Now that WeoGeo supports vector datasets, it opens up the content management capabilities for lots of new geo-content.  Not only can we support vectors (ESRI Shapefile and MapInfo TAB), but also we can transform them into new formats, warp the data’s datum/projection and clip out the area you are interested in.  We also support layers inside datasets, so if your project contains both counties and highways, you can store both those layers in one dataset and select either one (or both) to download.

Let us look at this dataset I uploaded with cultural data layers.  I downloaded the data from Natural Earth which if you don’t know about, you should.  I brought the layers into my ESRI ArcGIS Desktop and created some cartography to better visualize the layers.  Because I’m in ArcMap, I have all the rich cartographic tools available to me to work with to generate previews of the data.  But that isn’t all I can do with ArcMap (or any other desktop GIS system), I can include my symbology with my dataset on WeoGeo allowing those who download the data to see it how I see it.  I can also include multiple symbology types if I want (ESRI LYR, MapInfo WOR, MapFile, SLD) that are delivered along with the downloaded dataset.

After creating the cartography, I export out the preview images and use our WeoApp to upload them.  The WeoApp is our graphical upload tool that can handle terabytes of data and runs natively on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.  Once the WeoApp finishes uploading the data, one can now view it in your WeoGeo Library.  This is our access control content management system; so feel free to securely share your data with your friends and colleges.  The Library is available as SaaS or as an appliance.  Because I want to share this data with people outside my private library (and let you guys see it), I pushed it to our WeoGeo Market.

While I could set a price to this dataset, I decided to give it away free.  Now you might be thinking that why would someone want to sell public domain data on WeoGeo Market.  Well you probably wouldn’t make much money doing that because people would quickly realize that you were charging them for free data and rate your products poorly.  BUT, if you added value to that data by creating a complex cartographic styleset and spent weeks creating it, why wouldn’t you want to charge money for that?  People should value the hard work you put into your symbology even if the data is free.  Plus with our WeoGeo License, derivative works are supported so others can remix your work and resell it as well, but you’d get a cut of the sale yourself.

Now that this dataset is freely available on the WeoGeo Market, you may now try our customization features yourself.  You could subscribe to a GeoRSS feed that would keep you up to date on any public domain datasets that become available on the WeoGeo Market.  You can share the preview KML with others so they can see the dataset in Google Earth (and then get to WeoGeo Market to download it).  You can even use our Datasets API to get the details of the entry in JSON.

Now I’m a vector guy a heart, so vector support in WeoGeo is just about the most exciting thing I’ve been a part of.  With WeoGeo’s ability to perform server side transformations, users can get what data they want in formats and projects they want.  No more worries about users wanting data in everything from Old Hawaiian to EPSG:4326.  And best of all if you don’t like our UI, you can roll your own with our APIs.  Build your own front end to our SaaS and Appliance Library to meet the needs of your clients and users.

Best of all, stay tuned next week to hear about a great new product we will be releasing to take your geo-content management beyond where you thought it could go.