Perforce JViews Maps Sample: Using the Map Builder as a Starting Point

Description

The Map Builder is a map preparation tool designed to define the maps in use by your application. However, it can also be used as a starting point when designing your final application. It is delivered as source code and provides many of the features that users want in a mapping application and so serves as an ideal foundation.

The Map Builder is a standalone application that provides users with the features of JViews Maps. Using the Map Builder you can:

Construct maps from diverse Vector and Raster sources.

Style map layers.

Configure map behavior and preferences.

Add additional layers such as measures, labels, and grids.

How to Use the Sample

Understanding the Map Builder Main Window
The Map Builder main window is composed of:
- A Menu bar
  This gives access to file input/output and demonstration options.
- The Overview pane
  This gives pan and zoom control on the map main view.
- The options and styling pane
  By default this pane provides tabs that change the appearance of the map by changing layer styles, units, or projection.
- The main map toolbar
  This gives access to interactive tools activated by using the mouse in the main map view.
- The main map view
- A Status bar
  This bar displays information about the current map, the mouse location, and the background tasks that are running.
Constructing Maps from Vector and Raster Sources.
When you start the Map Builder, a Vector data of the world is imported by default. You can import other data sources using the Import menu item.
For detailed instructions, see "Using the Map Builder" in the main documentation section.

JVM parameters:

When launching the Map Builder, use of the following flags is recommended:

`sun.java2d.noddraw=true`	This setting usually improves the graphical performance of typical map displays. It also solves some issues with some Video Card drivers when using a 3D View (JViews Maps for Defense).
`Xmx1024m`	The maps loaded using the Map Builder may total gigabytes of memory. Allocating more maximum memory to Java improves the performance.

Importing DB2 and Informix within Map Builder
The IBM relational database products DB2 and Informix both have features that provide the ability to create a database table with a geospatial type such as point, line, or polygon. The values in a spatial column can be created by importing from a source, such as the ESRI shapefile de-facto standard, or by populating the database with an SQL constructor function that uses numeric values, geometric shapes, well-known text, or well-known binary representations. A set of spatial SQL functions and predicates that implement the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) specification allow you to create SQL queries including operations like "distance", "within", and "intersects between" spatial values. For more information about these capabilities, refer to the DB2 or Informix online documentation and the IBM Spatial web site .
Importing Oracle layers within Map Builder
To be able to import Oracle Spatial layers, you must have access to an Oracle Server with the Spatial Option. You also need certain privileges that allow you to write to your Oracle database and retrieve data and an Oracle account with read/write access to the SDO packages.
In addition, an Oracle driver for Java is required (you can find the free thin driver at the Oracle site: here ).
For more information, contact your Oracle DB administrator (who can help you define the correct connection parameters).
This sample uses the ilog.views.maps.format.oracle package for relational implementation, available since Oracle 7.3, and ilog.views.maps.format.oracle.objectmodel that is based on the object implementation of Oracle Spatial, available since Oracle 8.0.
It has been run on Oracle version 7.3 to 10.2 databases using the 'thin' driver. This driver requires no particular Oracle Client on the client machine.
You will then need to do the following:
- Edit the <installdir>/samples/mapbuilder/build.xml file, in order to specify the jar library containing the Oracle driver for JDBC. Check that the driver you want to use is compatible with your database, then add the driver jar filename to the 'jviews.manifest.classpath' entry in the <installdir>/samples/ibmdb/build.xml file. For example for Windows:
```
    <property name='jviews.sample.manifest.classpath'
              value='file:///d:/oracle/java/ojdbc-14.jar'/>
```
  For example for Linux and Unix:
```
    <property name='jviews.sample.manifest.classpath'
              value='file://opt/oracle/java/ojdbc-14.jar'/>
```
- To be able to retrieve raster data from your database, you need the oracle xdb.jar and xmlparserv2.jar libraries.
  They are part of Oracle XDK 10g installation, that is available here.
  Copy these 2 jar files from your Oracle XDK 10g installation (in the /lib folder) into the <JVIEWS_INSTALL_DIR>/jviews-maps900/lib/external/ folder. Jar names must be xdb-10.2.0.1.0.jar and xmlparserv2-10.2.0.1.0.jar.
  If your Oracle XDK 10g installation contains newer versions of these libraries, you must edit the build.xml file of this sample to specify their names instead.
- Clean and rebuild the sample by calling clean.bat followed by build.bat

How to Run the Sample as an Application

This sample can be run as an application. The installation directory contains an executable JAR file, jviews-mapbuilder.jar, that allows you to execute the sample with a double click from a file browser. Note that if you are using Internet Explorer, you can open the installation directory and execute the JAR file from the browser. This technique may not work in other Web browsers.

Alternatively, you can run the sample application from the command line. First check that the Ant utility is properly configured. If not, see the instructions on how to configure Ant for Perforce JViews.

Then, go to the installation directory of the sample and type:

ant run

Topics Covered

Load Perforce JViews Maps files.
Save Perforce JViews Maps files.
Import Map Data.
Export Map Data.

Detailed Description

See "Using the Map Builder" in the main documentation section.

Installation Directory

The Using the Map Builder as a Starting Point sample is installed here.

Perforce JViews Maps Sample: Using the Map Builder as a Starting Point

Description

How to Use the Sample

Understanding the Map Builder Main Window

Constructing Maps from Vector and Raster Sources.

For detailed instructions, see "Using the Map Builder" in the main documentation section.

JVM parameters:

Importing DB2 and Informix within Map Builder

Importing Oracle layers within Map Builder

How to Run the Sample as an Application

Topics Covered

Detailed Description

Installation Directory

Classes Involved

Source Files