Good examples of MapServer / OpenLayers

Question

I want to convince some clients to use MapServer and OpenLayers. Please can anyone suggest attractive websites to show off the possiblities!

The clients will be impressed by:

• A density map (otherwise known as a heat map, colour-shaded grid coverage, contour plot...).
• The ability for the user to download the underlying data for the density map, restricted to the area being viewed, in some format such as netCDF.
• Standard OpenLayers stuff. Zooming, panning, scale bar, overview map...
• Different base layers. Could be WMS, Google, Bing...
• Searching for a placename, map is panned to display the place.
• Exposing the heatmap data for other people to use in mashups as WMS or WCS

MapServer.org is back up but demo.mapserver.org seems to be down right now :( But from memory their examples didn't have the "wow" factor. The OpenLayers examples demonstrate only one or two features per example - I want something to wow the clients by showing all the capabilities in one example.

PS If you have good examples that use some other open source tools, post them by all means. But just JavaScript please: customer says no rich client.

EDIT Come on StackOverflow, someone must have an example that uses a density map?? I'm even offering a bounty now...

Answer 1

Note this answer is no longer relevant. The open source maps have since been replaced with a commercial alternative by a different company

http://maps.seai.ie/wind/ - mapping onshore and offshore wind speeds and farms in Ireland

http://maps.seai.ie/geothermal/ - mapping geothermal temperatures in Ireland, and borehole data

• uses WMS services (and TileCache) for all the layers, so can be accessed by other client GIS's (well once I've set up metadata etc..)
• has a variety of different base maps to choose from
• built using MapFish / ExtJS
• has drop down gazetteers for County and Townland (an Irish administrative unit)
• all the basic map navigation tools and a simple info tool
• right click on a layer to set transparency
• uses MapServer opensource back-end, plus SQL Server 2008

The systems (and a third more complex Bioenergy Intranet system) got a mention here: http://www.geoconnexion.com/uploads/renewableenergy_intv9i4.pdf

Answer 2

http://haiticrisismap.org/ openlayes + geoxt

would it be possible to create a template map for the client with a bunch of data on it, census, socio, create some simple fake buffers.

Answer 3

Maybe have a look at the HeatMapAPI for Google Maps (not sure you'll wow the client with that though).

Another density map: http://maps.glassfish.org/server/ (showing the use of GlassFish around the world).

Answer 4

We're using the OpenLayers Heatmap layer, mostly because (for us) it handles large data volumes better than the Google Map version (your mileage may vary)

http://www.patrick-wied.at/static/heatmapjs/demo/maps_heatmap_layer/openlayers.php

By large data volumes, I mean location datasets with 100K+ rows

It also works nicely as an ASPX page with dynamic realtime data retrieval from an SQL Server database. I've used a stored procedure to pre-process the data into the array format, grouped by Latitude & Longitude.

For those that need a translation table to convert their UK Postcodes into Latitude & Longitude, here's a good source: http://www.doogal.co.uk/UKPostcodes.php

Answer 5

The OneGeology Portal (http://portal.onegeology.org/OnegeologyGlobal/) has been online for about 10 years, currently running OpenLayers 2, with an OpenLayers 3 version in development.

The portal attempts to create a geological map of the world by pulling together disparate OGC services provided by data suppliers (mostly Geological Surveys) from across the globe. The portal provides access to data from WMS, WFS (simple and complex feature), and WCS. The portal uses CSW to help manage which functionality is available to a user, and provides the ability to style WMS layers through the application of custom SLD. Map contexts can be saved, shared and loaded using WMC.

There is a gazetteer to help you zoom to a location of choice, the ability to change projections, and scales, and the ability to create a KML file to allow the service to be used in Google Earth. Transparency can be changed on all layers.

There are currently 353 layers.

When the OneGeology project started, all documentation was geared to the support of services provided by MapServer, and many of the services in the portal are MapServer services. However, because the portal utilises open standards, any software that can provide services to those standards can be included.

Answer 6

This is an example of a classified grid generated in MapServer and displayed by OpenLayers: https://maps.greenwoodmap.com/sublette/mapserver/map#zcr=1/2690000/1170000/0&lyrs=slopesZ,townlim,ownership,roads. The raw, unclassified slope data can also queried by map click.