few possible ideas, without providing much details:
[[http://www.nabble.com/Google-Summer-of-Code-Ideas-tf3370598.html http://www.nabble.com/Google-Summer-of-Code-Ideas-tf3370598.html]]

== Performance improvements for labelcache and MINDISTANCE processing ==

This is a proposal to redesign the labelcache processing from an O(N*N) process to an O(N) process. It would use a raster buffer for label collision detection and has the possibility for some other spin-off features like label placement with avoidance. Below is a draft RFC Proposal for this feature that provides more information.

[[http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/mapserver-dev/2007-October/004454.html RFC Proposal]]

== Tilted Prespective Map View similar to that used in many GPS devices ==

A discussion of this was had in February on the Mapserver-Dev list, see the link below. There clearly is interest in supporting this but it needs some additional discussion, research and an appropriate sizing to a SoC task. On the trivial side it might be as simple as figuring out how to make mapserver work with proj4 parameters, which is clearly not a SoC project. On the other side it might mean implementing another render within mapserver what has a lot of cool features and my be larger in scope than a SoC project.

[[http://www.nabble.com/How-to-generate-3d-image-like-GPS-device--td15713573.html#a15713573 http://www.nabble.com/How-to-generate-3d-image-like-GPS-device--td15713573.html#a15713573]]

== REMOVED ideas: ==

=== Add support for KML output to MapServer (for use with Google Earth) ===

IMPORTANT: KML output in MapServer used to be on the list of ideas but is needed in MapServer 5.0 by an organization that will likely fund it before the summer (before 5.0), so it has been taken out of the list.

= Mentor Candidates =

The following individuals are potentially willing to serve as MapServer mentors. 

* Frank Warmerdam
* Stephen Woodbridge