What is Geonode ? What all can be achieved using it?

Question

Ok i have searched the site and did not find enough information concerning regarding what is a Geonode so i really thought i may ask everyone who has used it to give their opinion.

I am trying to set a website with geospatial data and want to decide whether it is a good solution.

Is it a web application framework like Geodjango, Is it a CMS like drupal for Geospatial information ? Can it be used standalone to deliver both Geospatial and some non geospatial content ?

And honestly , why isn't is as popular as it ought to be ( is it because it is new ?)

The official documentation at http://geonode.org/ provides considerable documentation and examples but i want personal opinions of experts who understand it well.

Answer 1

From the site's about page:

GeoNode is a platform for the management and publication of geospatial data. It brings together mature and stable open-source software projects under a consistent and easy-to-use interface allowing users, with little training, to quickly and easily share data and create interactive maps.

You might also want to check the presentation on Slideshare that details the motivations and origins of GeoNode.

In a nutshell, GeoNode is the application of the lessons learned from social media platforms to spatial data infrastructures. The premise is that the original way of sharing spatial data is broken and that we should copy the features work in social media platforms.

GeoNode’s data management tools allow for integrated creation of data, metadata, and map visualizations. Each dataset in the system can be shared publicly or restricted to allow access to only specific users. Social features like user profiles and commenting and rating systems allow for the development of communities around each platform to facilitate the use, management, and quality control of the data the GeoNode instance contains.

A YouTube for geospatial data if you will.

Answer 2

And honestly , why isn't is as popular as it ought to be ( is it because it is new ?)

I think it's indeed the case because it's new, the problem with being new is that you're not known yet, but also that not a lot of features and user-feedback have been integrated yet. Look for example at the supported formats. Altough you see a lot of activity around the project so that's what's being worked on.

Quite new is the concept of 'maps', as being a set of data-layers, a background-layer, an extent and a title/description. In traditional GIS people tend to focus on searching for datasets/layers to integrate in their projects. But the big crowd usually is not interested in just one layer. A normal user would like to see this layer in relation to a background (google maps/OSM). A (set of) layer(s) (overlays) + a background is typically a map. In geonode you can administer and search for maps and display them in an interactive map viewer.

Answer 3

And honestly , why isn't is as popular as it ought to be ( is it because it is new ?)

Probably in part because it is new, but it's also quite hard to install (from personal experience!). I imagine once it gets a little easier it will be extremely popular.