I need some directions. My mobile app is heavily dependent on Google Maps for the the following components: maps, geocoding/geolocation, autocomplete, distanceMatrix and directionsMatrix. However, I am running into quota issues and they are getting worse and worse. I need an as reliable solution but without the quotas and am considering OSM. I have my own api unix server I can install OSM too but I am having a hard time finding a complete install package.
Everything I read is separate packages to install and configure for each of the components I need to migrate to. Is there not a comprehensive OSM package that has all of the components built into it? I keep thinking there should be a single package that is all integrated to work together but I can't find one.
If one exists please point me in the right direction. If one doesn't can you please recommend the best, and easiest to use, OSM packages that meet my listed of required components? Thanks in advance.
OSM consists of several components. First there is the map data which can be seen as raw data, no software involved. Depending on your goals you will likely need a database software, which is usually postgresql. For drawing a map you will need a renderer, for address searching a geocoder, for directions a routing software and so on.
Showing a map: Use one of the available tile providers or render your own tiles
Geocoding: Take a look at Nominatim or Photon. Photon is based on Nomatim and adds some features, most importantly autocompletion. There are other search engines available as well.
Routing: GraphHopper or OSRM. More alternatives available, check the list of OSM online routers.
Similarly to tile servers, most of these softwares can be either run by yourself or accessed via various online providers. Online providers usually have quotas whereas running your own software is solely limited by your own resources.
Related
we want to create bicycle sharing project where google map is a must thing
we are willing to use flutter for that how ever it is totally depend on us which platform should be used.i am too much confused which platform should be used.
i have reseach and creating some sample apps in flutter and found that there is stability problems on flutter and integerating with google map is not up to the mark or not too much smart like uber (we want same look and feel like uber,ofo,uride).
please suggest which platform should be prefered.
Implementations like the rideshare companies you mention utilize several different Google Maps APIs, so it would go beyond just the google_maps_flutter Package functionality. A common example would be using Directions API[1] and Distance Matrix API, Web Service HTTP requests to generate routes and how long it'll take for all the nearby drivers to get to a user.
That's not to say it isn't possible with using multiple different other plugins (I've seen some for Google Maps Web Services for Flutter here[2]. It would be interesting to see how these applications perform in comparison to native Android; but I'm not sure if there's enough data to say yet.
[1] https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/directions/intro
[2] https://pub.dartlang.org/packages/google_maps_webservice
I am trying to use a map provider. I wanted to know which of these is better.
Until now, all the reading I have done indicates OSM data is better. Mainly for, It's OPEN & off-line usability. But couldn't get a proper take on which Layer to use.
How are the API supports?
Which tiles to use? (mapnik used by openstreetmaps seems to be nice & free)
OpenStreetMaps Tile usage policy(http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tile_usage_policy) does say limited usage.
Which other slippy map layers are good/better with openstreetmaps (free/paid).
My requirements are:
To allow users to query for routes.
To allow users to look for a location based on GPS co-ordinates.
Add a layer to display a set of some of my data based on location.
OpenSteetMap data is better in the sense that:
It's free and open.
the data is being provided by thousands of users and it's more precise and covers much more information than Google maps data. (except for the satellite view which doesn't exist in OSM).
Tiles - depends on the application you would like to build. For a small (not a high number of http requests) web application you can use the web API which is highly documented and reliable.
The real advantage of OpeenStreetMap, is using OSM data and a number of tools to built you're own OSM server (a good article here), and to use Mapnik or Osmarender tiles render engines for generating you're own tiles that can be used on web applications.
This is why the Tile limitation usage exists, because they recommend hosting and using your own server tiles.
The main difference between Mapnik and Osmrender is that the second exports SVG tiles format.
Information regarding your requirements:
A. routing
It's possible to use OSM data to build a routing web application.
Here is a list of routing programs and web services on OpenStreetMap wiki
Here are two websites using routing with OpenStreetMap which can give you an idea of how it's used on web applications:
yournavigation.org
openrouteservice.org
B. search by gps coordinates
You can use reverse-geocoding and query the OSM database for GPS coordinates the Nominatim tool.
Here is a web application using this tool.
C. layers
Here is the list of webmaps libraries that you can use.
OpenLayers can work with Mapnik generated tiles and it's a commonly used library (with no server-side dependencies) with plenty of docs. It's a framework that can be used as well with Google maps, so it's worth giving it a try.
Polymaps integrates well with SVG tiles generated be Osmarender. It can generate display / diagrams / of specific areas based on marker - user location.
I wanna start developing a map-based web site.
At first I ordered a regulat Gps device just to test the site, later on I would like to use Iphone's gps and other cell devices.
So I need something pretty generic.
I searched the web for map-based development framework and come up with too many of them :
Geo server, Map server, Open layers, Geoext , Google maps's api , and more.
I'm not a seasoned web developr (more of a c++ kind of guy) so I need something pretty straightforward , though robust at the same time.
Moreover, I need one which is free, and won't have licensing problem down the road.
At first I just need basic capabilities as displaying the gps data on my web site in real-time.
Can someone experienced recommend one ?
Thanks
Client
I'd go with OpenLayers - this is an opensource JavaScript client library, similar to the Google Maps API, or Bing API. However OpenLayers will free you of any licensing worries, or changing APIs as the source is available and can be modified - this is not the case with the Google/Bing/Yahoo APIs. You can however use the data from these services as layers in OpenLayers and drop them if they suddenly become filled with adverts or have commercial restrictions.
Have a look at examples to see if there is one you can use to make your first test application - http://openlayers.org/dev/examples/
GeoExtJS is a collection of extra tools and widgets that work with OpenLayers, built on top of another JavaScript framework ExtJS - also open source. ExtJS is mainly used for building user interfaces - data entry forms, grids etc. using JavaScript, to display in the browser.
If you are looking for tree structures to switch layers on and off and other more advanced UI widgets then GeoExtJS is worth looking into.
Server
If you are only displaying points then you can create dynamic KML or GeoJSON on your web server and reference this in OpenLayers. There are libraries in all languages that you can build on. Python has become a key languages in geospatial technologies, and has GeoJSON libraries you could script with.
GeoServer and MapServer are both server-side programs that allow you to serve out spatial data from databases with symbology, labelling etc. If you are having lots of different datasets then its worth spending time setting this up.
MapServer is written in C++ so it is probably easier for you to try this - however you may be able to get away without needing any specialist server side software, especially if your data consists of X,Y / Lon,Lat values that can be easily plotted as points.
For the beginning (you said that you need to show gps position in a real time) I think that Google Maps are good option here. This solution has very simple API and community support is also an advantage here (I've never compared with something else but I have good experince with GMaps and its tutorials/resources). This is for the client side, for server side any web framework should do the work (I use Django and it also have dupport for some geo things - mentioned later in this answer).
You need probably to build application that follows this rules:
Your GPS device sends data to your server(web application) periodically, data is stored in a db.
Users use browser to display data with map (eg. Google Map) which updates position periodicaly on some scheduled interval (eg. ajax calls to the server for the most current position). Each time response is recieved map need to be updated.
I don't know if there are more specialized solutions for this case.
If you need to improve your application and add some features you need to consider some more sophisticated geo frameworks. I have heard some positive opinions on GeoDjango, mainly because it can be easily incorporated with Django(which is very easy web framework to learn and it has a lot of capabilities).
All technologies I mentioned here are free.
I can recommend using the Google Maps API to render your maps in a browser. You can find my reasons in this answer.
The current version of the API has support for getting geo-location information for mobile devices.
I use Bing Maps for mobile. Mainly because its fast, and provides much better looking maps, 3d models, and satellite views for the UK than Google maps does.
I have also had issues with Google changing their service to provide some enhancements and it breaking my app, where at least with the Bing API theres a bit more compatability considered for existing apps. Not that I dont like the Google maps, I do. Its a backup service for me..
I generate maps from both providers, Bing as the primary, Goole secondary... this means that if ones offline of not working, which happens, my users still get to use my app.
Heres a link to Bing Maps Dev on a WIndows Phone for example
I'd take a look at Cloudmade. They have a number of API's, free options, paid options and use OpenStreetMap which for many places is one of the most accurate mapping solutions out there.
free , open source:
www.openstreetmap.org,
u can build ur own server as well using the same technolgogy:
http://weait.com/content/build-your-own-openstreetmap-server
API: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OpenLayers
Although its still in draft form, HTML5 will be supporting Geolocation API. Most major browsers and hand held devices should be supporting it in the near future and should make life a lot easier for developers who want a service independent solution. You would however still need a mapping service like google maps if you need to display locations.
function showMap(position) {
// Show a map centered at (position.coords.latitude, position.coords.longitude)
}
// One-shot position request.
navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(showMap);
EDIT:
Its already supported in several major browsers:
Mozilla Firefox: supported in Firefox
3.5 and later versions.
Chrome: Supports thru Google Gears
Geolocation API
Opera: Supported in
nightly builds
Safari: Support is
coming soon in the IPhone’s Safari
browser.
Internet Explorer:
experimental support available from
IE8.
I want to create an application where users can mark on map location of polluting factories. Google map provides a MAP editor feature. We would like to have our own website like www.toxic-map.org where people could mark these locations. What would be the best approach for this?
Additionally we should be able to backup this database which could be cross checked or used for other purposes.
This will enable us to have little accurate census of such entities and thereby helping us in the fight against these environment harming, illegal factories. Most of our work is focused on developing countries of Asia.
