Online Maps with APIs and WebServices

Bringing maps to users has been made much easier with the World Wide Web. Millions of maps now make their way through a world-wide network of computers. A major change occurred in 2005 in how those maps were delivered when Google Maps implemented a tile-based mapping system based on AJAX that facilitated interactive zooming and panning. The following year, an Application Programmer Interface (API) was released that gave programmers access to the underlying mapping functions. It was now possible to place data on top of the Google base map and make this map available to anyone. This system was created at tremendous expense. It is calculated that the number of tiles required at 20 zoom levels is nearly 1.5 trillion. At 15 KB per tile, this equates to 20 Petabytes or 20,480 TB and a data storage cost of between US $2 million and US $2 billion per data center. This expenditure indicates the level of importance that online companies place on maps. It also represents a shift in how maps of all kinds are delivered to users. Mobile devices are a further indication of this change in map delivery.

Web mapping services like Google, introduced in 2005 have altered the online mapping experience. Not only could maps be viewed in a fast and simple way but there was also the possibility to create Mashups through APIs, leading some to proclaim the “democratization of mapping”. Addressed here is the development of these mapping services, how they impacted the existing Web mapping environment and possible future areas of development. An emphasis is placed on the technical developments from desktop to mobile applications, as well as the development of base maps and map types from pre-rendered tiles to editable map styles in different viewing modes from bird eye view, 3D, and augmented reality. While the first maps produced with APIs were mostly static point maps, new features have enabled dynamic and interactive applications with “GIS-like” functionalities, often supported by third party implementations.

Possibilities and limitations of Internet cartography software largely depend on the pace set by the software industry. The variety of commercial and non-commercial software caters for the needs of a continuously growing mapping community, including both professional and amateur cartographers. This chapter provides an overview of state-of-the-art technologies for vector-based Web-mapping as of the beginning of 2011. Both proprietary and open format technologies are discussed for vector data rendering in browsers, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages. The discussed technologies are Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), JavaFX, Canvas, and WebGL. The chapter also discusses client and server side frameworks which provide Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for creating custom interactive maps, mainly by overlaying raster images with vector data.

The rapid technological evolutions in map mashups and APIs during the last few years offer the possibility to build effective educational tools with limited efforts and programming skills. Many subjects, in particular geography, social studies, science, even math and Greek/English studies may be supported by mashup technologies at all levels of education. This chapter summarizes several attempts made recently in cooperation with educational organizations (schools and museums) to develop a series of prototype educational frameworks for the subject of history. A wide range of tools and APIs have been adopted to meet the educational needs as well as to evaluate their efficiency and completeness. Special attention has been given in involving the users (the pupils and teachers) at all phases of development, from design to the actual implementation of both the content and application scenario/interface.

Multimedia mapping provides a unique approach to integrating geospatial information in digital map format and multimedia information (e.g., text, photographs, sound, and video). Multimedia mapping on the Internet is the direct result of advancement of Web mapping techniques, Internet technology, and Web standards (e.g., HTML, XML, Ajax). However, like traditional Internet GIS applications, multimedia mapping on the Internet is suffered from slow response time, limitation of data sizes, and the slow client/server communications. In addition, the development of multimedia mapping on the Internet requires a huge investment of computer hardware and software, and a steep learning curve for the application developer to become knowledgeable about all of the components involved. It is imperative that a better solution is needed to implement multimedia mapping projects on the Internet. This chapter discusses a new approach of multimedia mapping that utilizes commercial Application Programming Interface (APIs) such as Google Maps API, Yahoo! Flickr API, and YouTube API that can provide faster response time, greater user interaction, as well as higher quality multimedia presentation. A case study of an online visitor guide for the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is demonstrated.

Invasive species can be considered an ecological “time bomb” that contributes to a number of human and environmental problems, including reduced crop and livestock production and biodiversity loss. It is estimated that 5,000 acres of western lands become infested each day (North American Weed Management Association 2002). Westbrooks assesses the financial costs to Americans at $138 billion per year. Of the current methods for treating invasive species, Early Detection and Rapid Response (ED/RR) is highly ranked because it is cost-effective and environmentally sound and it increases the possibility of successful eradication (ibid).

For ED/RR to be effective, land managers must have access to comprehensive and accurate data. Tracking invasive species is challenging because multiple agencies and organizations collect data, often resulting in isolated datasets. In addition, each agency uses its own collection format. Sensitive and unverified data add further complications. Land managers need to see the “big picture,” which often crosses political boundaries and results in differing ideas concerning collection and dissemination techniques.

Government departments in the Netherlands have come together to create a mapping Application Programming Interface (API) and a mapping services platform that will serve a core set of geographic data across government websites. The article presents the technical, legal and organizational considerations that helped shape the mapping API and the underlying platform. The article concludes with recommendations for creating mapping APIs and presents an outlook into the future of the Dutch mapping API.

LatYourLife is a prototype application that uses web-mapping and mobile technologies in order to connect people’s daily tasks with geography. It provides the user with a new perspective on task planning. Utilising three separate API’s, the system helps to plan and schedule the day in relation to relevant geographic information. The main purpose is to illustrate, how information and online tools coming from different sources can be joined together to build a single system. After a description of how the service was built and what API’s were utilised, findings which became evident from building the system are given.

The ArcGIS Flex API from the Environmental Science Research Institute (ESRI) can produce rich, high-performing, engaging web mapping applications. It is usable out-of-the-box, with no programming needed. At the same time, there are significant programming resources available for those interested in customizing their maps. This discrepancy can be puzzling to those considering the option of using Flex because it is unclear how much programming is actually needed.

This incongruity carries over to the information and resources available for Flex developers. For example, there is ample information available for beginners who are not interested in programming, and there are also generous resources for advanced programmers. But at the time of this writing there is a gap in the information available to users who are in the process of determining how much programming they will need. This chapter attempts to fill this knowledge gap by providing general information on the Sample Flex Viewer (SFV) and a practical ten-step guide for beginning Flex developers.

The current world of information technologies (including geoinformation technologies /GIT/ as well as internet maps) heads towards the new generation of Web (as a collection of interlinked documents accessed via the Internet). The next development stages of Web (Web 2.0, Web 3.0, Semantic Web etc.) are associated with terms – user-centred applications, information sharing, collaborative work and interoperability. Just the last word is very important because it represents the necessary condition to functioning of complete system and its components like blogs, wikis, mushups, web applications and services. Geoinformation technologies work also with one important term associated with Web – Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI).

The chapter “Web Services for Thematic Maps” is divided into two main parts. The first part (sub-chapters 10.2-10.5) is focused on common questions of thematic cartography and application of web services in cartography. There are also mentioned problems associated with web services in cartography like spatial data heterogeneity, standardisation or lack of semantics. Because this theme is very large, we have selected web services standardized by Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and thematic maps as the important representatives of both domains. This part describes general service-oriented architecture and four main OGC web services, including their advantages, disadvantages and “cartographic” abilities.

The second section (10.6, 10.7) of this text is centred on a design of application of Web Processing Service (WPS) to thematic cartography. We describe current implementations of WPS (e.g., project Humboldt or open-source solution PyWPS). The main part is focused on the concrete application of WPS to generating of different types of thematic maps in the format SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). The general principle of the generating of SVG maps through XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation) as desktop solution was used in the project VisualHealth and it was published in various papers in the past years (Chile 2009, Austria 2009, Czech Republic 2009, Bulgaria 2008, Moscow 2007). This text describes a combination of existing desktop solution and WPS. The aim is the using XSLT processor, pre-defined XSLT styles intended for transformation of spatial data to SVG format, and RELAX NG (REgular LAnguage for XML Next Generation) scheme (the method of description of a maps and their attributes) as web application.

Recent years have witnessed rapid advances in online map-based mashups with Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and web services. Map-based mashups often display different kinds of information (e.g., POIs, represented as icons) on base maps, such as Google Maps and Bing Maps. The visualization of large number of icons in a map on web browsers or mobile devices often results in the icon cluttering problem with icons touching and overlapping each other. This problem decreases map legibility, and thus prevents users from effectively processing the information presented in the map. It also leads to a dramatic degradation of performance, and a high transmission load. All these problems will greatly decrease the usability of a mashup application.

This paper surveys and assesses approaches from different disciplines (i.e., computer science and cartography) for avoiding icon cluttering in online map-based mashups. We focus on two issues: filtering of irrelevant POIs, and icon placement and aggregation. Different techniques from information filtering research are analyzed and compared for reducing the number of icons to be displayed in a map. For the latter issue, approaches of aggregating and placing icons from map generalization research are discussed and assessed for their applicability in online mashups. Some related APIs and typical mashup examples are also discussed and compared. This paper concludes that in order to provide more cartographically pleasing maps in mashups, techniques from computer science and cartography should be seamlessly integrated.

The aim of the study described in the paper is to carry out research on the utilization of web-based multipublishing for the purpose of outdoor activities. The idea behind a multipublishing service is that the service is able to deliver different kinds of outdoor maps through a number of channels and at varying scales from a single data core. The paper focuses on the technical solutions, design principles and usability testing of a web map that was created to serve as one of the publishing channels. The other channels of the implemented multipublishing service are map applications for a mobile phone and a multi-touch screen, and printed graphic maps. The environment is based upon a web server that provides raster and vector geo-data for the channels through open standard web services. Both the server and the web map client application are built on free and open source geospatial software, to which modifications were made to achieve the design goals of the multipublishing environment. The web map user interface (UI) aims at providing a complete tool to interact with the maps being published and it shares similar design with the other publishing channels. We applied the “minimalist” and “direct manipulation” design paradigms for UI design to limit the user’s cognitive overload.

