Possibilities and limitations of Internet cartography software largely
depend on the pace set by the software industry. The variety of commercial and
non-commercial software caters for the needs of a continuously growing mapping
community, including both professional and amateur cartographers. This chapter
provides an overview of state-of-the-art technologies for vector-based Webmapping
as of the beginning of 2011. Both proprietary and open format
technologies are discussed for vector data rendering in browsers, highlighting
their advantages and disadvantages. The discussed technologies are Adobe Flash,
Microsoft Silverlight, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), JavaFX, Canvas, and
WebGL. The chapter also discusses client and server side frameworks which
provide Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for creating custom interactive
maps, mainly by overlaying raster images with vector data.
↧