GIS, Maps & Mapping Mashups

1. GIS, Maps & Mapping Mashups Brian Lewis Semantic Web Technologies April 17, 2006

2. Overview • What is a "mashup"? • Examples • GIS, Map, and Mapping Mashups • Geospatial basics • Mashup characteristics • Predictions • Creating mashups

3. What is a "mashup"? • Website or web application that combines content from more than one source • Application hybrids created by third parties by accessing public APIs • Lightweight web services

4. Examples • http://upcoming.org/event/61489 http://www.mashupcoming.com/upmap.htm • http://www.programmableweb.com • http://www.mashupfeed.com • http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/ • http://gpsvisualizer.com/examples/ • http://developer.yahoo.net/maps/applications.html • http://ace.engin.umich.edu/gmaps/pierpont_arrivals.php

5. Mashup framework Berlind, 2006, January 27

6. GIS, Map & Mapping Mashups • Just a mashup that involves GIS data • GIS - Geographic Information System • Geospatial - "information about the geographic location of an entity (Mitchell, 2005)" • Terms: spatial data, geographic data, geographic information system data, map data, coordinate data, and spatial geometry data (Mitchell, 2005)

7. Geospatial basics • Not just maps • Geospatial data analysis • Different methods of describing geospatial data • Two types of geospatial data - raster and vector

8. Why all the fuss? • Mapping and analysis is not new • Combining and sharing GIS data is also not new • Geospatially focused hardware and software… not new

9. What is new • GPS receivers are commonplace • Costs are low • Visibility is high (google maps) • Technology is accessible • Potential is extensive (fun and useful)

10. What is new • Dynamic lightweight models for combining content • Zero footprint • Visibility is high (mainstream press) • Network effects

11. Opportunities • No central control • Low technical barriers to entry • Free data! • Not geographically limited • No ads!

12. Challenges • No central control • Low technical barriers to entry • Free data? • Not geographically limited • No ads! • Others?

13. Other viability issues • Consistency issues • Legal issues • Revenue issues • Competition issues • Trust issues • Others?

14. How Semantic is it? Not Very • No UDDI - Not machine discoverable • Overlay or combination of data - Not understood in any real way So why is it in this class? • A stepping stone to web services • Web as a platform • Opening APIs • Use of standards (SOAP, XML) • Demonstrates the usefulness of sharing data • Others?

15. Predictions • Universal registry for mashup APIs • Mashup tools arrive • Disruptive effects will affect slow adopters • RSS becomes the mashup protocol of choice • Intellectual property issues persist

16. Creating a mashup • Look for the APIs (168 as of 03/05/2006) • http://www.programmableweb.com/apis • http://www.mashupfeed.com • Get an application ID (API key) • Sometimes not necessary • Often free • Read the documentation • Limits of the service (rate limit, location limit, use) • How to structure your query • Mash away!

17. Creating a mashup: APIs • Provides an interface and a set of rules that make it easier to extract data from a website. • Simple or (relatively) complicated • Many tools to build maps w/o coding • Submit data to a URL via GET or POST - returns XML • Access methods via a scripting language • Utilize different technologies • JavaScript • PHP • Flash (+ JavaScript, ActionScript) • Java • More… • Different restrictions • Not for profit only • Maximum time-based request limit • Limits on the data source • Others…

18. A Simple Example • Request a Google Maps API Key (http://www.google.com/apis/maps) • Returns a page with your key, a path for which URLs are valid, and sample code to work with. • Copy this information somewhere (paste into a text file) <script src="http://maps.google.com/maps?file=api&v=1&key=ABQIAA…blahblah…6w" type="text/javascript"></script> … <div id="map" style="width: 500px; height: 400px"></div> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ var map = new GMap(document.getElementById("map")); map.addControl(new GSmallMapControl()); map.centerAndZoom(new GPoint(-122.1419, 37.4419), 4); //]]> </script>

19. Read the documentation • http://www.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/ • How to locate Google's JavaScript file • identifies you to Google through the key ID <script src="http://maps.google.com/maps?file=api&v=1& key=ABQIAA…blahblah…6w" type="text/javascript"></script> • Where the map will appear on your page <div id="map" style="width: 500px; height: 400px"></div>

20. Read the documentation • Draws the map • Instantiates the map and assigns it to the div • Adds the controls • Centers the map and sets the zoom level <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ var map = new GMap(document.getElementById("map")); map.addControl(new GSmallMapControl()); map.centerAndZoom(new GPoint(-122.1419, 37.4419), 4); //]]> </script>

21. Results

22. Dig in • Change the center point of the map and the zoom level map.centerAndZoom(new GPoint(-97.739868, 30.280935), 2); • Add an overlay marker at a specific location var marker = new Gmarker(new Gpoint(-97.738452, 30.281269));map.addOverlay(marker); • Add an info window text bubble thingie marker.openInfoWindow(document.createTextNode( "Text here")); • View your results (Based from Joshua Siler's tutorial and Google's API Documentation)

23. Dig in deeper • Note: This is not a (real) mashup • But it does introduce you to the API. Play. • This could be done w/o code using map builder which IS a mashup • Google's API provides much more functionality than this • More Tutorials • http://www.programmableweb.com/howto • http://www.theurer.cc/blog/2005/11/03/how-to-build-a-maps-mash-up/ • Jon Udell's screencast • Java for Google Maps Mashups • Charlottetown Transit Map explanation (php) • http://www.flickrmap.com/tutorials/google_earth.php

24. References • Berlind, D. (2006, February 1). Rethinking BPM in a mashup-based SOA world. Retrieved March 4, 2006, from ZDNet Web site: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=2517 • Berlind, D. (2006, January 27). Mashup ecosystem poised to explode. ZDNet. Retrieved February 27, 2006, from http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=2484 • Butler, D. (2006, January 5). Mashups mix data into global service. Retrieved March 4, 2006, from http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v439/n7072/full/439006a.html • Farber, D. (2006, February 20). Mashups and the law. Retrieved March 4, 2006, from ZDNet Web site: http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=2614 • Hinchcliffe, D. (2006, Feb 20). Some predictions for the coming 'mashosphere'. Retrieved April 9, 2006, from ZDNet Website: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p:13 • Hinchcliffe, D. (2006, Feb 5). The Web 2.0 mashup ecosystem ramps up. Retrieved March 20, 2006, from Web 2.0 journal: http://www.web2journal.com/read/179109.htm

25. References • MacManus, R. (2006, March 2). Mashups: who's really in control? Retrieved March 4, 2006, from ZDNet Web site: http://blogs.zdnet.com/web2explorer/?p=128 • Mitchell, T. (2005, May 11). Demystifying geospatial - the basics. Retrieved March 5, 2006, from O'Reilly Digital Media Web site: http://www.oreillynet.com/digitalmedia/blog/2005/05/ demystifying_geospatial_the_ba.html • Musser, J. (2005, August). programmableweb. Retrieved February 22, 2006, from http://www.programmableweb.com • My Vision for TheMashup.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2006, from http://www.themashup.com/7/my-vision-for-themashupcom.htm • Schofield, J. (2006, February 2). It's all in the mix. Retrieved March 4, 2006, from Guardian Unlimited Web site: http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1699502,00.html

26. Questions to think about • Where are mashups going? • Hype or a compelling new future for software? • Which view is more accurate: the optimistic or pessimistic view?

27. Questions ?