See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/331265626

Web GIS Programming

Article · January 2019

DOI: 10.22224/gistbok/2019.1.5

CITATIONS READS
3 2,420

2 authors, including:

Jennifer N. Swift
University of Southern California
31 PUBLICATIONS 299 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Jennifer N. Swift on 13 November 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

ABOUT TOPICS CONTACT US

Topic Description PD-16 - Web GIS Programming

References
Web GIS programming involves creating, extending, utilizing, Web GIS or web
Author and citation info
mapping solutions to solve specific problems, build complete applications, or

Instructional Resources consume or produce data and geospatial processing services. With the
expansion of the internet and availability of Web GIS or Web mapping options,
Additional Resources
web GIS programming is becoming a commonly required skill set in many

Related Topics organizations. Web GIS programming is a type of software development that
provides a means of handling internet, browser-based software application
Keywords
development tasks which require unique solutions to web GIS or web mapping
problems. In addition, a number of Web GIS software options offer application
programming interfaces (APIs) that provide a means by which developers can
leverage the published data and processing services of others to build and
customize applications through standardized interfaces with external web GIS
software, data, and services. Web GIS programming applies to mobile as well
as desktop application development. A browser typically runs software
applications by submitting Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or Hypertext
Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) requests to a server hosting resources the
application user wishes to access available through a Uniform Resource
Locator (URL), and the server replies by providing resources or performing
functions requested by the user. This entry reviews the fundamentals of web
GIS programming, accompanying the Web Mapping and other entries in the
Programming and Development section, the Web GIS entry in the Computing
Platforms section, and the User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design
entry in the Cartography and Visualization section (Sack, 2017; Quinn, 2018;
Roth, 2017).

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

Author and Citation Info:

Swift, J., and Goldberg, D. (2019). Web GIS Programming. The Geographic
Information Science & Technology Body of Knowledge (1st Quarter 2019
Edition), John P. Wilson (ed). DOI: 10.22224/gistbok/2019.1.5

This entry was first published on February 20, 2019. No earlier editions exist.

Topic Description:
1. Definitions

2. What is Web GIS Programming?

3. Guidance for Web GIS Programmers

4. Web GIS Programming Fundamentals

5. Web GIS Programming Languages

1. Definitions

application development: writing of computer software code for use in

desktop software applications, internet browsers, via application programmer
interfaces, through virtual or cloud-based computing environments, or on
mobile devices

application programming interface (API): a set of programming components

that communicate with each other and can be used to develop applications
using a particular computer language (Quinn, 2018)

big data: unstructured or structured data volumes that are so large that they
are difficult to gather store, analyze, manage and disseminate using traditional
technologies (Li et al., 2016)

client: computer hardware, such as a device, that accesses a service provided

by a server, or a client can be a software application installed and run on
computers such as laptops and hand-held devices, such as web GIS
applications that include programming

fat client: provides user functionality independently of a server, such as

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

through a browser, also referred to as rich, thick, or heavy (client)

thin client: relies on a server for functionality, such as computations,
also referred to as zero, slim or lean (client)

development environment: a protected, often temporary, environment

specifically used to perform initial or ongoing application development before
the system is tested or released for use

framework: a set of tools written to help other developers, usually modularizing

a language so that others can use the tools to more easily build sophisticated
applications

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): functions as a request response

protocol in client-server models, and can be extended by Hypertext Transfer
Protocol Secure (HTTPS) for safe or protected communication over a computer
network

integrated development environment (IDE): a software application designed

to help developers write code. IDEs typically include a source code editor,
compiler or interpreter, a debugger and other tools to facilitate coding, all within
a single user interface

library: a collection of shared programming code, such as files, programs,

routines scripts or functions that can be used to facilitate the development of
other software programs and applications

mashup: a new data source, website, or web service created by combining

existing data or services from multiple providers

network: digital telecommunications technologies, including software, cable

hardware, and wireless media, used to exchange data and other resources
between computers using connections

object-oriented (OOP): a programming paradigm designed to handle large,

complex software systems, which allows developers to create containers or
sections for data that can be manipulated independently within a given
software program, so programs can be written and executed in parts. Objects
can be created by programmers to represent real-world nouns and can be
given methods (programmed procedures) that describe the desired behavior of
the object

