[webmap-discuss] Choosing a Web Mapping Platform Wiki

[Cameron Shorter]

Paul,
Excellent start here, and next time I get a spare moment, I'd like to 
add to it.

The target audience for this page should be web developers who know 
little or nothing about web mapping.

So we should have a background section describing key issues to consider 
when designing a web application. Ie:
* Bandwidth associated with sending vector graphics to the client.
* Benefits of AJAX.
* Benefits of tiling and caching.
* Speed of rendering in browser and server.
* Size of JS sent to client and relate that to time.
* ...

I agree with Richard that we need a table showing which applications 
provide which features. This should include size of JS downloaded for 
each application.

Users will want to know that the application they fix is going to be 
supported and flexable in the future. So we should discuss WebMap.js, 
how it is being used by applications, whether is will be possible to 
migrate from one application to another in the future if conditions change.

Paul Ramsey wrote an excellent "State of Open Source GIS" paper, which 
includes a section describing how to assess Open Source projects.
http://www.refractions.net/white_papers/oss_briefing/2006-06-OSS-Briefing.pdf
We should answer these questions for each project:
* Is the project well document?
* Is the development team transparent?
* Is the software modular?
* How wide is the development community?
* how wide is the user community?

We should have a section for each application which starts:
Mapbuilder is ....
You should choose Mapbuilder if you want ...
Mapbuilder's future direction is ...

Paul Spencer wrote:
> Rich,
> 
> I struggled with wording and have no problems changing it.  Perhaps  we 
> need to develop a dictionary/glossary for web-mapping terms so  that 
> everything we talk about has some static reference point that  
> (hopefully) we agree on.
> 
> For instance, client can mean:
> 
> * the application produced by a developer using the toolkit (client -  
> server)
> * browser technology
> * person (developer) choosing which toolkit to use
> * end user of the application that the person (developer) is going to  make
> * person (company) hiring person (developer) to build an application  
> for their clients
> 
> Expanding the matrix is a bit problematic since we are limited to two  
> dimensions.  I was hoping that it would be somehow really simple.   
> Perhaps the whole thing would be better presented as a flow chart and  a 
> series of binary questions that direct a potential developer.
> 
> In any case, I was hoping that each project would develop a project  
> profile that highlighted some of the benefits, limitations and use- 
> cases for their projects and that profile would include some of the  
> detail that you are talking about here.
> 
> Interested in feedback ...
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Paul
> 
> On 24-Sep-06, at 9:58 AM, Richard Greenwood wrote:
> 
>> I like the "Choosing a Web Mapping Platform" Wiki that Paul Spencer  
>> started at:
>>
>>   http://wiki.osgeo.org/index.php/Choosing_a_Web_Mapping_Platform
>>
>> A few questions:
>>
>> 1. Is the focus of the Wiki really a Platform, or a Client? It seems
>> like the focus is on clients and a separate page might be appropriate
>> for servers. Where platform = server + client.
>>
>> 2. How about an expanded matrix detailing more functionality and
>> requirements like:
>> - templates (managed / unmanaged) (this is in Paul's matrix)
>> - consumes (OGC, proprietary, Google, etc.) (Client/Server in  Paul's 
>> matrix)
>> - server side requirements to support the client
>> - legend / layer selector
>> - measure and area tools
>> - digitizing
>> - tiled "slippy" map panning
>> - JavaScript library(s)
>> - other important stuff
>> Do other people see value in this level of detail?
>> Would people from the various projects be willing to provide details
>> for their projects?
>> Can an HTML table be put into a Wiki page, or are we limited to  ASCII 
>> art?
>>
>> Rich
>>
>> -- 
>> Richard Greenwood
>> richard.greenwood at gmail.com
>> www.greenwoodmap.com
>>
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> 
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> |Paul Spencer                           pspencer at dmsolutions.ca   |
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> |Chief Technology Officer                                         |
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-- 
Cameron Shorter
http://cameron.shorter.net