UNIT 18

WEB MAPPING AND DEVELOPMENT

WITH MAP SERVER AND
OPENLAYERS – I
Structure_______________________________________________
18.1 Introduction Use cases of Geo Web Services

Expected learning outcomes 18.5 Map Server: Geoserver

18.2 Web Mapping Installation

Functions of Web Mapping Adding and Publishing Spatial Data

Advantages of Web Mapping 18.6 Client side API: OpenLayers

18.3 Components of Web Mapping API

Client JavaScript

Web Server and Application Server 18.7 Summary

Map Server 18.8 Terminal Questions
Database Server 18.9 References
18.4 Geo Web Services 18.10 Further/Suggested Readings
Types of Geo Web Services 18.11 Answers

18.1 INTRODUCTION
Web based GIS system have gained popularity over the past few years. A number of such systems
exist over the Internet today, which has been developed using a number of techniques, software
and technologies. They range from simple display only, static pages with just images to more
complex dynamic pages with GIS functionally added to them and in some cases closely
representing conventional GIS. Unlike desktop GIS, web GIS applications run in web browsers like

Contributor: Dr. Shailesh Chaure

Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox etc. The accessibility of web GIS
applications through web browsers make them accessible from different
devices using different operating systems like Windows, Linux Android etc. On
the other hand, the desktop GIS applications can be used only on specific
platform for which they were developed. For example, an APK file used to
install application on Android device can’t be used on Windows laptop or
desktop computer.

Expected Learning Outcomes_________________

After reading this unit, you should be able to
❖ Understand and define Web Mappingand understand the functions of web
GIS
❖ Will understand the advantages of web GIS
❖ Explain the components of webGIS
❖ Will have understanding of functions of web GIS
❖ Learn about the various web services
❖ Learn the basics of OpenLayersclient side API

18.2 WEB MAPPING

Web mapping refers to the process of using the internet to view, analyze, and
share geospatial data through maps. This allows users to access geospatial
maps via web browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox. The
rise of web mapping has introduced a new trend in Geographic Information
Systems (GIS). Unlike traditional web cartography, web mapping functions as a
service, giving users the ability to interact with maps and choose the
information they wish to display. Though sometimes used interchangeably with
web GIS, the two terms are distinct. Web mapping can occur independently of
web GIS, but features like dynamic maps and geospatial processing are only
possible with web GIS. While both involve map creation, web GIS places a
stronger focus on the analysis and processing of project-specific data. So will
use the broader term web GIS in place of web Mapping in this and next
chapter.
18.2.1 Functions of Web GIS
Web GIS performs a wide range of functions related to spatial information,
including data capture, storage, editing, manipulation, management, analysis,
sharing, and visualization. Some of the key strengths of Web GIS are as
follows:
1. Mapping (Visualization) and Query: One of the primary functions of Web
GIS is web mapping, which serves as the public-facing aspect of the
system. GIS data and analytical results are typically displayed as maps,
making visualization one of the most widely used features. Each location on
a map is tied to attributes that enable operations like spatial identification
and attribute queries, allowing users to interact with the data in a meaningful
way.

