[Qgis-user] web based spatial MIS/Dashboard

[chris hermansen]

Janneke and list,

On Mon, Apr 22, 2024, 03:30 Janneke van Dijk via QGIS-User <
qgis-user at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:

> Dear QGIS developers and users,
>
> [Snip]
>
> More and more, in addition to wanting 'a GIS system', there are requests
> for a web based management information system which shows both maps and
> a dashboard with selected KPIs, and where selecting a feature on the map
> will update the graphs and charts in the dashboard. So far, I have not
> been able to find out if this is possible using Open Source software,
> what it would require in terms of setting it up/configuring/additional
> development. I assume it is technically possible to develop it.
>

In my experience there are a few ways to go about this, but given that you
want something that gives a broader range of graphics support on the
browser end, a really great solution is D3.js

https://d3js.org/

This will give you a large range of ultra high quality data visualization
possibilities in the browser.

You would combine this with something like Bootstrap to build a beautiful
responsive web application. You could also consider something like React or
Vue or Angular.

Then there is the back end. You could also go with a JavaScript backend
like Node, or a Python backend like Django, or Rails which runs on Ruby, or
Spring which runs on Java. My own personal favourite is Grails which runs
on Groovy. All of these wrap a database engine, and given your interest in
geographical data PostGIS / PostgreSQL is the obvious candidate.

Depending on the backend framework you choose, the typical approach would
be to model your data in it, then use it to create basic controllers and
views, then start working on the dashboard views.

However you can build a static dashboard right away in HTML, Bootstrap and
D3 to be a design proof oQ,xf concept. This will also get you familiar with
what you need to learn at the client satisfaction end.

>
> Does anyone have experience with this? How did you set it up? Any
> examples I could have a look at?
>

You will see that the D3 documentation is very complete. Manning Books has
a good intro to D3 if you like books. Bootstrap is also well documented.

The backend frameworks I mentioned are also well-documented, as are PostGIS
( Manning has a great series on it) and PostgreSQL.

I have been building web applications in Grails since its early days, say
2010 ish. I can walk you through an example or two if you want to jump on a
video conference.


> Is there a demand for it (from my limited view - yes)?


There is a sizeable community around non free dashboarding stuff like
Tableau. But non free.

There are lots of web mapping service tools around. D3 in my (limited)
experience is a much broader and more configurable data visualization
approach.

Lots of people want dashboards (smile).


Are there
> thoughts about developing such functionality more 'out of the box'
> within the QGIS community? What would such development require? My
> impression is that there is more (very tentative) willingness from
> donors to consider contributing to Open Source software development as
> part of development projects, but it may mean that it would need to be
> written into tender proposals with indicative figures for the required
> funding.
>

Personally I don't find out-of-the-box data visualization tools all that
convincing at the point where I need to do something complicated. (Insert
bad analogy here about building a house with only a very good adjustable
wrench).

If you're going to end up building a complex web based data visualization
application you probably need to go beyond the simple stuff.

I hope this gives you some ideas.

Chris Hermansen
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