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

open source: developers can access, use and alter the software source code
as needed

copyright: open source code that requires licensing in order to change,

use and distribute to others
copyleft: the rule that when redistributing programs, restrictions cannot
be added to deny others the four freedoms: to run, copy, distribute,
study, change and improve source code

programming: implementing an algorithm using a programming language for

execution by a computer

compiled language: a computer programming language in which human-

readable source code is translated into machine code to be executed

proprietary: commercially available, copyrighted software that requires

licensing for limited copying, change, use, and/or distribution, and typically the
software source code is not released

optimization: in the context of web GIS programming, the process of setting

up or scaling a high-performance server and network configuration to support
intended usage of applications

production environment: a duplicate of a staging environment specifically

used to deploy a finalized application for use after testing is complete

REST: representational state transfer (REST), a software architectural style

that provides rules for creating web services that can be used for 2-D and 3-D
data transfer, geoprocessing, and delivery to web GIS programming projects
(Fielding, 2000). Web services conforming to this style are referred to as
Restful.

Restful web service: a Restful web service makes requests to a given

resource’s typically accessed through a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and
receives a response formatted in a web scripting language such as Hypertext
Markup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), or Javascript
Object Notation (JSON)

scalability: ability of software and hardware architectures to handle increases

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

in user demand

scripting language: an interpreted computer language that supports scripts,

which are programs that execute in a run-time environment, often used for
automating multiple tasks

staging environment: a duplicate of a production environment specifically

used to test application before they are released for use

user-centered design: an iterative testing process involving the programmer

and the end users that seeks to determine the needs and the intended
audience when creating the user interface for a web GIS programming project
(Roth et al., 2015)

Uniform Resource Locator (URL): a reference to a resource that describes its

location on a computer network, beginning with HTTP:// or HTTPS://, named
and defined by the resource owner

web application framework: a software framework such as ASP.NET or Ruby

on Rails, created to help developers build web applications such as web API’s
and web services and often providing libraries for simplifying programming
tasks such as accessing and configuring data

web service: a service provided by one device such as a server to another

device such as client through the internet, often providing access to remote
data or computational capabilities

2. What is Web GIS Programming?

With the expansion of the internet and availability of Web GIS or Web mapping
options, web GIS programming is becoming a commonly required skill set in
many organizations. Web GIS programming is a type of software development
that provides a means of handling internet, browser-based software application
development tasks which require unique solutions to web GIS or web mapping
problems. Web GIS programming applies to mobile as well as desktop
application development. A browser typically runs software applications by
submitting Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or Hypertext Transfer
Protocol Secure (HTTPS) requests to a server hosting resources the

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

application user wishes to access available through a Uniform Resource

Locator (URL), and the server replies by providing resources or performing
functions requested by the user. This entry reviews the fundamentals of web
GIS programming, accompanying the Web Mapping and other entries in the
Programming and Development section, the Web GIS entry in the Computing
Platforms section, and the User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design
entry in the Cartography and Visualization section (Sack, 2017; Quinn, 2018;
Roth, 2017).

Web GIS programming involves creating, extending, utilizing, Web GIS or web
mapping solutions to solve specific problems, build complete applications, or
consume or produce data and geospatial processing services. In addition, a
number of Web GIS software options offer application programming
interfaces (APIs) that provide a means by which developers can leverage the
published data and processing services of others to build and customize
applications through standardized interfaces with external web GIS software,
data, and services. Sack (2017) provides a list of commonly used open source
and proprietary software APIs used in web GIS programming projects focused
on mashups. Among the most popular are the Google Maps API, Mapbox GL
JS, OpenLayers, Esri ArcGIS API for Javascript, ArcGIS REST API, ArcGIS
Python API, ArcGIS Runtime SDKs (software development kits), and Leaflet.
For example, the Esri GeoServices REST specification provides a standard
way for clients to communicate with servers through the REST architecture
using Restful web services and URLs (Esri, 2010). In web GIS programming,
such hosted Web GIS software libraries and other scripting language
libraries such as JQuery provide globally available, reliable collections of
modular code that can be used by developers to simplify writing programs.
Open Layers and Leaflet are examples of open source libraries used to create
web map mashups.

