DSpatial is an Open Source software development project to provide developers using Delphi with a library of tools for the use, manipulation, and visualization of spatial data. Spatial data includes any sort of data which can be geolocalized (vector data, raster data, tesselations, satellite imagery, ...) and its attributes.

DSpatial is not a Geographic Information System (GIS). While we hope to develop many of the analytical and presentation features that commercial GIS applications have, we will not produce an application. Instead, we will provide developers with the components to assemble an application suited to his/her preference or requirements. No big and ugly do-it-all monolith that is distributed on a handful of CDs, but something lean and mean doing a few things and doing it well and fast. Our intended audience is the Delphi fanatic with a healthy desire to tinker with spatial data.

24 August 2007 DSpatial kernel version 0.4.2 has been released on SourceForge today. There have been some considerable changes to the kernel:

• Support for coordinate reference system information, with support for the full EPSG database.
• Connectivity with PostgreSQL. This is currently particularly useful for storing and accessing the EPSG database, but support for PostGIS feature layers and attribute tables will be added in the near future.

These changes have cascaded into the DSpatialGIS application, also released today.

Work on the next release has already started. Main features that are being worked on right now are:

• [kernel] A projection engine (to actually change the coordinate system of a data set).
• [kernel] A default dynamic library design for processing code. 
• [kernel] Rubber-sheeting unregistered data using groud control points.
  
• [terra] Cost-surface calculation.
• [gridmath] Binary operations.

• Support for features (lines, point, polygons)?
• Support for layouts and printing?
• Porting to FreePascal/Lazarus?
• Processing functionality?
  

DSpatial is hosted by SourceForge, the largest hub of Open Source development groups on the net. If you are a user of DSpatial components, you could register an account with SourceForge. This gives you access to the forums where you can discuss functionality, suggest additions, and post bug reports. If you want to participate in the development of DSpatial, you must register and send the Project Admin an email and state your interest and experience. We can use active people of very different backgrounds: hard-core developers, documentation writers, code testers, web site maintenance...

A project as ambitious as DSpatial can only be realized with the active participation and input of many developers. If you have any code lying around that does spatial magic for you and you would like others to have the same pleasures, please consider a donation to DSpatial. You must release your code under the MPL license. This means that you will retain the rights to the original code that you donated and will have unrestricted access to any changes made to it in this group. You will be perpetually acknowledged as the original author. The rules of the game also imply that you have the authority to release the code under the MPL license. If you adapted your donation from someone else's code, you should seek permission from the original authors. Please contact the Project Admin if you have any further questions.

Start by checking out the rest of this web site, and the DSpatial site on SourceForge so you're up to speed with the project. Sign up for the email list here. The Forums are the best place to look for current information and issues other people are dealing with.

For general enquiries, email the Project Admin. Check out the Team page to see who is working on what and how to contact the developers.