All Topics
Computer programming and development are critical to the past, present, and future of geospatial systems and techniques. The increasing ubiquity and diversity of online, mobile, and desktop GIS platforms along with the inclusion of cyber-infrastructure components within the bounds of geographic information systems (e.g., supercomputing, wireless sensor networks) means that GIS researchers and professionals need to be fluent in multiple forms of programming, and the life-cycles of system and software development.
Topics in this Knowledge Area are listed thematically below. Existing topics are in regular font and linked directly to their original entries (published in 2006; these contain only Learning Objectives). Entries that have been updated and expanded are in bold. Forthcoming, future topics are italicized.
| Algorithm Design/Algorithmic Approaches | Programming Languages & Libraries |
| Real-time GIS Programming and Geocomputation | Python for GIS |
| Natural Language Processing in GIScience Applications | PySAL and Spatial Statistics Libraries |
| Machine Learning Programming for GIS | R for Geospatial Analysis & Mapping |
| Linear Programming and GIS | Javascript for GIS |
| GIS and Parallel Programming | SQL Languages for GIS |
| Object-oriented Programming in GIS Applications | GDAL/OGR and IO Libraries |
| Application Development | |
| Development Tools | Design, Development, Testing, and Deployment of GIS Applications |
| Visual Programming for GIS Applications | Verification & Validation of GIS Applications |
| SpatialMPI: Message Passage Interface for GIS Applications | Commercialization of GIS Applications |
| GIS APIs | Licensing of GIS Applications |
| Open Source Software Development | |
| Platform Specific Programming | |
| GIS and GPU Programming | |
| Programming of Mobile GIS Applications | |
| Web GIS Programming |
PD-16 - Web GIS Programming
Web GIS programming involves creating, extending, utilizing, Web GIS or web mapping solutions to solve specific problems, build complete applications, or consume or produce data and geospatial processing services. With the expansion of the internet and availability of Web GIS or Web mapping options, web GIS programming is becoming a commonly required skill set in many organizations. Web GIS programming is a type of software development that provides a means of handling internet, browser-based software application development tasks which require unique solutions to web GIS or web mapping problems. In addition, a number of Web GIS software options offer application programming interfaces (APIs) that provide a means by which developers can leverage the published data and processing services of others to build and customize applications through standardized interfaces with external web GIS software, data, and services. Web GIS programming applies to mobile as well as desktop application development. A browser typically runs software applications by submitting Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) requests to a server hosting resources the application user wishes to access available through a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), and the server replies by providing resources or performing functions requested by the user. This entry reviews the fundamentals of web GIS programming, accompanying the Web Mapping and other entries in the Programming and Development section, the Web GIS entry in the Computing Platforms section, and the User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) Design entry in the Cartography and Visualization section (Sack, 2017; Quinn, 2018; Roth, 2017).