Map API VAG

this is an initial draft so scope and focus are still fairly open. Please add comments to the Talk:Map API VAG if you have slightly different viewpoints so we can try to converge on a common view. This discussion could also expose other similar VAG that are needed in this area

The Map API Viewpoint Advocacy Group exists to ...

See the Architecture Working Group and the Viewpoint Advocacy Groups for more information.

Areas of concern addressed by the viewpoint

• Improving the usefulness of the Webmap API to both client, server and SL Viewer applications
• Permitting third-party developers to develop their own APIs by providing them with a data source suitable for updating their database
  • Analysing use cases where the first party API is insufficient in order to improve the first party API

Use Cases

See the Architecture Working Group Glossary and usecase templates for more information on creating usecases. One liners are fine (and better than nothing) but more detail will result in a better understanding and a better architecture.

Related JIRA Issues

The following JIRA issues are known problems that this VAG would like to see resolved in any future architecture. The purpose of this list it to avoid problems that exist in the curent architecture. The more typical JIRAs that are more short term in nature or can be resolved by simple code or design change should not be listed here.

• WEB-49, TSL lacks a Map API
• WEB-87 Webmap Images not updating
• WEB-376, Map API does not properly handle SLPoint with region names
• WEB-405, SLMAP API - disableVoiceInfo not working
• WEB-473, webmap API indicates regions occupying multiple points in space simultaneously
• WEB-474, Postcards need to send Global Coordinates since removal of SLPoint() from the SL Map API
• WEB-503, sense; voice map API; it makes none, aka "query returns empty data set instead of error
• WEB-504, PHP output mixed with javascript output

Links

• Legacy Linden Lab API
• current Linden Lab API
• User:SignpostMarv_Martin/Webmap_API
• TMS Webmap API Proposal
• non-unique region names within the confines of a single grid, yay or nay ?

Organization

Anyone with an interest in this Viewpoint is welcome to join. You should join the AW Groupies group in Second Life.

Members (Stakeholders)

• SignpostMarv Martin
• Hackshaven Harford
• Ice Brodie - Unable to make meeting on the 22nd
• Yoz Linden
• Thraxis Epsilon

In world meetings

1. Tuesday 22nd January 2008, 9:30am Meta Linden's Office
2. Thursday 11th November 2010, 2pm Meta Linden's Office
   • Notes from agenda points discussed
     1. Discuss whether voicemap API should be retained
        • Only visual record of the voicemap
        • An educated guess would be that the voicemap API was left online by accident when the voicemap page was taken down.
        • Response from Yoz:

          [02:49 PM] Yoz Linden: OK, then we return to my original statement

          [02:49 PM] Yoz Linden: namely, that you can use it as long as you want, but I wouldn't rely on it existing permanently

     2. Discuss desirable API calls
        • Monolithic dump of region data, similar to the one that used to be contained in slmapapi.js consisting of at least the region names & co-ordinates, with region uuid, server version/channel, region owner UUID, and a list of viewer features requiring server-side support (as voice/display names/mesh etc. can be rolled out selectively)
        • Having region servers push a data dump off their parcel's metadata to an S3 server
        • API/feed of region movement/renaming
3. Thursday 18th November 2010, 2pm-3pm SLT Meta Linden's Office
   • Agenda
     1. Discuss desirable API calls
        • Desirable data in a per-region parcel data dump
        • Request the LDPW to make available and maintain APIs for notable locations/landmarks (see http://mapapi.net/secondlife/ for example implementations of such APIs)
     2. Discuss potential benefits of WEB-1560: Apply a OSS license (BSD or GPL) to the SLURL.com JavaScript (moved from previous meeting)
        • See http://mapapi.net/secondlife/ for an example