Edited: Google maps is one of the options. I am open to other possible solutions as well. I am looking at something we could do quick prototyping in.
Thank you in advance!!
On the client side, I recommend you to have a look at OpenLayers, a free and open source web mapping framework released under a BSD-style License. It is completely written in Javascript and offers a lot of functionality, including the features that your application may need (Add markers to the map, drag them to adjust the locations, ...).
It also supports dozens of different geographic data formats and services such as WMS, KML or Google Maps.
If you are worried about licensing issues regarding the use of Google Maps, you can use other global data sources like OpenStreetMap or a public WMS if they provide enough coverage of your area of interest.
On the server side, I agree with the answer provided by Daniel Vassallo. I will just add a little detail and recommend you to serve the markers in a standard format natively supported by OpenLayers like KML, GeoJSON or GeoRSS. It will make really easy to draw the markers on the map.
Looks like a really interesting project, I hope you are lucky starting it up.
I seem to remember that there are restrictions to what you can do with the coordinates if you enter them through Google's interface, but if that doesn't bother you then sure, Google might be the way to go. (It may just pertain to geometrical figures entered into Google Earth or something like that.)
Google seems to be in line with your ideology anyway, as they're doing a lot of green power development. Might even be a selling point.
But if you can input the data separately and have Google Maps just display it for you then I wouldn't think they could hold claim to the data.
I think your best bet is to use the Google Maps API instead of the map editor in My Maps.
With some basic JavaScript, you will be able to allow users to drop markers on the polluted locations they would want to tag.
You will need a database on the server-side, and a thin application layer that:
Accepts and validates new markers added by users.
Serves the markers from the database to the browser.
You may want to use AJAX to interact between the browser and the application layer.
I think this type of project would be an excellent candidate to be hosted on the Google App Engine. You will be able to leverage on the simplicity of the webapp framework, and the Google Datastore appears to fit well.
As a side-note, you might be interested in checking out the Heat Map API for Google Maps. I think heat maps would look good in a project like this.
The approach is this:
1. User can drag the marker to the location of toxic factory.
2. A simple form opens to enter details of the toxic factory.
3. The latitude, logitude and other datails are then saved in database.
Please refer www.loppee.com They have a similar solution where user can mark the location of people or places of interest. Loppee uses LeafletJS javascript framework. It is a simple framework. You would be able to develop quick prototype. LeafletJS.com has simple and easy to use code samples.
Additionally, you can enable Geolocation and IP triangulation. Refer: Longitude and latitude value from IP address
I'm currently working on a project which maps items to a physical location within a building. We have a map created in our GIS system (ArcGIS), and are able to resolve items to the appropriate shape ID on this map.
We want to create a web map using one of the APIs such as Google maps or Open Layers in order to display this info, directing the user to the correct location on the map, and ideally highlighting the particular location (for example using a shaded polygon), or at least identifying it with some sort of marker.
However we're very new to all of the online mapping APIs, and are finding it pretty overwhelming at the moment. All we really want is a flat map with our own custom imagery - we dont really care about geo-referencing, or projections etc.
Does anyone have any tips or info about how we might go about this? Even just general pointers would be helpful - it's hard to know where to look when there's so much info out there!
Cheers
If you are using ArcGIS Server, use ArcCatalog to expose your data as a WMS.
If you do not have an ArcGIS Server license, you can use MapServer or GeoServer to do the same (i.e expose as a WMS).
OpenLayers has support for adding WMS layers. See their examples section for sample code.
Cheers
OpenLayers can handle your own custom imagery maps without any problems.
You can check out this example:
http://openlayers.org/dev/examples/image-layer.html
And of course you need to read the API documentation
If you are using ArcGIS to creat eyour map, then use ArcGIS Server to serve up the maps online. Then use ArcGIS JavaScript API to build your web application. There are several out-of-the-box templates as well as easy-to-use examples for performing basic actions such as pan, zoom, select, highlight, redlining, etc.
Create your map service, then add your custom Map as a Dynamic Map Service or a Tiled Map Service (if you've cached it). Perform a Find (or Query if you have more than one feature you want to highlight). Add the Graphic from the FindResult to your GraphicsLayer.
Here's a more complete example.
You could also look at MapGuide OS and (if you don't have studio) Maestro. It is a server side application that will take in SHP files from Arc easily. The only downside IMO is that the built in search and reporting functionality is rather limited but can be extended via the API (C#, PHP and Java) that and it is rather centralized with a persistent process on the server (which can make debugging exceedingly fun).
The fusion/flexible (or whatever they heck they call it) layouts are based on the OpenLayers API but is still relatively new. And you can publish as a WMS or WFS I believe (I haven't done it personally).
If using ArcGIS Server, you can also expose your imagery and feature layers via a REST endpoint that can be consumed by OpenLayers. Check out James Fee's blog post on the topic.