We are a non-profit, not a charity, so I know that we don't qualify for many programs. I will try MS though and see if they can help us. I know that many other vendors wouldn't give us a deal.
Thanks for the awesome feedback, and its great to hear from someone from ESRI.
I like the PostgreSQL option that is being outlined here, and if there is a strong community then that is even better.
Thanks for the +1 for mysql, it could save some headaches. My devs feel that they are up to the task of writing some functions, but they feel that MS does make it easier. In terms of the moral issues, I can't just stuff them, but I won't let them kill my budget either.
Awesome thanks for your insight. It's great to hear from someone who has applied this in a similar situation. I think PostgreSQL is definitely worth a detailed look.
Great thanks! I think that the happy medium for our situation would be non-MS/Oreacle but not fully custom either. I definitely have some reading to do:-)
Thanks for the detailed feedback. Our deadline to get this up and running is approximately 6 months, so that is why I am looking at options. We can make it work with MySQL, but I feel like future options may be limited when working with GIS.
Well best for us has different criteria; cost is always key, but can we add a social aspect to what we do? That is something we always look for, but I certainly don't want to break the bank.
Thanks for the feedback - although I am probably not being clear enough here, if we wish to expand the GIS type functions of our site, it seems that we need to move (which will cost regardless - our current host does linux by default). MS SQL is certainly looking attractive though.
The data would essentially be "open sourced" for lack of a better term (we haven't chosen a specific license yet; any suggestions would be awesome!). The idea would be that interested researchers would contribute their data to our platform. They would waive any type of "copyright" (again for lack of a better term) with the understanding that other contributors are doing the same. We do limit membership as to control the type and quality of data, so in that sense it is closed.
We don't have owners per say, but we are certainly socially responsible if that is what you mean. In terms of assets, as a non-profit we really just have hardware and our research is freely available, so I am not sure how you would handle that.
I agree with the agility piece, and this is where I do like open source.
I understand the hype avoidance, but for me it is more about the philosophies that Oracle or MS follow rather than raw costs/benefits. Oracle/MS may win out, but we are trying to weigh several factors.
I guess the main reason that I like open source is that our work could hopefully continue to have some value even if we change direction or worse yet, were to cease operations.
If you care to read above (again, sorry about no line breaks), it may help clarify what we do and do not do. What has been described by Tom is not how we operate. If it was then I am sure that there would be a cozy bed in hell lined up for me:-)
Hi, we don't actually deal with the transactions, we are largely research based. If we did move to offering services, then of course we would become licensed.
We aren't breaking any laws immoral or otherwise, if you see my post above (not sure why line breaks wouldn't show up, sorry for the verbal mess) we don't offer any services directly to immigrants or are involved in any business transactions, but I do agree that we could do more for immigrants.
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We are a non-profit, not a charity, so I know that we don't qualify for many programs. I will try MS though and see if they can help us. I know that many other vendors wouldn't give us a deal.
Currently it is PHP/mysql, and that is why I leaned that way originally.
Thanks for the insight, as I am neither a dev or a GIS guy. I will certainly pass on the Haversine formula info as well as your description.
Great, thanks for the offer~ I do like the idea of doing something that can be contributed back to the community as a whole.
Thanks for the awesome feedback, and its great to hear from someone from ESRI. I like the PostgreSQL option that is being outlined here, and if there is a strong community then that is even better.
Thanks for the +1 for mysql, it could save some headaches. My devs feel that they are up to the task of writing some functions, but they feel that MS does make it easier. In terms of the moral issues, I can't just stuff them, but I won't let them kill my budget either.
Awesome thanks for your insight. It's great to hear from someone who has applied this in a similar situation. I think PostgreSQL is definitely worth a detailed look.
Great, thank you. I certainly don't want to run, but I do want to balance ease and cost vs the qualitatives.
Great thanks! I think that the happy medium for our situation would be non-MS/Oreacle but not fully custom either. I definitely have some reading to do :-)
Awesome thanks! These specific resources are always helpful!
Haven't heard of this one (I think they push ESRI a lot in Canadian universities) but I will definitely have a look. Thanks for the great suggestions!
Ok, this Postgresql thing might be our winner. I'll have to get in contact with our host. Thanks!
Great, thanks for the calculation piece - I will definitely pass this on!
Thanks so much - I really appreciate the positive feedback here. It's good to know about these standards, PostgreSQL is looking like a winner.
Ok our webhost does mysql - I'll have to see if they can offer us PostgreSQL
Thanks, the US spelling gets me everytime, especially in Word, even after I tell it Canadian English :-)
Thanks for the detailed feedback. Our deadline to get this up and running is approximately 6 months, so that is why I am looking at options. We can make it work with MySQL, but I feel like future options may be limited when working with GIS.
Well best for us has different criteria; cost is always key, but can we add a social aspect to what we do? That is something we always look for, but I certainly don't want to break the bank.
Too obvious is always good! I will certainly show this to devs that we are working with :-)
Thanks for the feedback - although I am probably not being clear enough here, if we wish to expand the GIS type functions of our site, it seems that we need to move (which will cost regardless - our current host does linux by default). MS SQL is certainly looking attractive though.
Thanks! Any data sources like these are always helpful :-)
The data would essentially be "open sourced" for lack of a better term (we haven't chosen a specific license yet; any suggestions would be awesome!). The idea would be that interested researchers would contribute their data to our platform. They would waive any type of "copyright" (again for lack of a better term) with the understanding that other contributors are doing the same. We do limit membership as to control the type and quality of data, so in that sense it is closed. We don't have owners per say, but we are certainly socially responsible if that is what you mean. In terms of assets, as a non-profit we really just have hardware and our research is freely available, so I am not sure how you would handle that. I agree with the agility piece, and this is where I do like open source. I understand the hype avoidance, but for me it is more about the philosophies that Oracle or MS follow rather than raw costs/benefits. Oracle/MS may win out, but we are trying to weigh several factors. I guess the main reason that I like open source is that our work could hopefully continue to have some value even if we change direction or worse yet, were to cease operations.
If you care to read above (again, sorry about no line breaks), it may help clarify what we do and do not do. What has been described by Tom is not how we operate. If it was then I am sure that there would be a cozy bed in hell lined up for me :-)
Hi, we don't actually deal with the transactions, we are largely research based. If we did move to offering services, then of course we would become licensed.
We aren't breaking any laws immoral or otherwise, if you see my post above (not sure why line breaks wouldn't show up, sorry for the verbal mess) we don't offer any services directly to immigrants or are involved in any business transactions, but I do agree that we could do more for immigrants.