Web mapping: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Smartphone with navigation map app.jpg|thumb|right|A web map app inon a [[smart phone]] ofdisplaying [[Lake Lappajärvi]] in Finland]]

'''Web mapping''' or an '''online mapping''' is the process of using, creating, and distributing [[map]]s on the [[World Wide Web]] (the Web), usually through the use of [[Web GIS|Web geographic information systems]] (Web GIS).<ref name=Fu1>{{cite book |last1=Fu |first1=Pinde |last2=Sun |first2=Jiulin |title=Web GIS: Principles and Applications |year=2011 |___location=Redlands, Califadfd. |publisher=ESRI Press |isbn=978-1-58948-245-6 |oclc=1336448374 |url=https://archive.org/details/webgisprinciples0000fupi |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name=Fu2>{{cite book |last1=Fu |first1=Pinde |title=Getting to Know Web GIS |year=2016 |___location=Redlands, Calif. |publisher=ESRI Press |edition=2 |isbn=9781589484634 |oclc=928643136 |url=https://archive.org/details/gettingtoknowweb0000fupi |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name=Zhang1>{{cite book |last1=Zhang |first1=Charanga |last2=Zhao |first2=Tian |last3=Li |first3=Weidong |title=Geospatial Semantic Web |year=2015 |___location=Cham |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-17800-4 |oclc=911032733 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-17801-1|s2cid=63154455 }}</ref> A web map or an online map is both served and consumed, thus, web mapping is more than just web [[cartography]], it is aan interactive service where consumers may choose what the map will show.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2023-12-04 |title=Web maps—ArcGIS Online Help {{!}} Documentation |url=https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/reference/what-is-web-map.htm |website=doc.arcgis.com}}</ref>

== Introduction ==

The advent of web mapping can be regarded as a major new trend in cartography. Until recently, cartography was restricted to a few [[:Category:Map companies|companies]], institutes and [[:Category:National cartographic agencies|mapping agencies]], requiring relatively expensive and complex hardware and software as well as skilled cartographers and [[geomatics]] engineers.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Neumann |first=Andreas |title=Web Mapping and Web Cartography |date=2008 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35973-1_1485 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of GIS |pages=1261–1269 |editor-last=Shekhar |editor-first=Shashi |access-date=2023-12-04 |place=Boston, MA |publisher=Springer US |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-0-387-35973-1_1485 |isbn=978-0-387-35973-1 |editor2-last=Xiong |editor2-first=Hui|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Web mapping has brought many geographical datasets, including free ones generated by [[OpenStreetMap]] and proprietary datasets owned by [[Baidu]], [[Google]], [[Here (company)|HERE]], [[TomTom]], and others.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Web Mapping with Free Software Tools · Richard A. Lent, Ph.D. |url=https://richardlent.github.io/post/web-mapping/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=richardlent.github.io}}</ref> A range of [[:category:Free GIS software|free software to generate maps]] has also been conceived and implemented alongside proprietary tools like [[ArcGIS]]. As a result, the [[barrier to entry]] for serving maps on the web has been lowered.<ref name=":0" />

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* 1989: ''Birth of the WWW'', [[WWW]] invented at [[CERN]] for the exchange of research documents.<ref name="web_birth">More details are in: [[History of the World Wide Web#1980–1991: Invention and implementation]].</ref>

* 1993: '''''[[Xerox PARC Map Viewer]]''''', The first mapserver based on [[Common Gateway Interface|CGI]]/[[Perl]], allowed reprojection styling and definition of map extent.<ref name=Plew2>{{cite journal |last1=Plew |first1=Brandon |title=Web Cartography in the United States |journal=Cartography and Geographic Information Science |date=2007 |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=133–136 |doi=10.1559/152304007781002235 |bibcode=2007CGISc..34..133P |s2cid=140717290 |url=https://doi.org/10.1559/152304007781002235 |access-date=6 January 2023|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

* 1994: '''''The National Atlas of Canada''''', The first version of the National Atlas of Canada was released. Can be regarded as the first [[atlas|online atlas]].

* 1995: '''''The Gazetteer for Scotland''''', The prototype version of the Gazetteer for Scotland was released. The first geographical database with interactive mapping.

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* [[List of online map services]]

* [[Neogeography]]

* [[Geobrowsing]]

* [[Geoweb]]

* [[PPGIS|Public Participation GIS (PPGIS)]]