Dutch Authorities to Sponsor KML Support for Mapserver
The Dutch Water and Road building Authority is having Keyhole Markup Language (KML) support developed for the Geodata Processor, Mapserver. It will be publishing the source code.
The idea is to serve up 3D geographic data to website users, giving citizens the ability to see where, say, new bridges will be built.
Mapserver is a developer environment for Web applications that generate static or dynamic maps from digital geodetic data. The Open Source software (current version 4.10.2) is platform independent and can be built for most Unix/Linux systems, Windows and Mac OS X. PHP, Python, Per, Ruby, Java and C# are the supported development languages.
According to the Dutch authorities, the contract for the development work has gone to Canada's DM Solutions who are heavily involved in Mapserver development. The authority will be looking to test the code next month. The source code for KML support will be released as Open Source shortly after.
KML is a rendering format for the client component of the Google Earth program, and an XML 1.0 application. It was developed by Keyhole, which was acquired in 2004 by Google. KML is in widespread use for processing of 3D geographic data in Google Maps and Google Earth.
Plans to standardize the KML format started late last year or early this year and are not yet complete. A Best Practice Paper was released in early May by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC); it was drafted by Carl Reed (Google Earth – current version 2.1). Google also has published a reference and a user tutorial.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.