[sldev] Open development of the Webmap API

[SignpostMarv Martin]

The Webmap API provided by Linden Lab is almost non-existant.

While the wiki page documents how to use the google maps wrapper it 
doesn't cover the pure API calls, of which there are only two:
1) Finding the name of a region at given co-ordinates
2) Finding the co-ordinates of a given region

Bar doing some work with libSL, there is currently no "official" way to 
access this or related data in batch, which is why it'll be taking me 
about 3 weeks to scan an area covering 26.5 million acres of virtual 
land for the existence of Second Life regions.

Another downside to the LL "API" is that you don't need an SL account to 
use it, but you do need a Google account. Which seems rather odd. Users 
also shouldn't be forced to use a collection of 4 different javascript 
libraries in order to do simple tasks with the "API".

Finally, in order to discuss or ask questions about the LL "API", you 
require a Second Life account in order to access the wiki.

Putting that all together, a non-SL user must create a google account to 
use the API, then an SL account to talk about it, which seems rather 
counter-productive.

Two areas I have been working on in with regards to the webmap API is 
the development of my own Webmap API with beefier queries ( 
https://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:SignpostMarv_Martin/Webmap_API ), 
and the development of a specification for encapsulating the data 
pertinent to a grid ( http://dev.signpostmarv.name/pub/llsd-grid-map/ ), 
although the latter needs updating to include region UUIDs

http://agni.sl.mapapi.net/map-api.html#Hippotropolis contains my attempt 
to create a reference client interface to my version of the LL Webmap API


The basic gist of all this- creating a 3rd party Webmap API, designing a 
data format suitable for 3rd parties to become aware of the state of the 
grid without having to run queries which take 3 weeks to complete- is 
the following:
A publicly available (e.g. does not require authentication calls) API 
should be open to development and discussion by *everyone*, not just 
those with SL accounts.

While one could argue that the SLDev mailing list is a public discussion 
resource, it isn't suitable for documentation & development efforts.


This is what I'm proposing: Use a publicly accessible (readable AND 
editable) MediaWiki install that isn't restricted to Second Life Residents.

This would faciliate both open discussion and open development of an SL 
Webmap API that can already be used by non-Residents.

I have an install ready for this purpose on mapapi.net, and in order to 
facilitate the "openeness" while lending credibility to edits and 
preventing identity fraud, the mapapi.net wiki has the OpenID extension 
installed (though it is currently configured to only accept logins from 
SLOpenID.net )

With the OpenID extension, this allows the mapapi.net wiki to be open to 
everyone without the problems of enabling anonymous edits. Because 
OpenID urls typically double as web pages detailing the identity of the 
owner, visitors to the wiki would be able to easily identify 
authoritative users- SLOpenID or a first-party OpenID server provided by 
Linden Lab would provide a means for Linden Lab employees and credible 
Residents to make edits without worrying about other people pretending 
to be them or having to "build up" credibility over time (as happens in 
environments such as the Wikipedia, where one could easily register an 
account under the name "Griefer Linden" and make a series of seemingly 
authoritative edits about Linden Lab)

The long-term goal of the mapapi.net wiki would be to server as a focal 
point for the discussion and development of map APIs in general (SL 
aren't the only people to use the google wrapper technique, see 
http://mapwow.com/ and http://www.oblivionmap.net/ )

The medium-term goal would be to enable a larger portion of the 
community to participate in the development of an API that has been 
languishing in beta since its inception.

The short-term goal would be to illustrate how OpenID and MediaWiki can 
be implemented to enable non-Residents to participate in the development 
of SL- a topic that was brought up with regards to CHTTP, Mulib and 
Eventlet at one of the recent Open Source Office Hours in Hippotropolis.

As evidenced by the length and content of the email, I do have a 
tendency to ramble on in a technical manner, so I apologise if there's 
any confusion in the email- just ask for clarification and I'll try and 
clear things up :-)


~ Marv.
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