3. Guidance for Web GIS Programmers

As with any type of software development, web GIS programming involves

taking a big idea and breaking it into separate components and steps, defining
the tasks required to build the application, and choosing the appropriate Web
GIS platform, software, and supporting computer language to build the given
application. When choosing web GIS software and supporting programming

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

options, the following questions offer project planning guidance for the
developer:

1. What are the functional requirements of the web GIS programming

project?

2. Should the Web GIS system architecture be client-side or server-side?

3. What are the application performance requirements, constraints, or

limitations?

4. What is the level of end-user interactivity anticipated within the

application?

5. Are there specific browsers that the program must work in, or must it
work in all browsers?

6. Is the application intended to only work in browsers on desktops or

server-based Web GIS software, or should it also work on tablets and
mobile devices?

7. Will data be provided to the user, or gathered from the user, or both?

8. What are the sizes of the spatial datasets to be displayed or utilized in

the web GIS application, and can the chosen data storage format meet
the performance needs of the system, meaning a fast response from the
web map?

9. What are the locations of the spatial datasets to be displayed in the web
maps, and how will they be accessed?

10. Is the data stored in a database on the server hosting the web GIS
program, or being streamed as a web service to the web map from
another server?

11. What are the web GIS and supporting programming languages that can
be supported by both the application developer, and those who
requested the application, if maintenance of the application will be turned
over after completion?

The following sections provide general information to serve as a guide in

answering the questions above directly pertaining to web GIS programming.

4. Web GIS Programming Fundamentals

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

The main components of a web GIS programming project are illustrated in

Figure 1, including examples of common application (app) development
activities that can involve programming in one or more computer programming
languages.

Figure 1. Main components of a web GIS programming (development)

environment. Source: authors.

A web GIS programming environment typically runs on a local or remote

computer. Programming activities commonly include writing code, extending or
customizing existing software, repeated testing, improvement, and
maintenance of web GIS applications. A web GIS programming environment
requires internet connectivity and network access to devices intended to deploy
the application to users. Developers typically use integrated development
environments (IDEs) and web application frameworks to develop web
pages and web GIS applications. Network access between the tiers is
accomplished via standard internet protocols, with communication transmitted
through hardwired (Ethernet) or wireless (wifi or cellular) connections, usually
broadband in all cases. Networks must have bandwidth capable of supporting
all phases of web GIS application development, testing, and deployment. A
development environment must also include direct access to software such
as GIS, Web GIS, computer languages, and to the data to be utilized in the
web GIS application.

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

4.1 System Architecture

A multi-tier system architecture is commonly set up or utilized by the

programmer, or developer, to support a web GIS programming project.
This architecture includes one or more clients, application servers, and
data servers. Client-server architecture is described in detail in Sack
(2017), and web GIS architectures and GIS client applications in Quinn
(2018). The client is the programmed web GIS application that runs on
an end user’s device and executes the functionality of the web GIS
application. The client sends and receives requests to and from a server,
often through a browser, a stand-alone software application, or an add-
on or plugin to another software installed on the client. The application
server typically has more computing resources than the client and
manages computations and resources such as data storage and internet
traffic over the networks that connect to it. The server communicates
with the data server, storing and retrieving the information collected or
requested by the client.

In a multi-tier system, each tier usually executes on separate computers,

which allows for better performance than another common configuration,
a 2-tier client-server architecture. The client is often referred to as thin
versus fat. A thin client depends heavily on a server for functionality,
while a fat client operates more of the computation on the client device.
A thin client model is considered more straightforward to manage
because the hardware and software resources required of end users is
lower.

Software programmers often use separate computers for web GIS

application development, staging, and production, illustrated in Figure 2.
Web GIS application development most often includes writing computer
code in a compiled or scripting language or modifying existing web
GIS programming code. Staging refers to setting up an environment for
testing applications before they are released for use. A production
environment is the final deployment system supporting websites and
web GIS applications accessible to end users. Development and staging
environments are required to support developers in building, debugging
and testing web GIS components, creating scalable applications,
functionality, websites, and databases, and constructing security rules.

