The document presents an overview of four prominent OSGeo web mapping projects: Geomajas, OpenLayers, Mapbender, and MapFish, highlighting their functionalities and roles in web GIS. It emphasizes the importance of diversity and competition within the open-source community while providing historical context and development milestones for each framework. Ultimately, it aims to guide users in selecting the best option suited to their needs for spatial data infrastructures.

1. OSGeo Web Mapping Typification:
GeoMajas, Mapbender, MapFish
and OpenLayers
Christoph Baudson
Arnulf Christl
FOSS4G 2010 – Barcelona

2. Metaspatial.net
This presentation is brought to you by: Metaspatial
When? Consultation since March 2010
Why? To leverage your spatial data
What? Consultation and Implementation of
- Spatial Data Infrastructures
- Metadata
How: Open Source Software and Data
with Open Standards
and Agile management
http://www.metaspatial.net
2 / 47

3. Disclaimer
All information contained in this presentation has been
compiled to the best of our knowledge and presents an ad­
hoc snapshot of current state of the art web mapping client
frameworks and portals.
Christoph Baudson and Arnulf Christl are deeply involved
in developing the Mapbender project since many years.
For further information and help on how to select the best
option for your needs ask your consultant and service
provider.
Download as ODP or PDF
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4. Introduction
This presentation differentiates four of the web mapping
projects of OSGeo. They can be roughly split into four
categories although there is a lot of overlap.
● GeoMajas is a self contained, ful fledged Web­GIS
● OpenLayers is a JavaScript client library
● Mapbender is a geoportal management software
● MapFish is a web mapping developer framework
All projects have server side components except for
OpenLayers. Both MapFish and Mapbender integrate
OpenLayers as viewer.
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5. On Diversity
We all know the term in the context of bio­diversity. Mono­
cultures (the opposite of diversity) are well known to be
associated with all kinds of problems and issues. Therefore
OSGeo strives for diversity in it's projects.
Diversity comes with competition, which is sometimes good
and sometimes also has a negative touch. To better
understand how the Open Source community works
competition is best mixed with cooperation to form the new
word coopetition – which can be a great motivation for folks.
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6. A History of Web Mapping
2009
Geomajas
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7. Excursion: GRASS and the OGC
1992: The OGF (Open GRASS Foundation) forms to:
(1)make more geoprocessing choices available
(2)act as sounding board for the user community to articulate
its requirements to the developer community
(3)speed up procurement by aligning the needs of the users
with the product plans of the vendors
1994: "Open Geodata Interoperability Specification" started
1994: Change into a consortium (proprietary vendors' needs)
1999: OpenGIS WMS Interface Specification
Interesting read, The history of the OGC: http://www.opengeospatial.org/ogc/history
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8. Mapbender
1999: experimental Perl client for OGC WMT 1.0
2001: re­implementation in PHP, operational users
2003: Adoption of Open Source license and development
2006: OSGeo foundation project, Incubation passed.
2007: Introducing jQuery­library to Mapbender
2008: Modularization, first steps using OpenLayers
2009: Version 2.6 with lots of new features
2010: Version 3.0 re­engineering with REST principles
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9. Excursion: GoogleMaps
2006: The tile is back. The long overcome legacy technology
of pre tiled maps is back – with lots of accompanying noise.
This technological regression is celebrated as the GIS
Revolution. GIS professionals start to fear Google.
2007: "Mashup" becomes bullshit bingo winner at Where 2.0.
2008: All maps have become static and street maps.
2009: "Vounteered Geographic Information" (VGI)
misunderstood as exploiting volunteers without giving back.
2010: OpenStreetMap is getting better than the Big Three.
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10. Openlayers
2005: First ideas for a JavaScript mapping library form at
the Where 2.0 conference by O'Reilly in Silicon Valley
2006: Presentation of OpenLayers 1.0 at Where 2.0
conference targeted at Web developers who simply need a
map in their web site.
2007: Introduction of the slippy map
2008: OpenLayers Release 2.7
2010: More and more web mapping software uses
OpenLayers as their viewer.
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11. Geomajas
2006: The origin lies in geGIS (www.gegis.org) the result of
a tender for the Flemish government and company DFC
2008: geGIS project ends. Start from Scratch as Geomajas.
2009: Folks from DFC found GeoSparc to support Geomajas
2010: Geosparc owns Geomajas IP
2010: Geomajas enters OSGeo Incubation. Support and use
grows beyond th scope of the original developing company.
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12. MapFish
MapFish is a new development initiated by camptocamp.
Prior art can be found in Cartoweb, MapBuilder, and others
2007: first source code available in an open repository
2008: the developer community grows beyond the initiator
(company camptocamp)
2009: MapFish starts OSGeo Incubation
2010: Several large productive systems go online.
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13. Excursion: on Tiling
Tiling pros and cons:
Tiles are a perfect fit for Internet technology.
Associated technology is very robust and scalable.
Every coordinate system and scale level needs it's own set
of tiles: This makes data management a real issue.
Tiled maps are static.
Most servers are purposefully not standardized in an open
and consensus based process
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14. Functionality in all
frameworks is very
similar.
Let's take a look at...
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15. … the
source
code!
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16. OpenLayers
Client JavaScript
Server ­
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17. Client JavaScript
Server Python
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18. Mapbender
Client JavaScript
Server PHP
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19. Client Java
Server Java
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20. Client components
?
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21. Mapbender
Ext Core Core jQuery
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22. Widgets
ExtJS jQuery UI
Ext Core Core jQuery
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23. Widgets
Core
Mapbender
GeoExt Geo jQuery
Plugins
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24. Widgets
Core
geojquery??
GeoExt Geo
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25. geojquery wants to bring the jQuery
way of doing things to web mapping.
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26. Mission: Implement a jQuery
interface to OpenLayers, provide a
rich set of UI widgets.
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27. A web mapping typification – Christoph Baudson, Arnulf Christl 27 / 47