Contributor: Dr. Shaile

2. Collection of Geospatial Information: Web GIS has empowered both
amateurs and professionals to collect and aggregate geospatial information
through collaborative platforms. For example, OpenStreetMap is a crowd-
sourced project where users contribute data collected via personal GPS
devices, creating a rich repository of geographic information.
3. Dissemination of Geospatial Information: Web GIS serves as an ideal
platform for the widespread distribution of geospatial data. Government
agencies, academic institutions, and private organizations utilize Web GIS
to share valuable spatial information. One notable example is India-WRIS
(Water Resources Information System), a Web GIS portal developed
through a collaboration between the Central Water Commission (CWC) and
the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). India-WRIS provides a
"single window" solution for accessing comprehensive, authoritative water
resource data for India. Similarly, ISRO-BHUVAN is another Web GIS tool
that enables users to view 2D and 3D imagery, as well as information on
soil, geology, wasteland, and water resources across India. These geo-
portals foster collaboration between departments and organizations,
reducing duplication of efforts, cutting costs, and increasing efficiency.
4. Geospatial Analysis: Web GIS offers more than just mapping
capabilities—it also provides advanced analytical functions. These include
everyday tools like measuring distances and areas, determining the optimal
driving routes (navigation), locating addresses or places, and conducting
proximity analysis to find nearby businesses. These functionalities make
Web GIS a powerful tool for both casual users and professionals needing
spatial insights.
18.2.2 Advantages of Web Mapping
Web GIS offers a range of advantages over traditional desktop GIS, providing
enhanced accessibility, scalability, and functionality. These advantages make
Web GIS a flexible, cost-effective, and widely accessible solution for managing
and analyzing geospatial data, whether for local projects or global-scale
initiatives. Here are the key benefits:
1. Global accessibility: Web GIS applications can be accessed from
anywhere with an internet connection, allowing users from around the world
to interact with geospatial data without needing specialized software.
2. Real-time data access and updates: Web GIS enables real-time access to
updated geospatial data, making it ideal for applications that require up-to-
date information, such as traffic management, weather forecasting, or
disaster response.
3. Multi-user collaboration: Unlike desktop GIS, which typically supports a
single user, Web GIS allows many users to view, edit, and share data
simultaneously, fostering collaboration among teams or the public.
4. Cost efficiency: Web GIS typically reduces costs by eliminating the need
for expensive GIS software licenses and installations. Many Web GIS
solutions are free or offer subscription-based pricing, making them more
affordable for users.

Contributor: Dr. Shailesh Chaure

5. Cross-platform compatibility: Web GIS applications work on any device
with a web browser (desktops, tablets, smartphones) and across multiple
operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux), ensuring wide accessibility.
6. Ease of use: Web GIS interfaces are generally more user-friendly than
traditional desktop GIS systems, designed for non-experts as well as
professionals. This lowers the barrier to entry and allows public users to
engage with GIS applications without prior training.
7. Scalability: Web GIS can handle large numbers of users at the same time,
making it suitable for both small-scale and large-scale applications. It can
also scale to accommodate growing data and user needs.
8. Centralized updates: With Web GIS, software and data updates occur
centrally on the server. Users always access the latest version without
needing to manually update software or data.
9. Diverse applications: Web GIS can be used across various industries,
including urban planning, environmental monitoring, agriculture, public
health, and emergency services, allowing it to meet diverse user needs.
10. Integration with other web services: Web GIS can easily integrate with
other web tools, such as data analysis platforms, social media, and web-
based APIs, providing enhanced functionality for data sharing and
collaboration.
11. Broader audience: Web GIS applications are often designed for public use,
extending GIS beyond professionals to citizens, businesses, and
government organizations. This broadens its impact, promoting public
engagement and decision-making.
12. Customizable and dynamic maps: Web GIS allows users to customize
the display of maps by selecting layers, filtering data, or incorporating
dynamic elements like real-time data streams, making the maps more
interactive and informative.
These advantages make Web GIS a flexible, cost-effective, and widely
accessible solution for managing and analyzing geospatial data, whether for
local projects or global-scale initiatives.

18.3 COMPONENTS OF WEB GIS

Web GIS is composed of several key components that work together to
facilitate the collection, analysis, and dissemination of geospatial information
over the internet. The standard layered architecture of Web GIS comprises
three main layers: the user interface layer, the application layer, and the
database layer. Typically, a web application will have at least a Client and
server. The server will send the request to the server via internet and the server
will respond to the request. Here are the main components of Web GIS:

Contributor: Dr. Shaile

 Fig. 18.1: Components of Web GIS.

18.3.1 Client
The client is the user-facing part or the user interface of the Web GIS
application. It typically consists of a web browser or a mobile application that
allows users to interact with the GIS interface. The client facilitates user input
and displays outputs, such as maps and spatial data visualizations. A typical
web interface with the html form is a simple client, which is an important part of
web GIS application and is developed using html (Hypertext Markup
Language), JavaScript and CSS (cascade style sheets). For development of
web based GIS interface many open source APIs are available. API
(Application Program Interface) is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for
building software applications. Many open source free API libraries such as
JavaScript are forbuilding web map applications. Proprietary Web mapping
APIs are available from Google Maps,Bing Maps and Esri ArcGIS etc. A brief
account of open source free APIs is given in Table18.1.
Table 18.1: Brief Account of Open Source Web Mapping APIs.
Name Description

Mature and richly featured JavaScript library for building web map
OpenLayers
applications with a large developer community. https://openlayers.org/

Leaflet is a modern open-source JavaScript library for mobile-

Leaflet friendly interactive maps. It is developed by Vladimir Agafonkin and
dedicated contributors. https://leafletjs.com/

D3 It is a JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data.

Polymaps is a free JavaScript library for making dynamic, interactive

Polymaps
maps in modern web browsers.

Mapbox is a robust JavaScript library designed to create interactive and

Mapbox
visually captivating maps (2D and 3D) for the web.

18.3.2 Web Server and Application Server

Web servers are computers that are constantly connected to the internet, and
are optimized to send web pages out to people who request them. The web
server hosts the web applications and manages incoming requests from clients.
It processes these requests, retrieves necessary data, and serves web pages
and resources to the client. This component is responsible for handling HTTP
Contributor: Dr. Shailesh Chaure
(Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) requests and delivering content to users. HTTP
is the main protocol used by servers and clients to communicate with each
other.From a hardware perspective, a web server is a computer that stores
various component files of a website, including HTML documents, CSS
stylesheets, JavaScript files and other file types, such as images. Web servers
maintain an internet connection and can be accessed via a URL, such as
https://www.google.com/.
The application server acts as an intermediary between the web server and the
data sources. It contains the business logic and processing functionalities
required for mapping and geospatial analysis. This server executes tasks such
as layer selection, data querying, and application logic, making it essential for
the operation of Web GIS applications.The most popular web servers used
today are Apache HTTP server, Jetty server and Microsoft’s Internet
Information Services (IIS) server.
18.3.3 Map Server
A Map Server is a specialized software application or system designed to
generate and deliver maps and geospatial data over the internet. It plays a
crucial role in Web GIS by rendering spatial information dynamically, allowing
users to interact with and visualize geographic data. The key functions of the
Map Server are:
Rendering Maps: The primary function of a map server is to render maps
based on geographic data. It can create map images from vector and raster
data, which can then be displayed in web applications.
Layer Management: Map servers can manage multiple data layers (e.g.,
streets, satellite imagery, terrain) and allow users to toggle between them. This
enables users to customize the visual representation of the map based on their
needs.
Dynamic Data: Map servers can process real-time or frequently updated data,
allowing for the display of dynamic information such as traffic conditions,
weather data, or emergency alerts.
Spatial Queries: Users can perform spatial queries to extract specific
information from the map. This could include finding nearby points of interest or
identifying features within a defined area.
Coordinate Transformation: Map servers can transform coordinates from one
projection system to another, ensuring that data from various sources can be
accurately represented on the map.
API Integration: Many map servers provide APIs (Application Programming
Interfaces) that enable developers to integrate mapping functionalities into their
applications easily. This allows for customized map solutions tailored to specific
user needs.
Support for Standards: Most of the map servers adhere to established
standards like WMS (Web Map Service), WFS (Web Feature Service), and
others, ensuring interoperability with various GIS applications and services.

Contributor: Dr. Shaile

Many commercial and open source map server products are available for
publishing the maps on Internet. A brief account of popular open source/free
map server is given in Table 18.2.
Table 18.2: Brief Account of Free Map Server Products.

Product Description

deegree is open source software for spatial data infrastructures and the
deegree
geospatial web with components for geospatial data management

Geomajas is an open source GIS framework for the web. It allows

Geomajas aggregation and transformation of GIS data sources and has
components for Web mapping.

GeoServer is an open-source server written in Java - allows users to

GeoServer
share, process and edit geospatial data.https://geoserver.org/

Jshape Free JAVA-based webserver using ArcView shapefiles for data delivery.

Mapbender is the back office software and client framework for spatial
Mapbender data infrastructures. The software is implemented in PHP, JavaScript
and XML.

MapGuide Open Source is a web-based platform that enables users to

MapGuide develop and deploy web mapping applications and geospatial web
services.

