[HN Gopher] Watertight vector maps from raster images
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       Watertight vector maps from raster images
        
       Author : xk3
       Score  : 68 points
       Date   : 2021-04-10 14:22 UTC (8 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (mzucker.github.io)
 (TXT) w3m dump (mzucker.github.io)
        
       | NegativeLatency wrote:
       | This is an interesting read, but illustrator can also generate
       | vectors from a raster image with a couple of clicks and parameter
       | tuning
        
         | vanderZwan wrote:
         | The author addresses this:
         | 
         | > _There already exist tools to automatically convert raster
         | (bitmap) images to vector formats, including Adobe
         | Illustrator's Live Trace /Image Trace tools or standalone
         | programs like Peter Selinger's potrace, which provides the
         | comparable functionality in Inkscape._
         | 
         | > _However, all of these tools share a common shortcoming from
         | the perspective of mapmaking - given a simple raster line
         | drawing(...) they actually produce two contours, one for the
         | inside, and one for the outside._
        
           | detritus wrote:
           | Thank you so much for your comment! It made me dig into the
           | article a bit and appreciate that this could be really handy
           | for me. I do a lot of conversion of bitmap designs in
           | Illustrator and this two-path problem is frequently something
           | I abut against.
           | 
           | Time to learn how to use Python!
        
       | Waterluvian wrote:
       | Given the power of Openlayers + JSTS I'm a bit surprised nobody
       | has built a general purpose WebGIS app.
       | 
       | QGIS is often too heavy or inaccessible. And I believe that GIS
       | is something everyone can do. You don't need a fancy degree and
       | training to explore spatial data and build maps.
       | 
       | I tried once but quickly realised it was beyond the scope of a
       | part time project.
        
         | noughtme wrote:
         | Check out https://kepler.gl by Uber. Allows you to some basic
         | GIS map based data exploration. Their deck.gl library is pretty
         | nice if you need to add GIS data to your web app.
        
           | kylebarron wrote:
           | The lead of kepler.gl and several contributors to deck.gl
           | left Uber last year to start Unfolded [0], a web-based
           | geospatial platform.
           | 
           | [0]: https://www.unfolded.ai/studio
           | 
           | (Disclaimer: I work at Unfolded)
        
             | samstave wrote:
             | Thats AWESOME.
             | 
             | This Map is DOPE
             | 
             | https://studio.unfolded.ai/public/0c825631-2000-4ea7-a43f-a
             | 5...
             | 
             | https://i.imgur.com/5E6ancZ.png
             | 
             | ---
             | 
             | However - it would be a lot better when you add another
             | layer, that for, say an ARC layer, you should be able to
             | click on the Source HEX, and then the Dest HEX - or Paste
             | the HEX ID into the field, currently it demands LAT-LON for
             | source and destination.... IT looks like it tries - But I
             | cant seem to correctly apply it?
             | 
             | https://i.imgur.com/j8ttNfS.png
        
         | chiubaca wrote:
         | Ive been wondering the same thing. especially when u see what
         | can be done with WASM in apps like Figma. I believe most of the
         | QGIS code base is c++ so i wonder if it's just a case writing a
         | bunch of js, wasm glue code to make this a reality...
        
           | Waterluvian wrote:
           | That's a really interesting thought. I think it would be
           | worth seeing if OGR/GDAL can be ported to wasm.
           | 
           | Next would be GRASS.
           | 
           | JSTS is pure JS and does a lot of vector GIS fine.
           | 
           | I think those three things and a decent UI would be an
           | absolutely killer Web app for the general public to do more
           | GIS.
        
             | kylebarron wrote:
             | Yep, here's GDAL ported to WASM
             | https://github.com/ddohler/gdal-js
        
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       (page generated 2021-04-10 23:00 UTC)