DEVELOPMENT ISSUES OF WEB-CLIENTS FOR GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS BASED ON OPEN STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

The article describes web-clients of geographic information systems and their user interface development issues based on modern open web technologies. The idea of general-purpose modular web-client of geographic information system with digital map as central component is proposed for solving problems in various subject domains. Relevant issues and technological possibilities, the advantages and disadvantages of methods and technologies for separate components development of such a system are described. The possibilities of using vector and image graphics technologies in web clients, based on modern technologies of SVG and HTML 5 Canvas, are considered. The current state and capabilities of open source client libraries for web mapping, as well as client libraries suitable for developing web client modules are described. The existing open standards for the development of geographic information systems for the web environment are pointed out and the importance of the application of open standards is underlined. The main advantage of this solution is the potential for the transition from traditional desktop clients of general-purpose geographic information systems to web applications and their preferences, accessible to a wide range of specialists and enterprises.