Google Summer of Code 2007 – Joomla! organization

 

Application of Mickael MAISON

 

 

Found on joomla.org:

If you think you have a great idea, just go for it (!)

 

What about a Geo-component for Joomla!?

 

 

What do I mean with Geo-component?

Geographical information is becoming a key data on the Internet. Now many applications support KML/GeoRSS or geospatial tagging (Flickr, Google Maps/Earth, Drupal …).

 

Because of its modularity Joomla! can become a Geospatial Content Management System (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geospatial_Content_

Management_System).

 

With a Geo-component, I mean a component which enables the user to add geographical information everywhere in Joomla! it can be useful:

        - News/Posts

        - Comments

        - User profile

 

Then all this data would be publish using GeoRSS and KML feeds

 

 

 

How is the project composed?

This project is composed of 4 main blocs:

 

- The administration bloc:

This part of the project is centred on the modification of the administration panel to provide all the necessary configurations of the geographical tools. The administrator will be able to activate geo-tagging for the content (profiles/news/comments) and configure how the user geo-tags that content.

 

 - The user bloc:

The user part is all about the tools the user will have to use to “geotag” his post/profile. Instead of entering directly coordinates which isn’t easy at all, we can provide a map “a la” Google/Yahoo Maps with panning and zooming options or automatic geo-locating using for example Google AJAX API.

- The feeds management:

This part includes how the feeds will be generated. There are 3 different feeds available KML, GeoRSS Simple and GeoRSS GML. Using the settings the administrator defined in the first bloc, the correct feeds using geo tags will be created.

 

- The creation of the adapted documentation.

To enable people to extend or reuse this module (See benefits) I will also create some documentation. It will be provided as a FAQ or tutorial and will explain in details how it works.

 

 

 

What are the benefits for Joomla!?

 

Geographical data is becoming a key interest dataset. KML and GeoRSS are starting to be widely used (i.e.: the 22^nd of March 2007: Google Maps support GeoRSS). Moreover these formats are being standardised by W3C and OGC and will form a significant part of the future web.

Such integration will keep Joomla! one of the more up to date applications.

 

Then holding geographical data of the users and of the content will enable the community to build new features like:

        - Search for users close to me

        - Groups of users based on locations

        - Languages options

- Use Joomla! geo-coded GeoRSS or KML feeds in other applications

        - All the things the people will invent!

 

Building this functionality will make Joomla! content more easy to integrate into mash-ups. Providing geo-coded content feeds will be an on-ramp for developers wishing to integrate such content into their own applications.

 

I spoke about this project with Mikel Maron (the founder of GeoRSS) and he encouraged me to take this project forward. This functionality exists in projects such as WordPress and I am keen to see it in Joomla!.

 

 

 

What is the roadmap?

 

1. Specification and introduction into the community

My first goal will be to publish all the specification of the project in order to clarify each part and feature which I want to develop. In the same time I will start to introduce myself to the Joomla! community (until mid May)

 

2. Implementation:

Then starting at the end of May I will implement all the features. I will use a logical order by starting with the administration part, continuing with the user part and finishing with the generation of the feeds. All these features have to be fully supported on all the common browsers (until mid August)

 

3. Testing and documentation

I count on the Joomla! community to test and give feedback as soon as the modules will be developed. But I also plan to keep some time to perform tests in order to deliver the application working perfectly in all the case with all the common browsers. I also have in mind to provide documentation (I am thinking about a tutorial) of the module to enable people to extend it.

 

 

What about me?

 

I am Mickael MAISON a 21 years old student from the University of Teesside (Middlesbrough - UK). I am currently in the third year of a BSc Computer Programming which is a yearly internship. So I am working, as a technical consultant, until this summer in Ordnance Survey (surely the place where I get this passion about location and geospatial information).

 

I have developed a Chat component for the IRC Network EuropNet.org last year and I have been following the Joomla! project for a little while now so I think the Summer of Code is a good opportunity to enter completely as an active member in the Joomla! community.