I am not familiar with the GIS (or map), but recently I have to do some work related to this field. I know some map providers: OpenStreetMap, CloudMadeMap, OpenCycleMap, OpenAerialMap ...
My questions is: Do those map providers have the same standards? I mean the tile size, zoom levels, scales for each zoom level and so on.
Is there any standard for open GIS? If yes, where can I find them or some one could give me some references or links?
Yes, all the services you mention, along with many others in the open-source GIS mapping world, share the same defacto "z/x/y.png tile standard". The tile numbering, zoom levels, scales and so on are all the same across the these providers.
The "standard" isn't official, but the OCG are formalizing the details under the acronym "TMS", unfortunately in an incompatible way with what is in practice (different origin for the tile numbering. Gah!)
The OpenStreetMap wiki has the best description of the numbering scheme. You can display such tiles in OpenLayers using the XYZ or OSM layers. Note that the projection for all these layers is "Spherical Mercator", aka EPSG:900913 or EPSG:3857.
I run the OpenCycleMap servers, and was the Technical Lead for CloudMade when we chose this scheme. Both were chosen to be identical to OpenStreetMap, which in turn was based on the scheme Google were using at the time.
I am also very new to GIS programming, but it seems GIS is heavily standardized. From the storage layer (WKT, WKB), to the server layer (WMS, WFS, SLD..). Try lookinh those up on wikipedia (I think I can't post this many links with my reputation?).
We started developing using the following open source stack: PostGIS, GeoServer, OpenLayers and so far we are happy with our decision, everything fits together beautifully,
You might be interested in the Open Geospatial Consortium Web Map Service (WMS) standard. It is a standard protocol for serving georeferenced map images over the Internet.
Consumers of web map services can "mash up" lots of different layers from different providers to create their own applications.
There are no exact standards regarding tile sizes, zoom levels and such because these are highly customizable.
There are technical standards regarding file, db and web service formats.
Some file formats of ESRI (i.e. Shapefiles) are de-facto standards, for better and for worse.
Others are open standards from the OGC, but don't expect to see all of these open formats in commercial products (i.e. even the ubiquitous KML format is not 100% supported in ESRI products).
There are two relevant OGC standards with regard to map tiling. The Web Map Tiling Service (WMTS) currently in candidate standard form and a proposed extension to WMS to add a cached/tiled version.
So the short answer is "no", there's no official standard yet.
The three major vendors have standardized on a defacto standard for tiling scheme's. A description of the scheme can be found here, among other places.
From what I know of the map providers you listed, they each have their own scheme... though I don't know for sure. You will likely have to check each individual provider for their tiling scheme. You will also need to make sure that their usage agreements let you use the tiles directly (as opposed to using any API they might provide).
This doesn't really speak to standards, but I thought it worth pointing out that the first three you mentioned, OpenStreetMap, CloudMadeMap, and OpenCycleMap, are all related projects.
OpenStreetMap is the project to collect the open mapping data, OpenCycleMap is an implementation that uses that data to a create a map tailored to Cyclists, and Cloudmade is a for-profit company founded by a number of the people who founded the OpenStreetMap project, and they also use its data.
When I wanted to add OpenStreetMap data to my website, I ended up using a (for now, free) tile serving service offered by Cloudmade. This saved me having to worry about generating tiles or serving them myself. I've had a good experience with it.
Related
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 am a final year Computer Science undergraduate student from India. I want to create a WPF application that displays 3D buildings like in the latest Google maps 5 for android. This will be the basis of my final year project. I have some questions before i start working on this.
Should I make it desktop or web based, or should I use the web to store some metadata and render the data in the desktop software?
For 3D display of buildings in a map area, is WPF enough or will I need knowledge of XNA and Direct X too?
Will this violate Google Maps TOS if I use Google Maps API? (I want to do something Google Maps does not provide in India) Is using Bing Maps a better option?
Is it feasible to read building elevations and rendering them using the above mentioned Maps APIs? Is it that the elevation data available through Google Maps API is only for the terrain and not for individual buildings?
I have three months to complete this project and have given details of the technologies I intend to work with.
Will I need in-depth knowledge of any more technologies for this?
Excuse me if I missed some detail. I am posting this from my cellphone using opera mobile. It's time we have an android client for stackoverflow.
1) That is entirely up to you. As you don't specify your target user then it is hard to say what the best way to deliver the application is. For example, if you want to be able to widely distribute it and have a high compatibility then perhaps a web-based application would be best. Conversley, if you require high performance and are targeting a specific os, chip-set, etc then a stand-alone application may be better.
2) Again, it is hard to say. WPF can certainly render 3d objects and may provide you with everything you require. If again you require more complex rendering you may also want to look at later versions of Direct3D, which can help a lot with things like HDR textures, Multi-threading, etc.
3) I am not a lawyer so I can't say for sure - even if I If I were it would still depend on the specifics of your implementation. That said, the bing maps section 2 (i) seems pretty good for you - Academic use seems pretty open as long as you make the application available publicly without restriction. The Google TOS seems more restrictive to me at least.
4) To me that would be a breech of the Google Maps/Earth TOS - The section on Restrictions on use seems pretty clear...But again, I am not a lawyer so I can't say for sure...
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
Simple question, the answer may not be...
I'm going to be developing a web app (ASP.NET MVC) for a client. They have asked me for an opinion on whether to use Google Maps or Virtual Earth for providing a mapping solution.
Which would you go for and why? Or are there others you can recommend?
What else do you need to know?
Street view (or equivalent) won't be
necessary in the near future, but
one day it might.
The client wants to identify certain
mappable features, and beyond that
find these features when within a
specified distance.
What else should I be considering at a high level? Or my client?
Thank you in advance.
One of your major considerations needs to be licensing if this is for a commercial web site. You'll have to contact both Google and Microsoft for exact details and pricing, but there's plenty on the web that indicates it could cost you $10k to implement these solutions in production. They get you hooked on the rapid and easy development though!
My preference is for Google Maps, it just feels a bit slicker but I have developed some pretty good prototypes with the Virtual Earth SDK before.
I don't know if Microsoft are planning an equivalent to the StreetView feature so if that is on the requirements cards in the future then stick with Google.
Either of the technologies will allow you to search for geographic features in various ways - whether via region, street address or specific latitude + longitude. They also allow you to overlay your own images or draw lines, polygons etc.
Google Maps seems to have a wider user base (even though Microsoft were technically doing this stuff before Google got into it!), so you're likely to find more help out on the intarweb when implementing your solution than for Microsoft.
More info on Google Maps for Enterprise is located here:
http://www.google.com/enterprise/maps/map_info.html
You should be asking the client for a reasonably comprehensive list of requirements for the mapping solution. You've mentioned one - these "mappable features". Are there any others?
Once you've got the list you can then see which one provides the best fit and go with that.
If Street View is definitely on the horizon then you have to go with Google - or is it something that's just come up in conversation?
Having said that, for a little bit more effort you could write an abstraction layer that sits between your application and the mapping solution so that if the one you didn't choose provides a better fit in the future it would be easier to make the change. Though this does go against the Agile methodology (YAGNI).