In addition to many new features, last Sextante version allows to make any action from the Toolbox, not only execute algorithms but also create new models or scripts. For gvSIG users it is possible as well to execute its geoprocess like Sextante algorithms. Changes were needed in both sides so if you want to check it you will need to make checkout of trunk in both projects.

All this work will be available in the intermediate builds and release candidate of gvSIG 1.12 so that you can give your feedback. Stay tuned!

Very special thanks to Víctor Olaya for his help.

Cuando me propusieron la posibilidad de participar en las jornadas para hablar de esta relación empresa-proyecto de Software Libre, tuve bastantes dudas sobre como enfocarlo. Recuerdo que en la primera edición del máster, la que yo cursé, en diferentes momentos surgió la pregunta de cómo ganar dinero con el Software Libre. El movimiento del Software Libre, tiene una componente filosófica muy grande detrás, la mayoría de los que estamos metidos en él es por convicción, porque nos gusta esta filosofía, el compartir nuestro conocimiento y aprender del de los demás. Sin embargo, mientras el mundo no cambie, todos necesitamos dinero para vivir. Conseguir que una filosofía, un modo diferente de ver las cosas, además te de dinero, parece a priori bastante complicado.

Durante el máster, estudiamos la famosa clasificación de Hecker que intenta dar respuesta a qué modelos de negocio se pueden utilizar en el Software Libre. Sin embargo, todo esto se quedaba en la teoría, necesitábamos ver como se lleva realmente esto a la práctica. Recuerdo que incluso se había organizado una mesa redonda, que no estaba prevista, para tratar de satisfacer nuestra gran curiosidad en este punto. Con esto en mente, se me ocurrió tratar de enfocar la charla hacia esto y tratar de transmitir, sobre todo a los alumnos de esta edición, mi experiencia en iCarto y todo el valor que generamos en nuestros proyectos en base al Software Libre.

De todo esto salió la presentación que os dejo a continuación. En ella hablo de tres cosas: una tecnología, los sistemas de información geográfica (SIG), una comunidad, la que se generó alrededor del proyecto gvSIG, y una empresa, iCarto, y como se puede conseguir generar valor a través de la relación empresa-proyecto de Software Libre.

The conference, in Evora, was about GIS and Free Software. I am very glad viewing how the Free Software Philosophy is being taken, more and more, in new fields. According to what I have seen it seems that Portugal, as well as Spain, is betting hard on GIS and in many cases this bet comes from the Public Administration, but so far as well as Spain have still an unresolved matter, making public the data for the society.

CartoLab was represented with two talks, I gave the first one about NavTable, actually was the first time that NavTable was shown in public, and my workmate Gonzalo gave a great talk entitled “Development of a Free Corporative GIS in the Provincial Council of Pontevedra” that shows an example of bet for Free Software by a Public Administration.

The V Jornadas gvSIG is a conference arround gvSIG, a GIS application developed by the Valencia goberment and probably the most important Free GIS application nowadays. From CartoLab we could show many of our developments based on gvSIG since the organization gave us the opportunity of taking part with four talks:

• gvSIG on EIEL of Pontevedra Province Council
• Developments in gvSIG for the improvement of the management of information for ISF Honduras
• NavTable, sailing along the data in gvSIG
• Developments on gvSIG for the Plan of drainage infrastructures of Galicia

Besides, in this conference was presented the gvSIG Association that will take the control of the gvSIG project for now on. We could meet them and come to a series of agreements for the future. The first one was made already public: NavTable, our killer application, will be a gvSIG official project.

According to I have being seen these days, I think gvSIG can really become in a project developed and maintained by the Free Software community. From the technical point of view, the changes that have been carrying out contribute to make easier the collaboration with the project. Some examples:

This new version includes a new geometry model, which is an evolution from the old one and based on an approximation to the standard ISO 19107. This new model is independent of the rest of gvSIG’s components, removing the one that existed in the old model with draw 2D. Besides, it is more extensible since the library provide mechanisms so that we can register new geometries and their associated operations.

The new Data Access Library (DAL) is an abstraction layer that makes possible work with different
data sources in an homogeneous way, providing a standard API.

This new version of gvSIG includes also a new concept: the transformations. Basically a transformation is an algorithm that changes the way of showing data but without modify the original data source. gvSIG 2.0 includes a new wizard to apply different transformations and a API in order to have access to this wizard and create new transformations. To add a new transformation just we have to create the panels, that will be shown by the wizard in order to get the information needed about data, and the algorithm that will make the changes in the way of see the information.

This new version is really a deep revision. There are many changes in the architecture, source code and technologies used by the project. One of this new technologies is Maven, that replaces Ant as method to build gvSIG.

I hardly knew Maven and it really surprises me. It’s really easy to configure it. Maven is being able to search the dependencies of a project in a local or external repository an it is also really easy to add your new project to these repositories.
Besides, gvSIG people have made a great job integrating maven in gvSIG, in fact, an executable of Maven is distributed with the project so you don’t need to install it. They have also created several templates in order to make new libraries or extensions in a easy way, just providing a few data Maven will create a structure for your project and even will import it into your eclipse’s workspace.

Apart from learning about the technical novelties of this new version, I have known the project crew, having the opportunity of talking with them, changing opinions…
When I started to work with gvSIG, several months ago, I had the sensation that gvSIG was a cathedral project, according to definition of cathedral from the book “The Cathedral and the Bazaar” by Eric Raymond, in fact I’m still thinking that. Nevertheless today I’m a bit more excited thinking that maybe in the future could become a Bazaar project, which is the essence of Free (Libre) Software.

We will see…