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

Staging and production environments are normally complete duplicates

of the development environment with additional or different data and
server security precautions intended to minimize the production
environment’s vulnerability, such as unauthorized use.

Figure 2. The main components of Web GIS application development,

staging, and production. Source: authors.

4.2 Application performance requirements, design, documentation,

constraints, limitations and testing

When planning a web GIS programming project, requirements may be

provided by the intended user, such as by a regulatory authority, or
through study of the intended user community. Ideally, a user scenario
study is carried out to determine the needs of the target user audience to
produce a storyboard that describes how intended users will interact with
the application. Performance requirements also include determining
whether the audience prefers browsers or stand-alone applications, as
well as what devices (PC, Mac, laptop, tablet, mobile phone) the
application should run on. Optimizing application performance for
multiple browsers versus standalone applications on multiple devices
and operating systems requires different time investments in testing, bug
fixing, and maintenance. User requirements guide the choice of platform,
software, and programming languages, which in turn have inherent
constraints and limitations.

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

An estimate of the potential number of users is critical in planning the

required infrastructure, such as servers and data storage. Both 2-tier and
3-tier architectures (Figure 1) can be scalable, meaning that if user
demand increases, extra resources to handle the usage can be added to
the architecture behind-the-scenes to support high-performance
deployment. Common examples include adding redundant systems,
load-balancing, additional computing power, data storage, or servers.
Scalability in a web GIS programming implies that applications will be
designed or even purposefully coded to dynamically handle website and
web map functionality performance challenges. Dynamic computer
performance refers to optimization of computer resources such as
storage and processors, usually done through server-side operating
system-level programming. This is different from programming web map
functionality that is responsive to user interaction, such as enhancing the
functionality of a web GIS program to dynamically update legends and
symbols when a web map embedded within a website redraws (Roth,
2017).

The choice of local infrastructure versus cloud-based computing

resources is an important consideration in any programming project.
Cloud computing is a broad term for a model that enables on-demand
network access to a shared pool of virtual resources such as servers,
storage, and web services (Mell and Grance, 2011). Cloud computing
vendors such as Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure offer an enormous
range of computing and data storage options. Some of the main
advantages include speed of setup, ease of access and redundancy,
and scalability of solutions for web GIS programming projects. The cost
structure to host a web GIS programming project is an important
consideration as commercial hosting platforms. Commercial hosting
platforms are businesses designed to make profits thus generally charge
fees on an ongoing basis, demanding a different budget model from
onsite hardware acquired through one-time purchases.

Although there is a current trend toward blending the capabilities, goals,

and software used in both web GIS and mobile GIS application
development, web GIS programming and mobile GIS programming are
usually treated as separate topics. This is due to significant differences

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

in native operating system languages in desktop, web-based, and mobile

device (i.e. Apple, Microsoft, and Android) development, and the large
number of programming language, computer platform, and GIS software
package options available as web GIS solutions that support
programming in diverse hardware and software platforms.

One of the most important application performance constraints is the

size of the spatial and non-spatial data to be provided to users, or
gathered from the users, through the web GIS application. The size of
the data will guide the choice of system resources, such as data storage
and processing capacity, and in particular the selection of the database
or data store. In general, a big data set may consist of a data with
significant variety, size (disk space required) and speed with which it
must be handled by the application (Li et al., 2016). Examples of big
data include social media such as Instagram data and satellite imagery.
Data handling includes visualization in maps and tabular or text format,
spatial or non-spatial analysis, querying, or collection. The size of the
data as well as the nature of the data, in particular, if the data will reside
as static files or as dynamically changing database records, is a critical
determinant for application performance planning.

Where the data will reside, such as within the application development
environment data server versus data that must be streamed through web
services or geospatial web services from remote sources may
significantly impact programming tasks and network optimization.
Geospatial web services consist of images and data resources delivered
real-time or near-real-time by a server. Near-real-time data is used when
data processing time in minutes versus seconds in acceptable in an
application. Sack (2017) provides a list of OGC geospatial web services’
descriptions of standards which can be consumed through web GIS
programs to publish raster map images, tilesets, vector data, space/time-
varying visualizations, and geoprocessing services, all of which generally
produce some output or response that is brought into a web GIS
application.

