GIS for the Web

Question

Hi guys!

I hope you could help me here, thanks in advance!

Well, I'm taking a GIS class and we are tasked to build a GIS app, just a simple one, that should be deployed on the Web. I have a bit of experience in using GIS stand alone app. So in essence, I have a basic understanding of how GIS works and on. Well my problem is, I don't have an idea of a way to build a GIS app and deploy it on the web. Our professor required us to only use Open Source GIS tools in building the said project. He said something about using Postgre with POSTGIS or QGIS, for the back end spatial dbms. So i guess that would mean another tool for the front-end, right?

is there an open source gis tool that has both spatial dbms and gis features drag/drop features? and can be deployed seamlessly on the web? if not, please offer some suggestions of the open source tools that you know that i could use in combination for this project.

Thanks a lot!

Answer 1

i think you could use OpenLayers as front-end and geoserver as back-end

About OpenLayers

OpenLayers makes it easy to put a dynamic map in any web page. It can display map tiles and markers loaded from any source. MetaCarta developed the initial version of OpenLayers and gave it to the public to further the use of geographic information of all kinds. OpenLayers is completely free, Open Source JavaScript, released under a BSD-style License.

About Geoserver:

GeoServer is an open source software server written in Java that allows users to share and edit geospatial data. Designed for interoperability, it publishes data from any major spatial data source using open standards.

Answer 2

I think you professor thinks about a geostack. Same as hara, I'd definitely add my vote for GeoServer and OpenLayers on top of PostGIS. You can find lot of materials on this workshop site. Also, this course from PSU can be quite helpful here.

If you are not happy with these tools you have quite a lot of others options to choose. On server side there is QGIS mapserver and Mapserver itself.

On client side you might go for Mapnik, Mapstraction or MapFish, last one - especially if you have some experience with Python.

GeoDjango could be another alternative, although I can't comment much about it myself.

Answer 3

There are a variety of Open Source projects available for various applications, development platforms, etc., listed under the umbrella of the OSGeo Foundation: OSGeo.org.

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Answer 4

A opensource project handling the backend (java) and front end (gwt) is geomajas (it's also on osgeo. However you still require your data to come from sowehere be it a PostGis db, a geoserver or WKT files and more...

It requires quite a bit configuration but is definitly worth to take a look at.