Web GIS
Web GIS (also known as Web-Based GIS), or Web
The use of the Web has dramatically increased the effectiveness of both accessing and distributing spatial data, two of the most significant challenges of desktop GIS.[1][12][13] Many functions, such as interactivity, and dynamic scaling, are made widely available to end users by web services.[14] The scale of the Web can sometimes make finding quality and reliable data a challenge for GIS professionals and end users, with a significant amount of low-quality, poorly organized, or poorly sourced material available for public consumption.[13][14] This can make finding spatial data a time consuming activity for GIS users.[13]
History
The history of Web GIS is very closely tied to the history of geographic information systems,
In 1997, Esri began to focus on their desktop GIS software, which in 2000 became ArcGIS.[17] This led to Esri dominating the GIS industry for the next several years.[12] In 2000 Esri launched the Geography Network, which offered some web GIS functions. In 2014, ArcGIS Online replaced this, and offers significant Web GIS functions including hosting, manipulating, and visualizing data in dynamic applications.[1][2][12]
Applications
Web GIS has numerous applications and functions and manages most distributed spatial information.[18] Diverse industries and disciplines, including mathematics, history, business and education can all leverage Web GIS to integrate geographic approaches to data.[18]
Census Demographic Data
The United States Census Department extensively uses Web GIS to distribute its boundary data, such as TIGER files, and demographics to the public.[1][16] The "2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer" runs on an ESRI Web Map Application, and provides demographic information, such as population, race, and housing information at the state, county, and census tract levels.[19][20]
Education
Literature has identified educational benefits and applications of Web GIS at the elementary, primary, and university levels of education.[18][21] Using story maps and dashboards allows for new ways of displaying spatial data, and facilitates student interaction.[18] As Web GIS tools are often user friendly, teachers can create their own visualizations for the classroom, or even have students make their own to teach geographic concepts.[21]
Public Health
Web GIS has been used extensively in public health to communicate health data to the public and policymakers.[22] During the COVID-19 Pandemic, dashboard Web GIS Apps were popularized as a template for displaying health data by Johns Hopkins University, which was updated until March 10th, 2023.[22][23] In the United States, all 50 state governments, the CDC, and others ultimately made use of these tools.[24] These dashboards displayed various information but generally included a choropleth map showing COVID-19 case data.[24]
Web Services
Web GIS has numerous functions, which can be divided into categories of Geospatial web services, including web feature services, web processing services, and web mapping services.[3] Geospatial web services are distinct software packages available on the World Wide Web that can be employed to perform a function with spatial data.[3]
Web feature services
Web feature services allow users to access, edit, and make use of hosted geospatial feature datasets.[3]
Web processing services
Web processing services allow users to perform GIS calculations on spatial data.[3] Web processing services standardize inputs, and outputs, for spatial data within an internet GIS and may have standardized algorithms for spatial statistics.
Web mapping services
Web mapping involves using distributed tools to create and host both static and dynamic maps.
Web coverage services
Web Map Tile Service
Standards
Open Geospatial Consortium
In terms of interoperability, the use of communication standards in Distributed GIS is particularly important. General standards for
Using OGC-compliant
Some important languages used in OGC-compliant systems are described in the following.
Geospatial Semantic Web
The Geospatial Semantic Web is a vision to include geospatial information at the core of the
Criticism
All maps are simplifications of reality and, therefore, can never be perfectly accurate.[33] These inaccuracies include distortions introduced during projection, simplifications, and human error. While traditionally trained ethical cartographers try to minimize these errors and document the known sources of error, including where the data originated, Web GIS facilitates the creation of maps by non-traditionally trained cartographers and, more significantly, facilitates the rapid dissemination of their potentially erroneous maps.[16][14][34] While this democratization of GIS has many potential positives, including empowering traditionally disenfranchised groups of people, it also means that a wide audience can see bad maps.[25][28][33][35] Further, malicious actors can quickly spread intentionally misleading spatial information while hiding the source.[33] This has significant implications, and contributes to the infodemic surrounding many topics, including the spread of potentially misleading information on the COVID-19 pandemic.[22][24] Even a map made by a skilled cartographer has significant limitations over traditional distribution methods when using the Web. Among a variety of issues, computer monitors have a variety of different color settings and sizes.[14][36] This renders ratio, representative fraction, and verbal scales useless, leaving only the scale bar. It also means a color choice selected by the cartographer might not be what the end-user experiences.[14][36] These issues are not limited to cartography but are difficult to solve.
Due to the nature of the Web, using it for storing and computation is less secure than using local networks. The convenience and relatively low cost of Web GIS often prevents this from being implemented.
As Web GIS is built on the web, it is subject to link rot phenomena.[24] This phenomenon can lead to previously available data being lost due to users changing the URL, physical hardware failures, or the content being deleted by the publisher. If the hardware and information accessed within a Web GIS is lost, "a single disk failure could be like the burning of the library at Alexandria."[40] One study found that 23% of COVID-19 Dashboards available on government sites on February of 2021 were no longer available at the previous URLs by April of 2023.[24]
See also
- AM/FM/GIS
- Automotive navigation system
- Comparison of GIS software
- Concepts and Techniques in Modern Geography
- Distributed GIS
- Geodatabase (Esri)
- GIS Day
- Integrated Geo Systems
- List of GIS data sources
- List of GIS software
- Local search (Internet)
- Map database management
- Participatory GIS
- Quantitative geography
- Spatial neural network
- Technical geography
- Tobler's first law of geography
- Tobler's second law of geography
- Traditional knowledge GIS
References
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- ^ Hojaty, Majid (21 February 2014). "What is the Difference Between Web GIS and Internet GIS?". GIS Lounge. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
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- ^ a b c DeMers, Michael (2009). Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems (4 ed.). Wiley.
- ^ a b c d e f Peterson, Michael P. (1999). "Maps on Stone: The Web and Ethics in Cartography". Cartographic Perspectives. 34. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
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- ^ Maguire, David J (May 2000). "Esri's New ArcGIS Product Family". ArcNews (Esri).
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- ^ "2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ "2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer: Map". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
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- ^ Center for Systems Science and Engineering. "COVID-19 Dashboard". Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
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- ^ "OpenGIS® Web Map Tile Service Implementation Standard". Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- ^ Harwell, R (6 November 2004). "Web Mapping with SVG". Directions Magazine. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
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- ^ a b McCarthy, Niall. "VPN Usage Surges During COVID-19 Crisis [Infographic]". Forbes. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ a b Skahill, Jeffrey (April 2020). "Tips for Leading a Remote Team during Covid-19". GIS Lounge. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Five Reasons GIS Users Should Use a VPN". gisuser. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
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