GIS and Web 2.0 Application Development
EDN Team
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

What is Web 2.0?
• 2nd generation of web development and design
• Building applications to improve
2. Communication
4. Information sharing
6. Interoperability
8. Collaboration
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Web 2.0
Blogs
Badges
Contributors
is Open ID
XML Rating
evolving
Sharing SOAP Social
Networking
Consumers
RIA RSS
Social Media Standards Wikis
Video
Collaboration Podcasts
Feedback Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Examples of Web 2.0 Applications
• Blogs - Broadcasting
• Wikis - Sharing
• Open Source Sites - Collaboration
• Social Media
– Conversation, Collaboration and Sharing
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Social Media
and
Sharing sites
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Web 2.0-enabling Technologies and Services
• RSS
• HTML, XML, JavaScript
• RIA
• REST
• Services (any service that supports sharing and
collaboration)
– E.g. ArcGIS Online (new data sharing functionality)
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Web 2.0-enabling with Mashups
• Easy to enable current applications
• Take advantage of available technologies
and services
– Widgets
– Gadgets
– Badges
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Hosting applications in the cloud
• Provides world-wide distribution and availability
– Google App Engine
– Appliances
– ArcGIS Online
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

So how can we Web 2.0-enable GIS applications?
• Communicate
• Share
• Collaborate
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Example #1: Share your website
1. Create widget for your application (AddThis or Sharethis)
3. Customize the widget (type of sharing)
– Email
– Social bookmark
– Social media (FB, Twitter…)
5. Add script
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Example #2: Socialize your map
1. Create a web mapping application
3. Add a share widget
5. Add state code
– Extents
– Custom location
• Send URL to
Twitter
Facebook…
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Example #3: RSS or GEORSS-enable your sites
1. Add RSS or GEORSS broadcasting capabilities
3. Subscribe to your feed
GEOS
(Group on Earth Observations)
– RSS
– GeoRSS
– Geoss.esri.com
– Twitter.com/geoportal
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Example #4: Sharing maps as gadgets and widgets
1. Create an ArcGIS API for JavaScript app
2. Wrap it in Google XML + preferences
• Share with others
• Self-Host or cloud
• Discovery….
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Google Gadget API
• Pro’s
– No usage limits when hosted on Google
– Open access requests – no password required
– Many options for publication
– Lots of samples
• Con’s
– Challenging to build and test
• Resources
– API - http://code.google.com/apis/gadgets/
– http://www.google.com/webmasters/gadgets/
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Example #5: Integrate with social media APIs
1. Get the location information from the API
3. Geolocate or geocode elements
5. Bring “value” to application and users
Think about
– Security
– Access limitations
– Customer
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Adobe ActionScript Facebook API
• Pro’s
– Many official and unofficial client libraries
– No connection limits for web apps
– Free access requests and password requests
– Lots of functionality
• Con’s
– How-to docs limited beyond the very basics
• Resources
– Facebook API – http://developers.facebook.com
– Adobe AS3 Facebook Home - http://www.adobe.com/devnet/facebook/
– AS3 FB Library Docs -
http://facebook-actionscript-api.googlecode.com/svn/release/current/docs
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Twitter APIs
• Twitter search and a status-based REST API
– XML, JSON, RSS or Atom
• 150 calls per hour (was 100!), can request more “Whitelisting”
• Open access requests vs password requests
• Resources
– API – http://apiwiki.twitter.com
– Twitter Development Talk (Google Group)
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.

Why GIS + Web 2.0?
• Identify and build communities
• Expand your social and geographic reach
• Leverage sharing, collaboration and networking capabilities
• Help solve real-world tasks
Samples available in the Resource Center Code Galleries!
Copyright 2009 ESRI Inc.