Mapnik is an open source mapping toolkit for desktop and server-based

Mapnik map rendering, written in C++. Supports Shapefiles, PostGIS and
GeoTiff.

MapServer is a CGI-based application for delivering dynamic GIS and

MapServer
image processing content via the www. https://mapserver.org/

18.3.4 Data Server

The data server stores and manages the geospatial data used by the
application. This component can include databases that hold vector and raster
data, spatial files, and other relevant information. It ensures that the data is
accessible, organized, and retrievable for the application server and map server
to use.Its primary role is to store, manage, retrieve, and process data in a
structured manner using a database management system (DBMS). The
database server ensures that multiple users or applications can access and
manipulate the database concurrently while maintaining data integrity and
security. Some of the widely used database servers include MySQL,
PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database. Modern database
management systems allow users to store and query spatial data.
Together, these components form a comprehensive Web GIS system (Fig.
18.1) that allows users to interact with, analyze, and share geospatial
information efficiently. This architecture supports a wide range of applications
across various fields, including urban planning, environmental monitoring, and
resource management.

Contributor: Dr. Shailesh Chaure

Working of a web GIS application and its components can be summarized in
the following steps:
• The server has a URL so that the client can find it on the Web;
• The client sends the request to the server according to the HTTP
specification;
• The server (Map Server and Data Server) performs the requested GIS
operation and sends a response to the client via HTTP;
• The response sent to the client can be in a variety of formats, such as
HTML, binary images, XML (Extensible markup language), or JSON
(JavaScript object tables).
Prior to learning about the Geo web services in the next section, let us spend
few minutes to check our progress.

SAQ I
a) What is web Mapping?
b) What is the role of Map Server?
c) What is the role of Client in web GIS?
d) What is Data Server?

18.4 Geo Web Services

A Geo Web Service is a type of web service specifically designed to handle and
deliver geospatial data and services over the internet. These services allow
users to access, manipulate, and visualize geographic information from
different sources, enabling a wide range of applications such as mapping,
geospatial analysis, and spatial data sharing. Geo Web Services are key
components of Web GIS, facilitating the exchange and integration of
geographic data across platforms and systems.
18.4.1 Types of Geo Web Services
1. Web Map Service (WMS):
Web Map Service (WMS) is a standard protocol for serving geo-referenced
images over the Internet that are generated by a map server from a GIS
database. The specification was developed and published by the Open
Geospatial Consortium (OGC) in 1999. A WMS server, usually serves the map
in a bitmap format, e.g. PNG, GIF or JPEG.
In a typical web GIS implementation user (or client) makes a request to a WMS
server by specifying parameters such as the desired geographic area
(bounding box), the layers to be displayed, the image format (e.g., PNG or
JPEG), and the map’s projection. The map server responds to the request and
generates a map image based on the specified parameters (Fig. 18.2). The
map image is then sent back to the client for display in a web browser (Google
Chrome, Firefox etc.) or GIS application (QGIS, ArcGIS etc.).

Contributor: Dr. Shaile

 Fig. 18.2: Web Map Service.

2. Web Feature Service (WFS):

A Web Feature Service (WFS)is anOGC standard that allows users to interact
with and manipulate vector-based geospatial data over the web. Unlike the
Web Map Service (WMS), which delivers static map images, WFS provides
access to the actual geographic features (points, lines, polygons) and their
associated attribute data. This means that users can query, retrieve, and even
modify geospatial data, offering a much more interactive and dynamic
experience compared to simple map visualization.

Fig. 18.3: Web Feature Service.

