The document summarizes the redesign of the Swiss geoportal geo.admin.ch. It describes the issues with the previous version from 2013, which had separate desktop and mobile codebases using outdated technologies. It outlines the mandatory redesign and development to a single responsive codebase using modern open-source technologies like OpenLayers 3, Bootstrap, and AngularJS. The new design focuses on simplifying and centralizing key functions like search, navigation and map display to provide fast, usable access to Switzerland's geodata for all users.

1. armasuisse
Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
How to create a responsive
geoportal ?
map.geo.admin.ch
Cédric Moullet
Head of FSDI Web Infrastructure
@cedricmoullet cedric.moullet@swisstopo.ch

2. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Federal Office of Topography
swisstopo
• Federal Geo-Information center
• 346 employees
• Producer of the swiss national maps
• Provider of about 80 geoservices and web mapping
applications federated under «geo.admin.ch: the
geoportal of the Swiss Confederation»
• swisstopo operates geo.admin.ch on behalf of the
coordinating agency for Federal geographical information,
GCG
www.swisstopo.admin.ch – www.geo.admin.ch

3. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Agenda
• Geo.admin.ch
• Situation 1.1.2013
• Redesign
• Situation 1.5.2014

4. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
geo.admin.ch: the geoportal of the
Swiss Confederation
The federal geodata portal is a publicly accessible
platform for geographical information, data and
services.
Geographical information consists of
geographically and spatially referenced data. It
describes the characteristics of a country or region
in the form of coordinates and place names.

5. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Geo.admin.ch: Geoinformation Act
The Geoinformation Act (GeoIG) came into force
on 1st July 2008. It provides the legal framework,
for all activities relating to information about basic
geodata of Federal law and its exchange and use.

6. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Geo.admin.ch: Geoinformation Act
Art. 1 Aim
This Act has the aim of ensuring that geodata
relating to the territory of the Swiss Confederation
is made available for general use to the
authorities of the Confederation, the cantons
and communes, the private sector, the public
and to academic and scientific institutions in a
sustainable, up-to-date, rapid and easy manner, in
the required quality and at a reasonable cost.

7. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
map.geo.admin.ch
Digital data can be viewed, printed out, ordered
and supplied by means of the map viewer tool.
The required data is available in the form of digital
maps and photos, vector data and also as online
services. The desired data is available in the form
of pixel maps, digital images, vector data etc., at a
variety of scales.

8. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
End of theory

9. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Situation 1.1.2013

10. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
10
Desktop Mobile
ExtJS 3
OpenLayers 2
Sencha
OpenLayers 2

11. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
1.1.2013: Issues
• Double code base
• Double release cycle
• iOS & Android support only
• ExtJS & OpenLayers 2 end of life
• ExtJS & Sencha frequent release cycles &
incompatibilities
• No HTML5, no CSS3, no 3D
• Always more screen sizes (smartphone, tablet,
phablets, smarttvs, 4K etc…)

12. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
1.1.2013: Other issues
• User survey feedback: functions are not
understood and/or not discovered

13. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
MANDATORY
REDESIGN &
REDEVELOPMENT !!!

14. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Don’t make me think
!!!
… still 10’000 users per
day ;-)

15. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Our main issue ?
We are GIS specialists…

16. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Who are the users ?
Authorities of the Confederation, the cantons and
communes, the private sector, the public and the
academic and scientific institutions
-> Oups, in other words, everyone

17. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
What want the users?
Fast access to information
-> Paradigm change from « Access to data » to
« Access to information »
Federal office -> « We need to publish geodata »
Internet -> « Geodata are maps »
Citizen -> « I need an information »

18. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
What know the users?
Google & Google maps

19. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
What are our constraints and
restrictions ?
Law
Corporate Design Bund

20. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
20
New design proposal

21. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
21
Less parts
4 parts
(previously 7)

22. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
More map
More map

23. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
23
Functions
Functions in one place

24. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Navigation
Navigation in one place

25. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Search
Only one central search

26. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Topics
Topics for fast access to layers

27. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
…. and responsive !!!

28. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
How to create that ? Base library…
OpenLayers 3 (crowdfunding initiated by
swisstopo) -> 3D ready, Google Closure, HTML5
Bootstrap for responsiveness / CSS3
AngularJS for JS architecture
https://github.com/geoadmin/mf-geoadmin3

29. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
How to create that ? … and work

30. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Challenges
Mobile & desktop interactions are not the same
(finger vs mouse, for example)
Devices heterogeneity -> testing challenge
Limited financial ressources
Avoid « Geoportal don’t work » syndrom -> focus
on the essential (80/20)

31. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Opportunities
Mobile first strategy
Wide plattform support (web app > app)
Huge performance improvement
Time support (historical maps and aerial images)
Fully Open Source
Bootstrap and AngularJS are used by big players -
perenity

32. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Next steps
3D viewer
Offline
Export KML
More data

33. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Help yourself
http://map.geo.admin.ch
300 geodata layers freely
accessible

34. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
Widely recognized

35. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo
COSIG
www.geo.admin.ch
map.geo.admin.ch
api.geo.admin.ch
info@geo.admin.ch
Twitter: @swiss_geoportal
THANK YOU