28. Not a GeoExt clone.
Write less, do more.
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29. Join code sprint on Friday:
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2010_Code_Sprint
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30. Widgets
Core
Geo
Map
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31. ExtJS / jQuery – License
ExtJS: Dual ("Commercial" and GPLv3)
jQuery / jQuery UI: Dual (MIT and GPLv3)
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32. ExtJS / jQuery – Copyright
ExtJS: Copyright lies with Ext JS, LLC
jQuery: Copyright lies with creator John Resig
jQuery und jQuery UI: Copyright lies with the team of the
jQuery Project
Thoughts to transfer rights to the non­profit organization
Software Freedom Conservancy
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33. ExtJS / jQuery – Distribution
Google Trends
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34. ExtJS / jQuery UI – Distribution
Google Trends
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35. Client summary
OpenLayers does not compare to the others as it is limited
to JavaScript and runs in the browser.
OpenLayers is an integral part of MapFish, which relies on
GeoExt.
Mapbender can use OpenLayers and it's own WMS client
with comprehensive layer and metadata management .
GeoMajas is self contained and comes with it's own client
and server.
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36. Component Analysis Server
MapFish
REST API (MapFish protocol)
Implemented in Python, based on Pylons
Implementations in other languages exist (PHP, Java and
Ruby) Version 2.0 status?
Shapely or JTS provide spatial analysis methods
Spatial SQLAlchemy extension GeoAlchemy
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37. Component Analysis Server
Mapbender
Implemented in PHP
No standardized API
Version 3.0 with REST architecture
PostgreSQL database to store users, applications and
service repository
Best of breed integration with OGC standards
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38. Component Analysis Server
GeoMajas
Documented API (not standardized)
Strong focus on server side
Implemented in Java
GeoTools allows powerful data analysis and manipulation
Client/Server communication highly integrated
Maps and clients in one framework
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39. Administration
MapFish: Administration requires source code and config
file editing
Mapbender: Administration via Web based interfaces.
GeoMajas: Administration requires source code and config
file editing
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40. Database Component
MapFish: SQLAlchemy (SQLite, Postgres, MySQL, Oracle,
MS­SQL, …), GeoAlchemy for spatial databases.
Mapbender exclusively PostgreSQL, PostGIS for spatial
functionality.
GeoMajas: via Hibernate, spatial databases via GeoTools.
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41. License
OpenLayers: The Clear BSD License
GeoMajas: AGPL plus other options through vendor
Mapbender: Dual: GPLv2 and Simplified BSD
MapFish: GPLv3, except some libraries and modules
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42. Copyright
Mapbender: OSGeo
MapFish: Camptocamp, SourcePole, others
OpenLayers: OpenLayers contributors
GeoMajas: Geosparc, Belgium
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43. Which Software for which Task?
OpenLayers currently is the best option for web
developers who simply need a map.
GeoMajas, MapFish and Mapbender with their server side
components are too heavy for this job.
OpenLayers is also used by developers of complex web
mapping frameworks and geoportal software, for example
MapFish and Mapbender.
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44. Which Software for which Task?
MapFish is a framework for Web GIS application
developers.
Well structured source code
Modular architecture using OpenLayers and GeoExt
Standardized API
Supports several programming languages
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45. Which Software for which Task?
Mapbender is a software to create and operate SDI
geoportals.
Administration is optimized for standard services like OGC
WMS, WFS and INSPIRE.
User specific access control.
Web interfaces to create applications.
No need to write a single line of Code.
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46. Which Software for which Task?
GeoMajas is a self contained out­of­the­box Web GIS
solution
Includes client and server.
User specific access control.
Web interfaces to create applications.
integrates powerful server side algorithms into the web
browser.
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47. Come to the OSGeo
booth and talk to
users and developers
The international
Open Source Conference
of the
Geospatial Domain
With friendly support by:
Creative Commons Share Alike License 3.0
Download as ODP or PDF
Metaspatial
Copyright © 2010: Christoph Baudson
Arnulf Christl
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