Networks Locator (EU) 1.7 has been released

We're happy to share that the next version of Networks Locator (EU) is now available, featuring a couple of useful new enhancements. We encourage you to explore the new features and take advantage of the upgraded capabilities in this version.

Here’s what’s new:

DXF-Export

Networks Locator has been enhanced with the inclusion of the new VertiGIS DXF Export Service. This enables users to generate DXF files for their locate requests, which will be created alongside the existing PDF map outputs.

The deployment of the VertiGIS DXF Export Service is fully automated when using the Locator Helm chart, which means there is no need for any additional manual installation steps. This seamless integration ensures that users and administrators can benefit from the new export capability immediately upon deployment, simplifying setup and reducing the potential for configuration errors.

Furthermore, the availability of the DXF export feature can be controlled on a per-role basis within the system. This allows administrators to implement fine-grained access control, deciding which user roles have permission to utilize the DXF export functionality.

New capabilities for intersection-groups

We've enhanced layer intersections by introducing the return-distinct-feature option, which helps filter out duplicates so only unique features are returned during intersection operations. This leads to cleaner, more accurate data that can be used to create targeted dynamic documents.

We've also added the always-print flag, which allows intersection groups to be included in outputs even when no features are found in the request area. This helps maintain consistent and thorough reporting.

Bitmaps in Dynamic Documents

We've improved dynamic PDF creation by adding support for embedding bitmap images. Now you can easily include your company logo or other images directly in your PDFs, helping to make them look better and enhancing the overall user experience.

Helm Deployment now supports additional global flags

We have enhanced the deployment process by introducing support for global flags within the Helm values file. This new feature allows you to configure key scheduling parameters such as nodeSelector, tolerations, and affinity at a global level. By setting these flags globally, you can ensure consistent and efficient placement of your pods across your Kubernetes cluster, improving resource utilization and workload management. 

Technology Updates

• We have upgraded to Keycloak version 26.4.
• You can now access the Keycloak login page outside of the Networks Locator iframe, which makes it easier to integrate with external identity providers.
• We have improved user identification in our database by switching from email addresses to Keycloak user IDs. This change ensures consistent tracking of users even if their emails change, as the Keycloak ID is a unique, permanent identifier. Please be aware that if you are upgrading from 1.6 you'll need to run a script on the DB to update the existing entries. Click here for more information.
• All Docker containers are now available through the VertiGIS Container Registry, reducing reliance on external registries and improving security and control over how images are distributed.
• We’ve updated several third-party dependencies to their latest versions to help improve security and stability.
• Networks Locator used to rely heavily on Bitnami's well-known open-source containers and Helm charts. Since Bitnami switched to a paid subscription model this summer, we've moved to community-maintained images for Keycloak, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and RabbitMQ. We're also developing our own Helm charts for these components now. Because of this switch this update involves migrating PostgreSQL and MongoDB databases. If you're updating from version 1.6, please take a look at our release notes.

Bugfixing

We’ve resolved various bugs and stability issues. Please refer to the VertiGIS Changelog for a complete list of all fixes included in this release.

Before You Upgrade

Please carefully review the upgrade instructions before applying this update.

Dokumentation

The documentation is available via the VertiGIS Docs Portal.

Thank you for using Networks Locator! We are committed to continuously improving the product and providing you with the best possible experience. Stay tuned for more updates!