Web-GIS on the cheap…
OK, I have servers at work that I use daily to develop Mapserver/GDAL/OGR/GRASS/GMT/etc… based apps, but how about on a shared hosting environment?
Well, I finally got it going. I have written up my install instructions for Mapserver/GDAL/OGR/Proj/Postgres/Postgis/Geos/GMT/GRASS on Dreamhost, a debian based shared hosting service. The great thing about it…
1) It cost $9.95/month (1 year contract) *12 = $119.40
2) You can use a discount code to get $97 off… Total cost at sign-up = $119.40-$97 = $22.40
UPDATE (12/09/06): I just created a propmo code that gives the FULL discount to you… Nothing to me. It is ZPULLEYFULL , enjoy!
3) Add a domain for $9.95 and the first year of this site cost $32.35 … WOW
With this package I get 200 Gigs of space (grows weekely!) and 1 Terabyte of bandwidth/month (grows weekly!).
So what good is it if I cant do some mapping work with it? Well, I have posted notes how I was able to get a fully functional Mapserver/PostGIS environment up. I went as far as to get command line GRASS installed to do geo-processing sans the GUI. GMT installed like a breeze, and bammmm… a GIS work environment.
Cant beat the rent 
Check out some demo’s running on the server:
1) ka-map
2) GMT
pretzel:~/usr/local/src/gmt/GMT4.1.2/examples> ./do_examples.csh
Doing example 01…done
Doing example 02…done
Doing example 03…done
Doing example 04…done
Doing example 05…done
Doing example 06…done
Doing example 07…done
Doing example 08…done
Doing example 09…done
Doing example 10…done
Doing example 11…done
Doing example 12…done
Doing example 13…done
Doing example 14…done
Doing example 15…done
Doing example 16…done
Doing example 17…done
Doing example 18…done
Doing example 19…done
Doing example 20…done
Doing example 21…done
Doing example 22…done
Doing example 23…done
Doing example 24…done
Doing example 25…done
Completed all examples
pretzel:~/usr/local/src/gmt/GMT4.1.2/examples>
3) GRASS
IMPORT ——>
GRASS 6.1.cvs > r.in.gdal input=world-topo-bathy-97_32_84_24.tif output=bmng_grass location=blue_marble
A datum name wgs84 (WGS_1984) was specified without transformation parameters.
Note that the GRASS default for wgs84 is towgs84=0.000,0.000,0.000.
100%
CREATING SUPPORT FILES FOR bmng_grass.red
SETTING GREY COLOR TABLE FOR bmng_grass.red (8bit, full range)
100%
CREATING SUPPORT FILES FOR bmng_grass.green
SETTING GREY COLOR TABLE FOR bmng_grass.green (8bit, full range)
100%
CREATING SUPPORT FILES FOR bmng_grass.blue
SETTING GREY COLOR TABLE FOR bmng_grass.blue (8bit, full range)
r.in.gdal complete.
Mapset in Location
GRASS 6.1.cvs>
VERIFY ——->
Welcome to GRASS 6.1.cvs (2006)
GRASS homepage: http://grass.itc.it/
This version running thru: TC Shell (/usr/bin/tcsh)
Help is available with the command: g.manual -i
See the licence terms with: g.version -c
Start the graphical user interface with: gis.m &
When ready to quit enter: exit
Mapset in Location GRASS 6.1.cvs > g.list type=rast
----------------------------------------------
raster files available in mapset PERMANENT:
bmng_grass.blue bmng_grass.green bmng_grass.red
----------------------------------------------
Mapset in Location GRASS 6.1.cvs>
Thats it for now… Up and running!!!!!!
Tuesday, October 24th 2006 at 10:48 am
I must commend you on this - the more people that see this sort of thing, the more pressure that will be on ESRI to up their game, and the more people that will participate in open source GIS.
Great work!
Cheers,
Dave
Friday, December 8th 2006 at 10:24 am
Wow. Like Dave says, it’s your kind of instructions that gets others interested in Open Source GIS. I currently use a Lunarpages shared host, and am going to see if I can get this to work there. Even if it does not work, your methods on Dreamhost at that price are outstanding. I’m very new to Open Source GIS and web based GIS - and am constantly teaching myself about it. Your kind of instructions are inspiring for non-profits like ours who eventually want to dive deeper in the web mapping with our users - but without the costs of ESRI solutions.
Keep up the great work, and keep those tutorials/instructions coming !
-Jan
Tuesday, December 12th 2006 at 1:26 pm
Jan,
You are welcome and please feel free to contact me with any questions or issues. If you do get things going on another host using a modified version of these instructions please provide them back to me so I can post them. Lets keep this train rolling!
Good luck…
Aaron
Wednesday, December 20th 2006 at 11:06 am
Force ESRI to open up their game?
Is that how you honestly view this type of work?