GIS Frameworks

What is a framework?

Simply a framework is any piece of software that is extensible through the callback style of programming. The framework can be implemented by the code of framework user so at the predefined points framework 'calls back'to users code. By providing the code that the framework calls, framework user can adapt the framework to his/her
specific needs.

Framework can be defined under three classifications according to the way it supposed to be implemented.

1. Wrapper - A wrapper is way of repackaging a function or set of functions (related or not) to achieve certain goals such as:

- Simplification of use.
- Consistency in interface.
- Enhancement of core functionality.
- Collecting discrete processes into a logical association. Eg. an object.

2. Architecture - An architecture is a style that incorporates specific design elements. Obviously, a framework needs to have a design. Its architecture is separate
from the collection of wrappers that it implements and from the enforcement of a specific implementation methodology.

3. Methodology - A methodology defines the interaction between architectures, components and objects.