[Koha] [Koha-devel] Koha Maps

Thu Dec 29 05:51:15 NZDT 2016

Here is the version of Prosentient Systems Koha clients via Library Technology Guides:
 https://librarytechnology.org/libraries/map.pl?ILS=Koha%20--%20Prosentient%20Systems

List version:
https://librarytechnology.org/libraries/search.pl?ILS=Koha%20--%20Prosentient%20Systems

-marshall

Marshall Breeding
marshall.breeding at librarytechnology.org
www.librarytechnology.org/
twitter.com/mbreeding
http://www.linkedin.com/in/breeding
http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=NnvfJ5cAAAAJ

-----Original Message-----
From: Edmund Balnaves [mailto:ebalnaves at prosentient.com.au] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 5:46 PM
To: 'Chris Cormack'; Marshall Breeding
Cc: 'koha'; 'Koha-devel'
Subject: RE: [Koha-devel] Koha Maps

Hi Marshall, Chris

We already have a map of our libraries - http://www.prosentient.com.au/index.php/koha

An API where we could push these details in bulk through to you would be great - we could send through the details of the library geocode details.

Regards

Edmund

Edmund Balnaves, PhD
Hosted Services 
Prosentient Systems P/L
ABN 31 078 409 168
72/330 Wattle St, 
Ultimo NSW 2007
tel: 02 92120899
fax: 02 92120885
mobile: 0414737560
ejb at prosentient.com.au 

-----Original Message-----
From: koha-devel-bounces at lists.koha-community.org [mailto:koha-devel-bounces at lists.koha-community.org] On Behalf Of Chris Cormack
Sent: Wednesday, 21 December 2016 7:39 AM
To: Marshall Breeding <marshall.breeding at librarytechnology.org>
Cc: koha <koha at lists.katipo.co.nz>; Koha-devel <koha-devel at lists.koha-community.org>
Subject: Re: [Koha-devel] Koha Maps

* Marshall Breeding (marshall.breeding at librarytechnology.org) wrote:
>   I have been following the discussion about how the Koha community can
>   better market itself, including using a map display to emphasize its
>   global impact.
>
>    
>
>   Naturally, I would be happy to have the map generated from Library
>   Technology Guides to be used.  Doing so would help me  ensure that my
>   registry of libraries using Koha is more complete since libraries might
>    be more motivated to be included.  Regardless of whether the Koha
>   community decides to rely more on my mapping tool, I will continue to try
>   to obtain data on the many libraries using Koha that are not yet
>   registered  on my site or any other database.  I continue to think that
>   Koha is most likely the most implemented ILS, but I do not yet have the
>   data to validate that assertion.
>
>    
>
>   The purity of working only with open source software and open access data
>   seems to me like an impossible goal.  Richard Stallman, who I heard speak
>   last year, takes this concept to its logical conclusion, and ends up with
>   quite a limited realm of software or data which meet his tests for purity.
>    Is the Koha community comfortable using the Google Map API, for example,
>   since it is based on a closed and proprietary information infrastructure
>   and underlying software components that may or may not be open source? Or
>   does it plan to invent its own global mapping ecosystem?
>

That's what Open Street Maps is. Are you sure you want to get into a discussion about the ethics of open vs closed/proprietary on this mailing list? 

>    
>
>   I have looked at the Hea tool and I have a hard time imagining it gaining
>   the functionality of a global mapping visual and becoming well populated
>   by the mechanisms provided.  Since it is generated mechanically through
>   each instance of Koha, it will be difficult to translate this data to
>   represent the libraries that are actually using Koha in production. Many
>   of the entries shown now (http://hea.koha-community.org/libraries) seem to
>   be duplicates or test implementations.   Its single entry for the NExpress
>   Shared Catalog is represented by 53 libraries on my maps. I don’t see hea
>   as having the structure has the ability to represent the branches
>   associated with a library system or consortia and many other aspects of
>   tracking the libraries which use any given automation system.  I think
>   that many, if not the majority, of Koha implementations globally are based
>   on older or forked versions of Koha, making it difficult or impossible for
>   them to automatically contribute their data to Hea. 
>
>    
>
>   I also wonder why the Koha development community would divert resources
>   into re-creating such a tool from other efforts to develop and promote
>   Koha.  Having maintained a registry of libraries for almost two decades,
>   my experience tells me that it is much more difficult to create and
>   maintain a well-organized list than others might imagine. 
>
>    
>
>   I have also just re-written the map tool on Library Technology Guides to
>   generate the display more quickly when there are a very large number of
>   libraries.  Although it depends on how quickly the Google API responds, it
>   now builds the maps in a few seconds, compared to almost a minute
>   previously.  I have also added some basic search selection tools at the
>   bottom of the page:
>
>   https://librarytechnology.org/libraries/map.pl?ILS=Koha
>
>    
>
>   I’ll be interested to hear further discussion on the topic.
>

The main thing I would be interested in hearing is that you have licensed the data in the tool under an open license. And then we could use it without issue.

Chris

>    
>
>   Marshall Breeding
>
>   marshall.breeding at librarytechnology.org
>
>   www.librarytechnology.org/
>
>   twitter.com/mbreeding
>
>   http://www.linkedin.com/in/breeding
>
>   http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=NnvfJ5cAAAAJ
>
>    

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--
Chris Cormack
Catalyst IT Ltd.
+64 4 803 2238
PO Box 11-053, Manners St, Wellington 6142, New Zealand