Version policy

Apache SIS is an implementation of GeoAPI interfaces, which is a project from the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The current GeoAPI version is 3.0.1. The policy on GeoAPI versions is to be decided by OGC, but current roadmap envisions two next versions: 3.1 and 4.0.

• GeoAPI 3.1 would be a version fully backward compatible with GeoAPI 3.0.1. If there is a demand for GeoAPI 3.2, 3.3, etc., all of them would be backward compatible.

• GeoAPI 4.0 would have some compatibility breaks with GeoAPI 3.x line when it allows better leveraging of new standards. GeoAPI 4.1, 4.2, etc. would all be backward compatible with GeoAPI 4.0.

• GeoAPI 5.0 may be created if some standards change in incompatible way after GeoAPI 4.0 release (not currently planed).

Apache version lines follow the two GeoAPI lines as below:

• Apache SIS 1.x line will stay compatible with GeoAPI 3.x line. So when GeoAPI 3.1 would be released, the next Apache 1.x release would use that new version. It could be any minor version like SIS 1.3, SIS 1.6, etc.
• Apache SIS 2.x line will stay compatible with GeoAPI 4.x line. So Apache SIS 2.0 would not be released before GeoAPI 4.0 is released, but it does not prevent us from publishing all developments in the SIS 1.x line in the meantime.

Even after SIS 2.0 is released, we plan to continue to maintain the SIS 1.x line for a few years. It would give some time to users for migrating from GeoAPI 3.x to GeoAPI 4.x at their convenience. Actually we are already doing that process for many years. The SIS "geoapi-4.0" branch is doing development on top of GeoAPI 4.0 development branch, then the work is ported to master (which depends on GeoAPI 3.0.1) from times to times. Currently only the SIS versions on top of GeoAPI 3.0.1 make the official SIS releases.

Roadmap

Apache SIS 1.0 has been released in September 2019. Next version will be 1.0.1 or 1.1. Work done since 1.0 release includes:

• Spatial filters.
• A query language (CQL) for applying those filters.
• Use of PostGIS spatial database.
• Base class for portrayal (i.e. rendering of maps).

• Base class for reproducing some of the functionalities of Java Advanced Imaging (JAI) library.

• Beginning of a JavaFX application for those who have JavaFX pre-installed (we do not redistribute it).
• New map projections (Modified Azimuthal Equidistant, Cassini-Soldner, Orthographic, Satellite-Tracking).

Release date for SIS 1.1 is not yet settled but a target is summer 2020. A SIS 1.0.1 release focusing on the new map projections may be done before

Roadmap

• February 2015: SIS 0.5 release with upgrade to ISO 19115:2014 metadata and most basic referencing services.
• September 2015: SIS 0.6 release with WKT and GML support for referencing objects.
• May 2016: SIS 0.7 release with completion of referencing services.
• November 2017: SIS 0.8 release with support (at least for metadata) for some image formats.
• (TBD) 2019: SIS 1.0 release with more extensive netCDF support.

Version policy

Apache SIS 1.x implements interfaces from GeoAPI 3.x. Each GeoAPI 3.x release is fully compatible with previous 3.x releases.

Apache SIS 2.0 is planned to implement interfaces from GeoAPI 4.0. Those interfaces will have some incompatible changes compared to GeoAPI 3.x.