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The technical forum of the NBN Trust for use by the Network. It includes discussions and announcements on the NBN Atlas, Recorder 6 and Indicia |
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Forum → Web services → Web Developer Vacancy - NBN Web Services Integration Role
Dear All,
The Marine Biological Association and MarLIN are recruiting an experienced Web Developer to work with the MarLIN and MBA web sites. One key task is the integration of NBN Web Services in the MarLIN, MBA and DASSH (Data Archive for Seabed Species and Habitats) web pages.
For more details on how to apply, please see:
http://www.marlin.ac.uk/PDF/webdevelopervacancy.pdf
Thanks
Dan Lear
Hi Dan
I have been thinking that it would be really cool if we could set up a small group of NBN web users based on LAMP (Linux/Apache/MySql/PHP/Perl/Python). That way we could share our solutions and possibly even do a bit of collaborative work on developing web services. I for one am keen to share my initial development but do regularly get stuck so it would be helpful to have a peer group. I assume that someone has now been appointed for the post of MBA/Marlin web developer and perhaps this is an opportunity for us to start such a group. Any thoughts?
Cheers
Nick
Hi Nick,
Sorry for the delay in replying. I think it's an excellent idea. The new web dev is now in post and in the next few weeks will be getting to grips with the web services and how we can better integrate them.
I would assume that this is something that the NBN would want to support and wonder if there's scope for specific fora dedicated to LAMP and other servers/scripting languages to be added?
In the meantime, I'll be recommending the web dev registers with the forum once he's found his feet.
Cheers
Dan
Hi Dan
Yes, your suggestion of a LAMP forum would mean that we would not clog up the main 'Web services' froum with lots of discussion and snippets of code. This is a great opportunity for everyone to work cooperatively and should help in terms of rolling out the use of web services.
The other point is that if we have enough people looking at the basic code, we should be able to find not only solutions but also efficient code. I for one am very much pretty much self taught and whilst I find solutions, I know that many eyes are better than one!
I am currently working on not only consuming the NBN web services but also developing ways of using GIS data (Mapinfo based but keen to crack using Shapefiles) without the need for sophisticated systems. The reason I am going down that route is that not everyone has the resources to run systems (e.g. Mapserver) but by coding from the bottom up, we can get the system to do exactly what we need to support the capture and sharing of environmental data.
The administrators of the fora may also wish to ask if people using other code (e.g. ASP) would wish to have similar fora.
I look forward to this development :)
Cheers
Nick
Could I just add my vote to those posts above. I'm keen to see more Web Service examples, and eventually to work towards pushing data onto the gateway too.
Hi Dave
I completely forgot about pushing the data two ways :|
Maybe as a starting point we need to outline what development we want/need to do and think how we can build it as a set of modules.
Cheers
Nick
Hi,
I think this is a good idea too. We have done work using webservices using both PHP & ASP.NET (though to be honest more with ASP.NET recently).
Whilst its true that occasionally you come across an issue thats related to your chosen development platform - I would say by far the majority of the issues we encounter occur whatever platform you are using e.g. relating to how to get optimal performance from the webservices for a particular type of query etc.
So whilst more code snippets would be nice (its always quicker to take some elses example as a jump start) - I think I would caution against anything that split the fairly small existing developer community that currently use the services at this stage. Obviously its nicer to have an example in the language you are trying to use - but frequently I'd quite happily settle for a working example in any language ;) - as swapping the syntax is normally a fairly trivial job once you've got something that works !
Pushing data onto the gateway is another step altogether - and maybe Jon/Steve/Andy can comment on current thinking on this.
Obviously the NBN data exchange format could be "pushed" to the gateway - but this is still an intermediate format that gets processed and uploaded every 2 weeks. I suspect that the ability to push data on a more record by record basis in real time may be a way off at the moment - though I'd be interested in quite what you are looking to achieve here - as I may quite easily have overlooked something !
I think my primary interests at the moment would relate to almost a set of second tier services / library routines that ran ontop of the NBN webservices that allowed you to do things such as:
- Produce a WMS / WFS webservice based on inderlying species data
- Return data in a format that can easily be displayed on Google maps / VE
- Return data as WKT
etc
All these could be done by the gateway team themselves (it would be great if they did ;) ) - but I suspect resources are limited - and at least with the services that exist such things are at least currently possible - and it maybe the gateway team are better focussed on enhacements to the core services allowing better filtering etc so allowing faster responses - which makes the above type of second tier services more useable.
We have developed most of the above - as have others - but certainly in our case they are normally half baked in that they serve the direct function required at the time rather than broadaning out to a more comprehensive generic service
Anyway - just my thoughtsss
Hi James
I really don't mind if we don't have a separate forum for LAMP and ASP but I do think that a separate forum for posting/sharing/working collaboratively on code would be useful - so I think that basically we all agree. I just felt that it might be easier to find relevant code if we has separate forums but this can easily be overcome if we use an identifier in the subject of the message e.g. "PHP - my problem ......"
As far as pushing data to NBN - I for one am probably years away from considering this but I think that it is worth discussion or at least planning.
I like your idea of second tier services and especially the idea of using WKT. I have not coded for this file type but because the files are in ASCII as opposed to binary they are probably easier to work with (less decoding on the server?). The only downside might be that the files are slightly bigger than SHP files but slightly smaller than MIF (although MIF files contain more information). Perhaps this is a good point for discussion as to the preferred file types?
As for Google Earth - personally I have not even considered using that but that is personal preference :|
Cheers
Nick
How about adding a "General Programming Discussion" category on this forum, underneath "Web Services" and above "Comments and Suggestions"?
Or possibly call the forum "Programming and Web Development" ?
Wow - this has been a busy little thread yesterday :)
I also support this and have been meaning to do it for a while but just not quite got to it. Charles do you want to create the new category. I have a few bits and pieces at home that I would like to post - both working bits and problem bits....
Steve
Done. :)
Hi Charles
Many thanks - I am optimistic that this could help a lot of people :cool:
Cheers
Nick
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