locana-co/pgrestapi

Node.js REST API for PostGres Spatial Entities. AKA: SpatialServer

PGRestAPI (a.k.a. Chubbs Spatial Server)

Overview

Node.js REST API for PostgreSQL Spatial Tables.

An introduction to PGRestAPI can be found here

A few key uses for PGRestAPI:

• Create Mapbox Vector Tiles on the fly from PostGIS or shapefiles. more...
• Serve pre-created Vector Tiles .mbtiles files
• Serve pre-created PNG .mbtiles files (like TileStream)
• REST API for querying Postgres tables - Supports spatial intersection, tabular queries and aggregation queries
• REST API returns GeoJSON, CSV, Shapefile or esriJSON
• Templates for creating custom web service endpoints - (Execute custom SQL functions, for example)
• Rasters in PostGIS offer basic intersect operations and zonal stats. Find sum of raster values that intersect a polygon, for example.

Utilities:

• WKT Previewer
• Server side proxy - support requests to servers that don't support CORS

Under development:

• Better caching for different endpoints

• Raster map services (Drop a .tif into data/rasters)

• Authentication with passport/MongoDB/Mongoose (Disabled for now)

More To-Dos:

• Update Express and other libraries to current versions
• More tests
• Major refactoring of endpoints folder
• Break up endpoint functionality into modules
• Persistent caching
• Administrative Panel
• Editing

Soon will drop:

• PNG image creation from PostGIS Tables
• CartoCSS to Mapnik XML parser (Carto module) (this actually works, but is not used by our team)

##Installation

• Ubuntu 12/13/14
• Windows
• OSX

Dependencies

• PostgreSQL 9.1 + w/ PostGIS 2.0 +
• Mapnik

##Screenshots

###Table/View List:

###Table Details:

###Query Endpoint:

###Query Endpoint Results:

###Dynamic Map Tile Service Endpoint:

###Dynamic Vector Tile Endpoint:

###Geoprocessing Operations:

###Geoprocessing Operation:

###Utililties - WKT Preview endpoint:

###Raster Operations List:

###Raster Operations - Zonal Statistics:

###Tile Rendering Stats (/admin):

pgrestapi's Issues

Allow PG Functions to be exposed as an endpoint

Display sample GET request when users fill out UI form.

After users enter inputs into UI form for REST queries, display how the same query can be requested with a GET request (in a div or panel in the UI).

Create Dynamic JobIDs for Geoprocessing Services

When GP jobs pop off, there should be a common unique identifier that follows the job throughout its life cycle. This may involve the server writing out assets to disk (maybe a shapefile -> Mapnik -> output image), and status updates for long running jobs.

Support for secure and https services

Oh boy.

Allow for preprocessed JSON packages to be created and downloaded

This could be a separate project.
But, rip out a bunch of .json files ahead of time.
If your client side app has a table that aggregates values by district, do it all on the server, then rip out static view files that already are in the correct format to be consumed and immediately displayed by the client.

This might mean ripping out a json file for a particluar district that has pivoted aggregated averages. There might also be a json file for the same district, but it's pre-formatted to be consumed by a d3 grouped bar chart.

It's like tile caching your map ahead of time. But we're kind of caching all of the different ways a client would want to consume a piece of data. Need to work out a way for a user to define the format/logic for this.

Think about it.

Create OSX Installation notes

...there's now new stuff, with a more complex install.
Can we update the docs/OSX_Installation.md file with OSX Install notes?

Add a LIMIT (with a default) to queries

have a default limit that can be changed in the query.
maybe 1000 or so.

streamline the nodetiles-postgis integration

most of the dependencies are already installed for nodetiles and PGRestAPI, so they don't need to be installed again for the nodetiles-postgis module.

Stash a list of tables and columns when app starts

...to reduce the round trips to the DB.

Simplify geometry based on zoom levels in nodetiles

Do not return binary geom column(s) when returnGeometry = no

Need to exclude raw geom binary column(s) from select/properties list when returnGeometry = no

Create collapsible help menu on each page

So people know how to use it.

Limit table list length

Limit the initial list of all tables, with limit overrides and/or pagination

Improve UI

Better than construction grade.

REST API query operations return 0 results

When I import a shapefile to Chubbs Spatial Server with column names that have capitals (e.g. WOREDANAME), the query operation returns 0 results.