If a web GIS client (web browser or GIS software) sends a WFs request. The
WFS server processes the request and returns the requested geographic
features (point, line or polygon) in a structured format such as GML (Geography
Markup Language), GeoJSON, or Shapefile (Fig. 18.3).The rendering of the
image/map is done by the client from the received vectors. Once the data is
received, users can interact with it by performing spatial queries, analyzing
attribute data, and even editing the features if the service allows for
transactional operations.
3. Web Coverage Service (WCS):
WCSis an open standard developed by the OGC for serving raster data over
the web. It allows users to request, extract, and download multi-dimensional
geospatial data (often referred to as coverages) from remote servers in a
Contributor: Dr. Shailesh Chaure
standardized format. Unlike other web services like Web Map Service (WMS),
which typically returns images of maps, WCS provides the actual geospatial
data that can be used for further analysis.
4. Catalogue Service for the Web (CSW):
CSW is an open standard developed by the OGC for publishing and accessing
metadata about geospatial resources over the web. The goal of CSW is to
enable users to discover and query metadata for geospatial datasets, services,
and other related resources in a standardized and interoperable way. CSW
plays a crucial role in Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) by allowing users to
search for available geospatial resources based on various criteria like
geographic location, keyword, or data format.
18.4.2 Geo Web Service Use cases
WMS in India is integral to a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, urban
planning, disaster management, environmental conservation, and water
resources management. It provides real-time access to geospatial information,
enabling authorities, researchers, and the public to make informed decisions
and improve efficiency across various initiatives. WMS is provided by many
government agencies for sharing and visualizing spatial information. In India,
several agencies like ISRO, National Informatics Centre (NIC), and private
players such as MapmyIndia provide geo web services, making these
technologies accessible across sectors for better decision-making and
planning. Below are some key use cases of WMS in the Indian context:
Bhuvan - ISRO’s Geoportal
Bhuvan, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO),
provides a multi-resolution, multi-sensor, and multi-temporal satellite imagery of
India. It allows users to visualize spatial data related to land use, water
resources, natural disasters, and environmental conditions. Bhuvan
(https://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/home/index.php) integrates WMS to provide
dynamic maps on various themes such as soil, urban planning, agriculture,
geology and disaster management. The maps can be accessed in real-time,
and users can overlay layers, zoom, and pan for deeper insights.
National Portal of Map Services - NIC
National Informatics Centre (NIC) has created Multi-Layer GIS Platform named
"Bharat Maps" which depicts core foundation data as "NICMAPS", an
integrated base map service using 1:50,000 scale reference data from Survey
of India, ISRO, FSI, RGI and so on. Bharat maps services
(https://bharatmaps.gov.in/BharatMaps/Home/Map) Platform aims to provide
access to GIS data as a service to various Mission mode projects and e-
government divisions of NIC at Central and State level. The service portal
enables a platform for accessing the services in a seamless
manner.https://mapservice.gov.in/gismapserviceMVC

18.5 MAP SERVER: GEOSERVER

As mentioned earlier in this unit, Map Server is a software component
responsible for serving map data through WMS, WFS and other geo web

Contributor: Dr. Shaile

services. Many software tools are available to setup a map server (Table No.
2). Here we will learn about setting up the GeoServer, because it has a
graphical user interface and easy to setup and configure.
GeoServer was started in 2001 by The Open Planning Project (TOPP), a non-
profit technology incubator based in New York. TOPP was creating a suite of
tools to enable open democracy and to help make government more
transparent. It 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.Being
a community-driven project, GeoServer is developed, tested, and supported by
a diverse group of individuals and organizations from around the
world.GeoServer is free software and is licensed under
the GNUGeneralPublicLicense.
18.5.1 Installation
There are many ways to install GeoServer. Here we will learn about the
installation procedure on Windows platform. GeoServer requires Java 11 or 17
environment (JRE) to be installed on the computer. Windows Installer can be
downloaded from the Geoserver.org. The downloaded setup file (GeoServer-
2.xx.0-winsetup.exe) can be run by double clicking by mouse. This setup will
install Jetty Server (Web Application) and GeoServer (Map Server). After
installation Jetty server and Geoserver will automatically starts as a service.
The user interface of GeoServer can only be opened in a web browser. To
open the user interface just type http://localhost:8080/geoserver in the address
bar of the web browser, enter user name and password (default un: admin, pw:
geoserver). User interface as shown in Fig. 18.4 will open.

Fig. 18.4: Welcome Screen of GeoServer.

