Applied GIS: Web GIS Serving Public Safety in Central Asia.

Abstract

Different mapping technologies for displaying geo-referenced data over the web can be used in different situations. This paper discusses the design, development and implementation of a web-based spatial visualisation tool built from a combination of open source software packages. The online mapping application developed for tracking drug related crime was built on GeoServer – an open-source server written in Java for sharing, processing and editing geospatial data; Apache Server as a web server; PostgreSQL and its extension PostGIS as an object-relational database for location queries to be run in SQL; OpenLayers an open source JavaScript library for displaying map data in web browsers; and finally Drupal, a free, open-source web development platform for online content and user communities. The complex workings of the system are hidden from the user and the automatic rendering design used in this system enables users with no prior knowledge of GIS to visualise their data and immediately gain some understanding of the spatial structure of their data.