A developer must also ensure that applicable copyrights for data and all
software used and developed as part of a project are documented and
transparent to other developers and end users (Buckley, 2010;

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

Dempsey, 2012). Privacy, security, and confidentiality of application and

end-user data are also important considerations in any web GIS
programming project (Li et al., 2016; Richardson et al., 2015),
particularly within some domains such as health, educational records,
and finance. Sensitive data can be encrypted before being transmitted
across a network, and it can be required that the receiver accept the
encrypted data.

In addition, careful attention must be paid to the application UI design

and intended UX (Roth, 2015 Roth et al., 2015, and 2017 ). Important
goals of a user scenario study storyboard, or narrative, include
determining the required functionality of the application that will best suit
the intended audience. A web GIS programming project may require
writing computer code to complete such tasks as creating a unique UI,
streamlining database queries, adding stored procedures into a
database, data capture or live (on-the-fly) data processing within the UI,
augmenting an existing web GIS software functionality with a custom
tool such as a widget, button or menu, and/or building a project-centric
website in which to embed the Web GIS application. Similarly, data
capture, or the gathering of data generated by users, must be accounted
for in the database design. For example, a database designed as a
Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) (Quinn, 2018) application will
require additional security measures to make sure that data provided by
volunteers does not expose the system or other users to negative
consequences.

User testing is of critical importance in creating a web GIS application,

as this process determines the usability and utility of the application for
the intended audience (Roth et al., 2015). User-centered design (UCD)
principles should be applied to the creation and evolution of the user
interface. In UCD, the application user interface is shared with a target
audience for testing. The web GIS programmer gathers feedback from
the users’ experiences, and then uses the feedback to improve the user
interface. Multiple iterations of user testing can provide valuable input
about the users’ needs. This guidance facilitates the improvement of the
application design through revisions to the utility, or client-side functional
requirements, of the user interface. Ideally, such iterations lead to the
enhanced usability of the web GIS programming project by the target

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

audience.

Additionally, the web GIS programmer must provide developer-centric

documentation for computer code from the beginning to the end of the
project. Documentation can include comments within computer code,
readme files with instructions for use, sharing, and further development
of the code, and creation of metadata associated with any geospatial
data provided with the code. User-centric documentation may include
help content within the end user interface. Documentation is critical for
long term use and maintenance of an application, and for sharing a
project through a repository such as GitHub.

Version control or a software update tracking protocol should also be

implemented to keep track of modifications to the project over time,
especially if there is a team of programmers working on the project.
Open source as well as proprietary software tools are available that are
specifically geared toward application version control, and may also
include tools for tracking issues such as bugs as well as iterative
changes made to code.

Next, performance testing of web GIS applications using a staging

environment includes checking the response time of all functionality in
the application, to verify the efficiency of the system configuration. This
is considered server-side functional requirement testing. Generally, a
response time in tens or hundreds of milliseconds is expected for most
web map functions. Correctness testing, also known sometimes as
validation or unit testing depending on the granularity of the test,
confirms that the responses provided by data and computational
services match expected results. This is typically performed using a
subset of input data for which output values are known in advance and
compared to current system operational results. Both forms of testing
can and should be automated programmatically, and are carried out by
members of the development team or specific groups of selected end
users (alpha and beta test groups).

Long-term application support and maintenance needs are also

considered critical to successful project implementation. GIS and web
GIS software, and server and client device operating systems versioning
requires vigilance. Versioning of browsers will also have a critical impact

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

on any application. In addition, client-side and server-side programming

languages change versions just as frequently, though major changes in
languages generally occur every three to five years. Versioning of
software and hardware requires re-testing of production-ready
applications. Regularly scheduled application maintenance and some
allowance for unexpected updates should be included in the scope of
any project for the anticipated lifespan of the application. Ideally,
developers should foster a mindset to be able to “go with the flow” since
this is simply part of the world of programming web GIS applications.

5. Web GIS Programming Languages

Web GIS programming involves using client-side programming languages for

creating web pages and web GIS applications, and server languages for
creating server-side applications. Several commonly used web mapping
platforms and web GIS software options available for implementing Web GIS
projects are discussed in Sack (2017) and Quinn (2018), respectively. Client-
side (Figure 1) languages frequently used in web GIS programming are listed
in Table 1.