Contributor: Dr. Shailesh Chaure

All the tasks required to publish vector and raster layers can be performed by
using this interface. The various menu options can be seen on the left side of
the user interface. Most of the basic work is performed from the ‘Data’ option
from the menu.
18.5.2 Adding and Publishing Spatial Data
The publishing of geospatial data can be done by the choosing sub option
available in ‘Data’ option of the menu. The steps given below can be followed to
publish spatial data:
1. First of all, a new work space is created by clicking ‘workspaces’
option.A workspace is the name for a notional container, used to group
similar data together in GeoServer. Using workspace, it is possible to use
layers with identical names (in other workspaces) without conflict.A unique
name is required for creating a new workspace.
2. Once the workspace is created, we are ready to add a new ‘store’. The
store tells GeoServer how to connect to the geospatial data
source.A store is the name for a container of geographic data. A store
refers to a specific data source, be it a shapefile, database, or any other
data source that GeoServer supports.
3. Once the store is created all the layers in data source (shapefile folder,
Postgres database etc.) appears. Now by clicking Publish button in front of
each layer name the layers can be configured to publish. On click of
‘Publish’ button Edit Layer window opens.

4. In Edit Layer window, from ‘Data’ option enter the Native SRS (Spatial
Reference System) and Declared SRS for the layer. The bounding box
parameters are automatically calculated based on SRS information.
5. After this ‘Publishing’ from the same Edit window default style is required to
be selected for the appropriate styling for each layer.
6. The styles for each layer can be created using any desktop GIS software
like QGIS or ArcGIS and can be saved as and saved as sld file. The sld files
is style layer descriptor file containing the styling information of features
based on attribute value or some rules.
7. The styles created and saved as .sld file can be stored in GeoServer by
using ‘Styles’ option from ‘Data’ menu. The styles added to Geoserver can
be changed or applied to the published layers using Layers option form
Data menu.
8. The published layers can be viewed using the ‘Layer Preview’ option
from‘Data’ Menu. The published data can be viewed as WMS layers or it
can be downloaded in any image or vector data format such as GeoJSON,
CSV, GML etc.
For detailed step by step procedure the user manual
(https://docs.geoserver.org/latest/en/user/) can be referred.

Contributor: Dr. Shaile

18.6 CLIENT SIDE API: OPENLAYERS
OpenLayers is a high-performance, feature-packed JavaScript library for
creating interactive web maps or web GIS applications. It can display map tiles,
vector data and markers loaded from any source on any web page. It is free
and Open Source JavaScript API(Application Programming
Interface). OpenLayers was created by MetaCarta in 2005 and released as
open source software in 2006. Since it is a client side library, it requires no
special server side software or settings, so it can be used without even
downloading anything. Originally developed by Metacarta in 2005, now it has
grown into a mature, popular frameworkdeveloped by GIS community. It is very
powerful but also easy to use—you don't even need to be a programmer to
make a great map with this API. Instead of buildinga mapping application from
scratch, one can use OpenLayers for the mapping part.All the requests from
client to getWMS and WFS services from map server is handled by
OpenLayers. As it is written in JavaScript, so to use it some knowledge of the
basic syntax of JavaScript is necessary.
18.6.1 API
API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a set of
communication protocols and routines that allow different programs to interact
with one another. Programmers can use various API tools to simplify and
streamline their development process. Additionally, APIs offer an efficient
method for developers to build software. In essence, the purpose of an API is to
enable communication between two programs or applications by providing the
necessary tools and functions. Developers often use APIs extensively in their
software to implement various features through API calls, eliminating the need
to write complex code from scratch.
18.6.2 JavaScript
JavaScript is a high-level, interpreted programming language primarily used to
create dynamic and interactive elements on websites. It is one of the core
technologies of web development, alongside HTML and CSS. JavaScript allows
developers to implement complex features like interactive forms, animations,
real-time updates, and more, directly within the browser.
Some key features of JavaScript include:
1. Client-side scripting: It runs on the user's browser without requiring
server-side processing.
2. Event-driven: JavaScript can react to user actions such as clicks, mouse
movements, and form inputs.
3. Cross-platform: It works across different web browsers and operating
systems.
4. Dynamic typing: Unlike some other programming languages, JavaScript
allows flexibility in how variables are defined and used.
5. Supports APIs: JavaScript integrates easily with various APIs, enabling
developers to access a wide range of functionalities like web storage,
multimedia, and more.
Contributor: Dr. Shailesh Chaure
JavaScript is widely used in both front-end and back-end development (via
frameworks like Node.js) and is essential for modern web applications.
Letup spent some time to check our progress.

