Mapping on the web using mapinfo products


Web based applications are by their nature very easy to use and in general can be used by anybody who can use a web browser. As a result training costs are very low as users do not need the in-depth training required of more specialised applications.

Perhaps the most important issues is that web based applications are easy to use for non-GIS users hence deploying mapping applications for general commercial use is very viable.


Figure 3

System Architecture
Figure 1 shows the basic configuration of a web site which utilises MapXtreme to provides mapping functionality. In this environment the end user accesses a browser to request a dynamic map. The request is passed onto the web server. When the web server receives the request it recognises it as a request for a dynamic map page and passes the request to the Application Server. It is the Application Server where the dynamic mapping application is running to process the query sent by the user. The application server creates a state for the user's session. This state persists on the server between pages and allows site developers to save information such as map settings (ie: zoom, map centre, etc). Mapping requests are passed to the Map Server on which MapX is running to provide mapping functionality to the application. The Map Server renders a map as a JPEG or GIF image which is passed back to the Application Server to be embedded into a HTML page. The HTML page is then passed back to the web server to be delivered back to the user.

There are many variations of this basic System Architecture which can accommodate for extra functions such as Java Applets, geocoding etc. The architecture demonstrates the set up of a typical web site discussed here. 

Commercial Applications
Many commercial applications utilising MapInfo MapXtreme are already in existence as both internet and intranet application. The simplest of these is generally refered to as a "Find-the-Nearest" applications. In this situation the end user enters their address information into a form via their web browser. The application locates the user address on the map using a geocoding engine and then performs a spatial query to determine the closest services to the user address. A map is returned displaying the user's address, the closest services and perhaps some related information on those particular services. An example of this is the Coles Supermarket Store locator (Figure 2). This Australian based web site allows users to enter their home address and suburb and receive back in their browser a map of their area with the closest Coles stores highlighted as well as address information for each store and the distance between the users address and each store.


Figure 4

An example of a more sophisticated application is the Commonwealth Bank HomePath Web site (Figure 3). This sites allows potential house buyers to find out facts on property sales prices in suburbs or areas across Australia. The site uses historical sales statistics to deliver the number of properties sold, highest, lowest, average and median sale prices for the past 24 months in the area of interest.

The users can locate properties which they are interested in purchasing. They can then explore the location of the selected property to amenities such as schools, transport, shops and recreational facilities as well as query the demographics of a suburb in terms of age, income, occupation and average rental payments.

One of the best examples of using an intranet applications as an executive information system is the Binboard application created for Vicgrain in Australia (Figure 4).

This system replaced a pin board with web-browsers allowing users to access spatial information and perform several thematic map functions. Area Managers and Executive Planners are able to visualise the locations of silo & other storage sites within Victoria and southern NSW. Managers and Planners are able to zoom to zones, districts, rail lines, or individual location for further analysis. Results are displayed as thematic maps with the ability for the user to access further information relating to particular sites from the background database applications by choosing 'Site Details'.

There are three display options available in the application. These are either to (1) change the map display events; (2) thematically shade the sites within the map; or (3) select a site and view tabular/report details.

The thematic map options fall into three categories. These are:
1. Commodity;
2. Available Storage; and
3. Grade to outload.

The result of each of the thematic map options are to produce a colour coded map of all sites provided. The thematic map will not alter the zoom of the map window, only those sites within the current map will be visible until the user chooses to zoom in/out.

User can easily analyse silos in a particular area to determine their availability based on storage capacity and other relevant criteria. Using a simple browser interface a user can construct queries. For example the user may want to know all sites with 'wheat' or 'all' grades that are cleared and what the current tonnage is. If the user selects the 'Map by Tonnage' option the site symbols will be colour coded by a ranged thematic map. There are five ranges as outlined below:

1. 0 - 500 tonnes
2. 501 - 1000 tonnes
3. 1001 - 2000 tonnes
4. 2001 - 5000 tonnes
5. 5000 + tonnes

Alternatively the user may wish to perform a query such as "Show me all of the silos with a capacity greater than 5000 tonnes which are capable of storing Barley (given that particular silos are designed specifically for particular grains).

The benefits of this system include wide dissemination of information to a large number of end users, ease of use (no GIS skills required), current data available immediately and ease of upgrading the application (upgrades are simply performed on the central server and all users can access them immediately).


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