Allows setting up a coverage store on top of a main folder containing several datasets (which can also be organized in subfolders) such as simple images, not georeferenced maps, ...

Background info

The GridCoverageReader will allow to provide access to a main folder containing several simple images (even organized in subfolders) without CRS.
The input of the reader will be that main directory. Since that folder can contain thousands of images, there isn't any preliminar "deep check"/"scan" when initializing the reader. Moreover, files could be added/removed on that folder, even once the reader has been created.

Note that the Coverage reader will not provide any information (such as metadata, properties) about the available images and/or image's properties. The user should know in advance which image he needs to access as well as the image's extent.

Reading an image will be achieved by specifying a "path" by means of a CQL Filter (such as, as an instance PATH='subfolder1/draft3/image2.tif')
The CQL_FILTER will be useful when propagating requests from GeoServer to the reader, as already happens for the ImageMosaic plugin.

Checks on the path should be performed in order to prevent requests to move outside to the input folder.

The Coverage reader could cache image properties (width, height, URL, spi, ...) in a soft value hash map in order to know in advance (for repeated requests) the BBOX of the image, the SPI to be used in order to instantiate an ImageReader... and so on. When asked to take access to a specific image, the reader can check if the image is still available or if it has been changed. This could be achieved by taking note of the lastModified time as well as the last check time.

Module Status

Gold Star Quality Assurance Check

(*r) IP Check: Need to be achieved.
(*r) Releasable: currently in beginning stages
(*r) Quality Assurance: currently in beginning stages
(*r) Stability: No planned API changes
(*r) Supported: currently in beginning stages

IP Review

IP review is underway - known issue:[http://svn.osgeo.org/geotools/trunk/modules/unsupported/imagecollection/src/site/apt/review.apt]

Outstanding Issues

Remember that the module maintainer is a volunteer, and if you can help test this module please jump on the developers list and help out. Patches may be attached to the above issues for review by the module maintainer.