Geo
The geo module is the next generation geospatial module for Drupal. Like Location, it provides storage for points, but it also supports lines and polygons.
Why is this useful? Because locations are more than addresses or dots on a map. Windmills in a field, for example, don't have a postal address for geocoding, but still need their coordinates stored and mapped. And data such as routes, city boundaries, or flight patterns all have storage and search requirements that cannot be expressed by simple dots. Fortunately, there is an open standard for expressing this type of data, and Geo takes advantage of spatially enabled databases (PostGIS and MySQL Spatial) for native storage, which leads to faster, more informational queries.
The development goal of this module is to make these features available to native Drupal functionality, and usable for just about anyone.
Included modules
- Geo: An API module that provides access to storage and query functions, for use by other modules.
- Geo Field: Provide a geo field for storing points, lines or polygons on any node type. This allows you to store user-generated information that includes geospatial data.
- Geo Data: Download shape data from the U.S. census or any other source, and import this data into your site. Once you've done that, you can create a dropdown field in CCK that references this information. For example, import a list of county boundaries, and let your users select their county by name.
Once information is stored in a field ( through Geo Field or Geo Data ), it can be queried using Views. For example, you can find "all users within a given county".
Requirements
There are no requirements for installing Geo, but to use its API, you must have at least MySQL 4.1, or PostgreSQL with the PostGIS extensions. To do anything useful you will probably want to install CCK and Views.
As PostGIS provides much better support for spatial features, it's the preferred database for anything that requires accuracy or configurability. On the other hand, MySQL spatial extensions are included with MySQL by default, so that's a much faster way to get started.
How you can help
This module is not exactly "production ready", due primarily to a limited availability of CCK formatters and widgets. We are hopeful that this functionality will be made available by other modules ( e.g. GMap ), which can leverage Geo's storage and provide map output or alternative input mechanisms.
Feature upgrades ( including additional search criteria through views, support for additional databases or GIS features ) are high on our list. If you or your organization has an interest in funding this initiative, please contact the maintainer.
Credits
This module was originally sponsored by Advantage Labs and written by Mark Fredrickson, with contributions by Allie Micka and bdragon
It was refactored and rewritten for Drupal 6 by Allie Micka, and co-sponsored by Advantage Labs and the Alliance for a Better Minnesota.
Geo June Sponsors
The following individuals and organizations have contributed to the ongoing development and sustainability of Geo through the Geo June initiative.
Releases
| Official releases | Date | Size | Links | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.x-1.0-alpha1 | 2009-Nov-05 | 31.23 KB | Download · Release notes | Recommended for 6.x |  |
| Development snapshots | Date | Size | Links | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.x-1.x-dev | 2009-Nov-06 | 30.62 KB | Download · Release notes | Development snapshot |  |
