Nétek, R: The Impact of the Implementation of HTML5 Elements into WebGIS Applications
1. Impact of implementation RIA & HTML5
elements for WebGIS application
Rostislav NÉTEK
This presentation is co-financed by the
European Social Fund and the state
budget of the Czech Republic
2. WebGIS
Maps: Analogue –> Digital -> Web
The Internet platform provide more options and
becoming very popular
Additional information or data linked to the map
background (text, attributes, tables, images, video,
animation, hyperlink, etc)
Visualizing only x Interaction
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
3. Request/response
Via http protocol
Visualizing geographic data using a server application
Server side x Client side
Map server communicates with a web server and
processing data according to requirements
New action = New request = Whole process
Not sufficient nowadays
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
4. Rich Internet Application
RIA
The last trend in the publishing and working with geodata
General concept, not concrete technology
AJAX, Microsoft Silverlight, Openlaszlo, JavaFX, Adobe Flex
Brings the tools, practices and conventions from desktop
platform into interactive web applications
Esthetical features
Independent requests, asynchronous generating part of the
results
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
5. RIA characteristics (+)
Run in the Web browser (both online and offline)
Combine properties from desktop applications into Web interface
No installation process required
Immediate feedback, refresh is not required
Rich content (video, sound, animation, vectors, drag and drop,
keyboard navigation, ...)
Platform independent
Faster processing of requests
Rich user interface
Focus on esthetical impression
Easy distribution and start-up
Mobile applications are fully supported and available
Open source
Wide possibility of customization
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
6. RIA characteristics (-)
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
7. GIS Flex
Runs in the same
environment like Flash
Flex is not Flash !
Allows to create highly interactive Web mapping
applications
Emphasis on desing
Fully web application brings features from both desktop
and robust server solutions
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
8. VIRTUS & BOTANGIS projects
Virtual lab to access certain information about Litovelské
Pomoraví Regional Nature Conversation Area
Basic characteristics, environment data, nature
conservation and many other topics
Tabular, textual, graphic, multimedia and spatial form
Visualise and manage content of Botanical garden of
Palacký University in Olomouc
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
9. VIRTUS & BOTANGIS projects
Esri Flex client
ArcGIS Viewer for Flex (API)
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
10. HTML 4.0/4.1 HTML5
HTML specification by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Final specification approved by the end of 2014
New tags
Enables multimedia playing directly in web browser
Without Flash support
<canvas>
Bitmap drawing container - rendering graphs, game,
graphics and other visual elements as well as maps
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
12. HTML5 vs. RIA
Visualization methods
Technological aspects
Management aspects
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
13. Flex vs. HTML5: Visualisation methods
(-) Complicated process of generating
(+) Flash/Flex has focus on vector graphic by default
(+) Support of 3D graphic
(+) Drag and drop
(+) Video: expansion by embed Flash/Flex = YouTube
(+) Rounded borders, Transparency
(-) Previous HTML incompatible specs like SVG, VML
(+) HTML5 introduces the canvas element & WebGL
(+) Support of 3D graphic
(+) Drag and drop
(++) Rounded borders, Transparency, jQuery effects, …
(++) Video: HTML5 & tag <video> = native browser support
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
14. Flex vs. HTML5: technological & management asp.
Form: HTML5 adds many new input types
Offline mode
Caching
Cloud computing support
Plugins & Widgets
Development, testing, compatibility (+++) HTML5
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
15. The aspect Standard solution Flex HTML5
Vector graphic No (natively) Yes Yes
3D graphic No Yes Yes
Transparency Partially Yes Yes
Rounded borders Partially Yes Yes
jQuery effects Yes No (Flex) Yes
Plugins & widgets Partially Yes Yes
Advanced editing No Yes Partially
Cache Yes Yes Yes
Cloud computing
No Yes Yes
support
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
16. Summary
Both Flex & HTML5 provide great features into WebGIS
Similar/same features = depends on the aim of application
HTML5 provides designing
Flex gives better opportunity of management aspects
By both: The application should be extended by additional functions,
plugins & widgets, the content and framework should be edited
“onscreen”
Flex just exists, while HTML5 is still more specification than real
implementation
Flex is the best solution for interactive WebGIS application
nowadays, but within some years HTML5 probably replace Flex
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
17. Thank you for your attention
Q & A?
Pamela Fox, Sydney 2009: Just use them both, and get the best of both worlds
First InDOG Doctoral Conference, 29th October - 1st November 2012, Olomouc