The circle has long been a useful symbol for displaying quantitative data. Determining the proper size for the circles has remained a problem. If the circles are too small, differences in size are not readily apparent and a pattern is not evident. If the circles are too big, the overlap between the symbols will be excessive or too much of the map will be covered. A method is proposed here that allows the user to interactively adjust both the size and the opacity of the circle shading. The online version of the map, with all relevant code, is available at: http://​maps.​unomaha.​edu/​GoogleMapGallery​/​GradCircles/​circles.​htm

Within a larger aim of improving automated vector animated mapping, the main objective of this research was to look into the possibility of combining two technologies: distributed webservices and animated, interactive vector maps. TimeMapper was developed as a prototype for an OGC-compliant Web Map Service implementation that serializes spatio–temporal data from a database backend as Scalable Vector Graphics. The SVG is used in a web browser to show animated maps with a built-in advanced user-interface. This interface allows the user to interact with both the spatial and the temporal dimensions of the data. The potential and limitations of the TimeMapper prototype were explored using Antarctic iceberg movement data. The prototype can be explored on the TimeMapper website (http://​geoserver.​itc.​nl/​timemapper/​).

This paper discusses the different techniques one can use to publish digital models of real globes on the web.

The described solutions form two groups. The first one includes various KML/KMZ models viewable in geo-browsers or using the Google Earth plug-in, while the second one consists of VRML/X3D models. The main advantages and disadvantages of each solution are also discussed.

Although the main purpose of these techniques is to publish digital models of old globes, any other kind of global raster data can be visualized in the same way.

Blogs, micro-blogs and online forums are fundamental building blocks of an interconnected world. They provide a mechanism for people to communicate details of their lives and the spatial locations of their activities. Desktop, online and mobile mapping APIs have never been so rich yet this presents challenges to build applications that blend meaningful content with visual appeal.

Here, we begin by examining the series of APIs needed to collect this spatial expression of micro-blogging from the social networking tool Twitter. To create cartographically appropriate and semantically relevant ‘twitter maps’ we blend functionality and data from APIs by Esri, Google, Twitter and others.

We then demonstrate how to leverage the available APIs to create an interactive application enabling real – time mapping of students undertaking mobile data collection exercises. Two examples are presented: a “race” monitoring application focussing on extracting and mapping temporal variables and a category building, asynchronous collaborative land – use mapping exercise where the semantic content and location of tweets is emphasized.

There has seen increasing interest in developing online map services using Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API), Yahoo! Maps API, Microsoft Bing Maps API, Nokia Ovi Maps API, and ESRI ArcGIS API. However, such online map services are mainly “mashups” in nature, meaning that they utilize Maps API as a platform and combine other spatial data from multiple sources to create new services. The objective of this chapter is to demonstrate an online mapping application that focuses not only on the functionality to display points of interest with customized icons and the information associated with them, but also on the sophisticated functionalities for marker clustering, searching, filtering, and tabbed interface that offer the user the capability to manipulate the data, which is lacking in most documented web mapping services. A case study of developing an online map service to display the locations of hundreds of gardens on the Internet for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) People’s Garden initiative is presented. Google Maps API, Google Geocoder and other JavaScript libraries such as jQuery, XML, MarkerClusterer, Spry Framework for Ajax, all free and open source, are employed to develop this online map service. It is anticipated that the online map service demonstrated here can be used in most of the web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 7.0+, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.

Since its creation in 1974, the Wisconsin State Cartographer’s Office has been responsible for disseminating information about the availability of geospatial resources for the state. Over time this activity has evolved from the production of paper catalogs to custom programming of Web-based mapping applications. From 1974 to 1993, the office published paper catalogs detailing the availability of aerial photography, maps and geospatial data, and geodetic control data for Wisconsin. With the 2011 release of the Wisconsin Historic Aerial Image Finder, and new versions of its ControlFinder and PLSSFinder applications, the State Cartographer’s Office has completed another chapter in its transition from paper maps to interactive Web-based mapping. These new “Finder” applications incorporate map services and commercial map APIs in an open source geospatial software framework for map-based information delivery over the Web. This chapter provides an overview of the SCO’s Web-based mapping applications, to demonstrate how Web-mapping technology has impacted service delivery to SCO customers, and affected data and software maintenance workflows and activities in the office.

NASA’s Planetary Data System (PDS) is a geographically distributed system with five discipline and three support nodes that work together to archive and distribute scientific data from NASA’s planetary missions. The Geosciences Node focuses on data for Earth’s Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. As of September 2010, the Geosciences Node holdings consist of about 50 TB of data, with the addition of about 1 TB per month. To support search and retrieval of data from the Geosciences Node archives, two online systems, Analyst Notebooks (ANs) and Orbital Data Explorers (ODEs) have been developed. Both ANs and ODEs have WebGIS systems embedded to enhance their map-based search and display capabilities. An ESRI^® ArcGIS Server was used to build maps and publish web services. JavaScript application programming interface (API) was used extensively to access those map services and build web interface with interactive maps. This paper first reviews the existing planetary online map systems used in the planetary community. Then the challenges of planetary GIS are discussed. The development of WebGIS for ANs and ODEs with ArcGIS Server and JavaScript API is introduced. This paper also discusses data sharing through planetary Web service including WMS/WFS based on Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards. A solution is presented in this paper to solve the map projection issue of planetary Web services. Free client tools used to test the OGC WMS/WFS services are covered at the end of this paper.