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We are currently using the Pocket PC edition of ThinkGeo to view Shape Files. This is basically becoming and impossibility to manage. This is because our users can not download the shape files to their mobile devices because they are too large. The users have to physically take their mobile devices to the head office in order to get the latest shape files.

We need some information about how get data from different spatial data sources like ARC or Sql 2008 and get that data on to mobile devices. We have considered using SqlLite's spatial data type, but firstly does do the ThinkGeo libraries support that data type? If so, how do we sync the data from the central server to the SqlLite database on the mobile device?

What other options are there? What do other people do to get spatial data on to mobile devices?

James,

I am interested in your suggestion. How would this be achieved? Is there a tool on the mobile device to merge the shape files back together? Wouldn't this be slow?

Or, are you suggesting that we load each of the shape files using the ThinkGeo libraries at runtime?

Christian

Christian,

The data storage problem always seems to be an issue for applications developed with the Pocket PC edition. This is due too the obviously limited storage capacity and either the slower network connections or the need to keep the network data usage down to affordable levels. To get away from these limitations you must somehow remove the data from the device. The only real way to do this is to host the data on a server and have the device access the created map from the server perhaps via a browser.

James, 
Perhaps you could investigate if are there any facilities in the Pocket PC edition that could consume a web service serving up maps?

Christian,

I made a sample to show the merge functionality on PPC, the attachment is the sample project, when you open the solution, you need to add the necessary assembly dlls for PocketPC edition, then you can debug the sample code, this is a simple sample to show you the ability based on the MapSuiteDBF module. When you run this sample, please put all splitted shapes to the same folder, also please don't forget to put the original shape file with the splitted shape files together, because it will create the destination file according to the original shape file. Please set the shape file location in the button click event.

If you have any questions please let me know,

Thanks,

Christian,

For syncing the PocketPC devices and your GIS server, you need to make a program for adding, deleting the latest shape record, the program need to install on each user's device so that the device can process the delta files(which only include differences), please see the following code for adding the delta shapes:

Layer layer = new Layer(dataPath); baseShape deltaShape = yourDeltaShape; layer.BeginEdit(); layer.AddShape(deltaShape); layer.CommitEdit(); layer.BuildIndex(); 

Layer layer = new Layer(dataPath); 
int deltaShapeID = yourDeltaShapeID; 
layer.BeginEdit(); 
layer.DeleteShape(deltaShapeID); 
layer.CommitEdit(); 
layer.BuildIndex();