Add gtsam as source package

[jlblancoc]

Please Add This Package to be indexed in the rosdistro.

rolling and humble (let me know if two independent PRs are required)

The source is here:

https://github.com/borglab/gtsam/

Checks

• All packages have a declared license in the package.xml
• This repository has a LICENSE file
• This package is expected to build on the submitted rosdistro

[nuclearsandwich]

I was just reviewing #35940 and in that review I found that the package vendors dependencies and thus is quite complicated from a licensing perspective.

I know that gtsam is already part of several ROS distributions but I think that adding additional <license> tags with comments to cover any embedded third party libraries should be done. https://github.com/borglab/gtsam/blob/develop/LICENSE

Also, if it is possible to un-vendor those libraries and make them explicit dependencies that would certainly be better from a build integrity perspective.

[jlblancoc]

thanks, @nuclearsandwich :

I was just reviewing #35940

Oh, I wasn't aware of that one! I guess the pip python dep is an independent thing than this idea of adding it as a c++ library.

and in that review I found that the package vendors dependencies and thus is quite complicated from a licensing perspective.

yes, I agree...

I know that gtsam is already part of several ROS distributions but I think that adding additional <license> tags with comments to cover any embedded third party libraries should be done. https://github.com/borglab/gtsam/blob/develop/LICENSE

I'll ping you so you can check the proposed changes to the package.xml upstream

Also, if it is possible to un-vendor those libraries and make them explicit dependencies that would certainly be better from a build integrity perspective.

We have been sporadically trying it for a couple of years, but progress is slow...

cc: @ProfFan

[jlblancoc]

BTW: what about the failing CI test?? I couldn't understand the reason for it or whether it was spurious...

[ProfFan]

Yeah, I proposed un-vendoring several times... METIS is already ready for un-vendoring, the others I think some are already obsolete, but not really sure @dellaert please advise?

[jlblancoc]

Ok, URLs are fixed and CI has passed now.
And proposed changes for license info are in borglab/gtsam#1432

[nuclearsandwich]

I may propose some further suggestions related to the vendoring of 3rd party libraries when it comes time to release this on the build farm via Bloom but I think that this package is ready for indexing and source installation.