Request sample is showing wrong host

I'm seeing localhost:3000 instead of services.irras.in.
Oh. It's because node is actually running on port 3000, and IIS is forwarding requests from services.irras.in to it. So it's actually working as desired. But there should be some override in settings to use if you prefer to show a different host/port.

Dynamic Legends

Have Dynamic legends as part of the whole deal.

Request Sample is not wrapping in UI

Long requests wrap once, then extend through the div. ugly

Add raster 'identify' operation

Pass in X,Y, get the value of a raster cell

Add Map Preview to all spatial pages

Should show you the results of your spatial queries, buffers, etc on a little map.

Warn users when SRID is 0

...if this is the case, then some of the operations involving transforms will not function properly.

Create a javascript API for easier consumption

Incorporate CartoCSS and GeoJSON for styled vector graphics

Is this being done by anyone yet?

Download link for GeoJSON files from TableQuery UI

Clint wants to download GeoJSON files. No need for them to be generated every time if they're static. Also, no need to call to an API since you can just download them.

Add a Reflector route to let users download Json files.

Route that reads a text string, or converts object to string and then offers it back with the appropriate mime type so users can click to download files.

Input Geometries should allow specification of SRID

Input Geometry may need to be changed from WKT to a JSON object with a WKT property and SRID property.

REST operations should allow client code to request an 'output spatial reference'.

Currently I need to upload data in the projection that I want the spatial output to be in. But it would be cool if I could upload a shapefile to Postgres in 'web mercator' but then request that the output json, esriJSON, or geoJSON to be in 'wgs 84' ... ya know?

Add a WKT to GeoJSON Transformer

Just reuse the WKT Preview view, but offer choice of formats.

Validate functions referenced in GP files

If a function is used, check to make sure it exists in the DB. (perhaps) if it doesn't exist, offer to create it for the user. ("Function doesn't exist in this database. Would you like to create it?")

Preview map feature click should highlight corresponding row beneath

TopoJSON Support

Allow users to create TopoJSON files for entire PostGIS tables.

Query based topojson files should only last for a fixed time period

And then get deleted. Add to settings.js the amount of time to live.

Allow for user-defined dynamic map services with custom CartoCSS

Only allow x number of services. Services will self terminate after a certain period, and will self terminate if not used within x number if seconds.

Add on the fly hexbin analysis

That's for Todd.

Add Shapefile to list of output query types

Use ogr2ogr to create shapefiles for download

Create output images from GP services

Dynamic images as GP result option

Allow for requesting the REST resource 'hierarchy' as json. See examples.

If I want to know all of the spatial tables I may do something like:
http://54.212.251.211/services/tables?f=json

If I want to know the columns/data types and supported operations for any individual rest resource I may do something like:
http://54.212.251.211/services/tables/nigeria_urbanareas?f=json

Update README to include the nuances for deploying to an AWS EC2 server and other!

The Chubbs Spatial Server deployment instructions are now a bit vague. Update it especially to 1) include the nuances for deploying to AWS EC2 machines 2) On Windows, creating a windows service 3) On Linux, creating long-lasting sessions that won't time out ... and more!!! This will help team members adopt this platform for more internal projects.

Add support for doing GeoRef stuff

For point tables, allow for GeoRef ID creation for clustering support.

Offer WKT as return type

Offer Well Known Text as an output type for all spatial endpoints.

Service Health status updates

send a text or e-mail if stuff is flaky.

Flag optional parameters in UI

Use Italics or something.

Multi-Table Identify

This is DBoy's idea.

Add a WKT Preview endpoint

Copy/Paste WKT into a form, see what it looks like.

Add embedded map option from table query endpoint

do it.

Add GeoJSON.io support

More TopoJSON support

Let users query their tables like normal from the table_query REST endpoint. After their results come back, offer a button to click to convert their results to TopoJSON. That way, you can still narrow down your features with a where clause AND get TopoJSON.

Windshaft integration

For dynamic tiles

Turn intermediate GeoJSON files into static assets.

GeoJSON file is intermediate step to create TopoJSON files. Create them in a static /public/geojson/output folder that mirrors /public/topojson/output. Users can have access to both.

Only allow one static TopoJSON file to be generated

Don't let users name the file. Change text input to a static label that can be used to post in a form.