Geoprocessing in a Web Browser for Fun and Profit

June 1st 2016

Me: Bill Morris

Cartographer at Faraday Inc

using turf.js for spatial data crunching

Plan:

How we got here
Client side geoprocessing
Server side geoprocessing
Where next?

GIS + the internet: a lightning history

1993: Xerox PARC

xerox

~2000:

GeoServer
ArcIMS

2004: Complexity increases

ArcGIS Server
PostGIS + UMN MapServer
Others catching on . . .

2005: Year G

goog

[a.k.a. Year of The Tile, a.k.a. The Resurrection of Gerardus]

"GIS in the browser"

2010:

gis via Dave Bouwman

biden

2016:

It's actually a thing:

buffer Try it out on the great state of Vermont

Powered by turf.js

A javascript library for live, client-side geoprocessing

Instead of this:

arcpro

This:

hull

Javascript

afraid

function bidenize() {
  document.getElementById('topbar').innerHTML = 'Random Biden quote'
}

GeoJSON

Looks like this in a text editor:

{
  "type": "Feature",
  "properties": {
    "marker-color": "#ab4ca9",
    "marker-size": "large",
    "marker-symbol": "town-hall",
    "name": "Vermont State Capitol"
  },
  "geometry": {
    "type": "Point",
    "coordinates": [
      -72.5805115699768,
      44.26252006240964
    ]
  }
}

Looks like this in a web browser:

cap

How we got here
Client side geoprocessing
Server side geoprocessing
Where next?

Let's do a quick project, starting with data creation:

draw1

Then we bring the data over to dropchop and do some basic turf geoprocessing on it:

process2

Could you spot the server in there?

Again, GIS in the web browser. LOL.

biden2

What do end users care about geoprocessing?

Geoprocessing as part of a layperson's user experience:

in support of a task
telling a story

Nearest neighbor: Post-swimming brews near

(Working from Vermont data and some good documentation)

Distance along a line: Meet me halfway

Buffering: Race route water fountains water via Morgan Herlocker

How we got here
Client side geoprocessing
Server side geoprocessing
Where next?

node.js is javascript, just built for servers. turf works the same way when used as a server-side tool

But . . . Data from hell

A more complicated problem, wth bigger data, needs more power than a browser can provide.

Comparing two gigantic datasets

run via Alex Barth

A time-sensitive analysis to save lives. . .

nepal via Morgan Herlocker

How we got here
Client side geoprocessing
Server side geoprocessing
Where next?

Offline geoprocessing off via Bryan McBride

Linear referencing ref via Tobias Sauerwein

Realtime geoprocessing via Molly Lloyd

Resources to get you started:

Questions?

Hit me up: