> Here is a response from a colleague:
> 
> "... in general XSLT is cool but limited. If your transform 
> requires any "higher math" or advanced functionality or 
> external code libraries (such as geometry coordinate system 
> libraries), you almost always have to go back to a higher 
> level language (such as Java) at some point."
> 

It's true that the availability of domain-specific libraries may influence
your choice of programming language. Sometimes this will steer you away from
XSLT, sometimes towards it. 

And XSLT is just as capable of making cross-language library calls as any
other programming language. Indeed, some people choose to write applications
in XSLT that do little else.

I suspect that your colleague might not be aware that there is a library
specifically for processing geographic information in XSLT:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/geofunctions 

It's true that XSLT is a specialized language rather than a general-purpose
language. But it's capable of a lot more than some people imagine. Some
people never really get below the surface to discover its depth.

Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/


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