Table 1. Languages Typically Used Client-Side

Language File Description

Extension

HTML .html Hypertext markup language: controls the structure

and content of a web page.

CSS .css Cascading stylesheets: controls the look and feel of

a web page.

JavaScript .js Scripting language used to write web GIS clients

and to utilize or extend 3rd party APIs. Can be used

to create 3rd party frameworks and libraries.

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are scripting or front-end languages that work
together in the browser, or the client, to control what is displayed and what

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

happens on a webpage, including embedding a web map within a webpage. All

of the processing of these languages is done on the client’s computer. Libraries
such as JQuery and Bootstrap provide open source toolkits that facilitate
developing with scripting languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. One
strength of these frameworks is that they work around bugs and
inconsistencies between major browsers, so applications run smoothly across
many browsers.

There are many compiled languages, and some scripting languages used in
the spatial sciences and the geospatial industry that run on servers. These are
often known as server-side, or back-end languages. A selection of the most
common, general-purpose, object-oriented server-side programming languages
used in web GIS programming that can also be used with many databases is
listed in Table 2. Python, Java and ASP.NET, for example, can also be
deployed as client-side languages.

Table 2. Languages Typically Used Server-Side

Language File Description

Extension

ASP.NET .aspx, Developed by Microsoft as part of the .NET

.asmx, framework (Microsoft, 2018), specifically designed
.ashx, for development of dynamic web pages. Succeeded
.ascx Microsoft’s Active Server Pages (ASP).

C# .cs Developed by Microsoft as part of the .NET

framework. C# is portable in that it can be used to
develop web GIS software components that can be
compiled then deployed on distributed servers.

Java .java, .jar Developed by Sun Microsystems then acquired by

Oracle Corporation, typically used for development
of client-server web applications. Java applications
can run on any Java Virtual Machine (JVM) without
recompilation of source code.

php .php Hypertext preprocessor; scripting language

designed for web application development which
can be embedded within HTML. PHP is executed by
php runtime, an interpreter in the server, typically to

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

create dynamic web page content or images.

Python .py Scripting language interpreted on the server at

runtime that can be used to extend and customize
desktop and cloud-based web GIS software (Rey,
2017 ).

Ruby .rb Web application development framework written in

C that provides built-in structures for web pages,
web services, and a database (Ruby, 2018). Ruby
on Rails is a popular web framework written in
Ruby. Example Ruby on Rails applications include
GitHub, Basecamp, Airbnb, and Hulu (Rails, 2018).

The web application frameworks mentioned above can be used to develop

applications entirely separate from a GIS. Integration with geospatial software
is voluntary and should be undertaken with clear objectives as to why GIS is
needed. Every web GIS computer program is a set of instructions, a sequence
of a few or many commands executed in a specific order, regardless of the
computer language, platform (operating system) or goal of a specific
application. The main difference between languages is primarily the rules used
to assign meaning to variables or objects. Though it is beyond the scope of this
entry to describe the web GIS programming languages noted above in detail,
references and additional resources are provided.

References:
Buckley, A. (2010, December 3). Using and citing Esri data [Blog]. Retrieved
August 17, 2018, from https://www.esri.com/arcgis-
blog/products/product/mapping/using-and-citing-esri-data/?
rmedium=redirect&rsource=/esri/arcgis/2010/12/03/using-and-citing-esri-data .

Dempsey, C. (2012, September 24). Cite GIS Materials. GIS Lounge.

Retrieved August 17, 2018, from https://www.gislounge.com/how-to-cite-gis-
materials /.

Esri (2010). Esri GeoServices REST Specification Version 1.0. Retrieved

November 1, 2018, from
https://www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/geoservices-rest-spec.pdf .

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

Fielding, R. T. (2000). Architectural styles and the design of network – based

software architectures. PhD Dissertation. University of California, Irvine.

Li, S., Dragicevic, S., Castro, F. A., Sester, M., Winter, S., Coltekin, A., Pettit,
C., Jiang, B., Haworth, J., Stein, A., & Cheng, T. (2016). Geospatial Big Data
Handling Theory and Methods: A Review and Research Challenges. ISPRS
Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 115, 119–33.
DOI: 10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2015.10.012 .