SAQ II
a) What is WMS?
b) What is WFS?
c) What is GeoServer?
d) What is OpenLayers?

18.7 SUMMARY
Web mapping refers to the process of using the internet to view, analyze, and
share geospatial data through maps. This allows users to access geospatial
maps via web browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox. Web
mapping is sometimes used interchangeably with web GIS. Web mapping can
occur independently of web GIS, but features like dynamic maps and geodata
processing are only possible with web GIS. Web GIS combines powerful
visualization, collaborative data collection, broad information dissemination, and
robust analytical capabilities to support a wide range of applications, from public
data sharing to complex geospatial analysis. Typically, a web application will
have at least a Client and server. The server will send the request to the server
via internet and the server will respond to the request. The components like
Client, Web Server, Application Server, Map Server and Data Server are
required to form a comprehensive Web GIS system. Geo Web Services are key
components of Web GIS, facilitating the exchange and integration of
geographic data across platforms and systems.

18.8 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. What are the advantages of Web GIS?
2. What are the components of web GIS?
3. What kind of software tools are required for making a web based GIS
system?
4. What are the role of Map Server in web GIS?
5. What is Geo web service?

18.9 REFERENCES
• Alesheikh, A., Helali, H. and Behroz, H. (2002); “Web GIS: technologies and
its applications”, In Symposium on geospatial theory, processing and
applications.
• GeoServer User Manual, https://docs.geoserver.org/latest/en/user/
• Hazzard Erik, (2011); OpenLayers 2.10 Beginners Guide, Packt Publishing
Ltd.

Contributor: Dr. Shaile

• Lu, X. (2005); “An Investigation on Service-Oriented Architecture for
Constructing Distributed Web GIS Application”. In IEEE International
conference on Services Computing (SCC’05) Vol1 (2005).
• Mitchell Tyler, (2005); “Web Mapping Illustrated”, O’rReilly Media, Inc.
• PengZhong-Ren and Tsou Ming-Hsiang. (2003); Internet GIS: distributed
geographic information services for the internet and wireless networks. John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
• Pinde Fu and Jiulin Sun. (2010); “Web GIS –Principles and Applications”.
Esri Press.
• Plewe, B. (1997). GIS online: Information retrieval, mapping, and the
Internet. OnWord Press.
• Shan Y.P. and Earle R.H. (1998); “Enterprise Computing with Objects: From
Client/Server Environment to the Internet. Reading, Massachusetts
Addison-Wesley.
• Sugumaran, V. and Sugumaran, R. (2007); “Web-based spatial decision
support systems (websdss): evolution, architecture, examples.”
Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 19, 844–875.
• Turner, Andrew. (2006); Introduction to neogeography. Sebastopol, Calif.:
O’Reilly Media.

18.10 FURTHER/SUGGESTED READINGS

• GeoServer Tutorials –
https://docs.geoserver.org/main/en/user/tutorials/index.html
• OpenLayers Tutorials - https://openlayers.org/en/v6.15.1/doc/tutorials/
• OpenLayers Examples - https://openlayers.org/en/v6.15.1/examples/
• Basic Concepts of WebGIS - https://webgis.pub/fundation-concept.html
• HTTPS - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPS
• JavaScript Tutorial - https://www.w3schools.com/js/default.asp
• HTML Tutorial - https://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp
• Software license - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_license
• https://dst-iget.in/gst/assets/pdf/tutorial/IGET_WEBGIS_003_GeoServer.pdf

18.11 ANSWERS
SAQ I
a) Refer 18.2
b) Refer 18.3.3
c) Refer 18.3.1
d) Refer 18.3.4

SAQ II

Contributor: Dr. Shailesh Chaure

a) Refer 18.4.1
b) Refer 18.4.1
c) Refer 18.5
d) Refer 18.6

Terminal Questions
1. Please refer to subsection 18.2.2.
2. Please refer to section 18.3.
3. Please refer to section 18.3, in this question write about each component
and give the names of software tools available for each component of web
GIS.
4. Please refer to subsection 18.3.3.
5. Please refer to section 18.4 and subsection 1.8.4.1

Contributor: Dr. Shaile