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Open Source Geographic Tracking?

Posted by Soulskill on from the carmen-sandiego-remains-at-large dept.

Walkingshark writes "I work for a company that needs to track people and equipment across the US as they move to, work on, and leave jobs. The boss has been looking at the typical mix of closed, proprietary software and has also considered building off our existing 10-year-old SQL database (with the kind of clunky interface you'd expect from a program built in the late '90s). I'd like to be able to bring him a good open source alternative, but so far I haven't been able to find anything that can do what we need. Ultimately, we need to be able to keep track of a few thousand separate people and pieces of equipment, and to move them in dynamically created groups to and from our locations and jobsites in a way that is sharable between workstations, with updates to location entered at one station being broadcast to all clients in real time. Ideally, this program needs to also give us access to road routing similar to the capability found on Google Maps. We'd doubtless need to be able to modify the source for customization, but I was hoping there was something we could find out there that had the core functionality we're looking for."

6 of 84 comments (clear)

  1. ...the kind of clunky interface you'd expect... by crath · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...(with the kind of clunky interface you'd expect from a program built in the late '90s)...

    Actually, clunky interfaces have little to do with the 1990s. Most such applications are a direct consequence poor application design and/or poor programming. Lots of 2010-written apps are clunky too.

  2. SQL by DogDude · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If the SQL database is designed correctly, then all you're talking about is taking on lots of different front-ends to it. A SQL database really should remain the backbone of a project like this. You can connect any kind of front end to it that you want, but there's not a better alternative than a plain 'ol database in the back end.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  3. Dear Ask Slashdot, by larry+bagina · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I like Free Open Source Software. Please give me this highly specific software so that we can use it for free in our business. I don't want to actually develop it myself or give back to the community an way. FOSS FTW!!

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

    1. Re:Dear Ask Slashdot, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      More like "I want highly specialized solutions, but don't want to pay for it"

    2. Re:Dear Ask Slashdot, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      More like, "I have a need and would like to know if it is met by some foss program. Otherwise we have to default back to proprietary software because we have not time or manpower to reinvent the wheel in case the foss program already exists or not". Some specialiced foss software like this might be hard to find even if it exists. Do you suggest that everyone reinvent everything everytime?

  4. Re:How is the location data obtained? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The built in spatial capabilities of Postgres aren't really that good for geographic information, but that's what we have PostGIS for. And rather than SVG, I'd suggest Geoserver and OpenLayers. I've used this combination myself in developing a system for tracking water levels at wells.