Mell, P., & Grance, T. (2011). The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing.
Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Special Publication 800-145. U.S. Department of Commerce.
DOI: 10.6028/NIST.SP.800-145 .

Quinn, S. (2018). Web GIS. The Geographic Information Science &

Technology Body of Knowledge (1st Quarter 2018 Edition), John P. Wilson
(ed). DOI: 10.22224/gistbok/2018.1.11

Rails (2018). Ruby on rails. Retrieved August 17, 2018, from

https://rubyonrails.org /.

Rey, S. J. (2017). Python for GIS. The Geographic Information Science &
Technology Body of Knowledge (3rd Quarter 2017 Edition), John P. Wilson
(ed). DOI: 10.22224/gistbok/2017.3.4

Richardson, D. B., Kwan, M.-P., Alter, G. & McKendry, J. E. (2015). Replication

of Scientific Research: Addressing Geoprivacy, Confidentiality, and Data
Sharing Challenges in Geospatial Research. Annals of GIS 21(2), 101–10.
DOI: 10.1080/19475683.2015.1027792 .

Roth, R. (2015). Interactivity and Cartography: A Contemporary Perspective on

User Interface and User Experience Design from Geospatial Professionals.
Cartographica 50(2), 94-115. DOI: 10.3138/cart.50.2.2427 .

Roth, R. E. (2017). User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design. The
Geographic Information Science & Technology Body of Knowledge (2nd
Quarter 2017 Edition), John P. Wilson (ed.). DOI: 10.22224/gistbok/2017.2.5 .

Roth, R. E., Ross, K. S., & MacEachren, A. M. (2015). User-Centered Design

for Interactive Maps: A Case Study in Crime Analysis. ISPRS International

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

Journal of Geo-Information, 4(1), 262–301. DOI: 10.3390/ijgi4010262 .

Sack, C. (2017). Web Mapping. The Geographic Information Science &

Technology Body of Knowledge (4th Quarter 2017 Edition), John P. Wilson
(ed.). DOI: 10.22224/gistbok/2017.4.11

Learning Objectives:

Define and illustrate the purpose of web GIS programming, such as how to
use it to build or extend GIS software functionality.

Provide an example of a programming approach to address a particular

web GIS programming problem.

Describe the benefits and challenges of developing web GIS applications

using different software technologies and system architectures.

Demonstrate familiarity with different web and server computer languages

commonly used in Web GIS application development.

Instructional Assessment Questions:

1. What are the principal goals of web GIS programming?

2. Describe the main components of a web GIS programming project.

3. How do you select the various components for a web GIS programming
project?

4. List commonly used computer languages used in web GIS programming,

and briefly explain how, when and why these are used.

Additional Resources:
1. ASP.NET - https://www.asp.net/ .

2. Creative Commons (CC) About the Licenses -

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ .

3. C# Guide - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/index .

4. Fu, P. (2018) Getting to know Web GIS, Third Edition. Redlands,

California: Esri Press.

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

5. Java - https://www.oracle.com/java/ .

6. php - http://php.net/ .

7. Ruby - https://www.ruby-lang.org/en/.

8. W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) (2017, January 31). CSS Snapshot
2017, W3C Working Group Note. Retrieved August 17, 2018, from
www.w3.org/TR/CSS/#css .

9. W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) (2017, December 14). HTML 5.2
W3C Recommendation. Retrieved August 17, 2018, from
http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/ .

10. What is free software? The free software definition -

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html .

Related Topics:

Web GIS

Web Mapping

Python for GIS

User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design

Keywords:
web mapping. web services, application, programming, development, tier,

test, debug, deploy, HTML, CSS, JavaScript.

Copyright © 2020 by
ucgis <[email protected] >

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020 4:13:23 PM]

PD-16 - Web GIS Programming | GIS&T Body of Knowledge

© 2016-2020 UCGIS  PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF USE

ISSN 2577-2848 (ONLINE)

https://gistbok.ucgis.org/bok-topics/web-gis-programming[11/12/2020
View publication stats 4:13:23 PM]