The geographic vizualization of business data offers new perpectives for
decision makers. Mixing complex economic data with social and demographic
information is the main key for this purpose. Sound knowlegde of the
thematic cartography domain and its methods is required to build such a
Map Viewer.
In the past, major problems were the presentation of interactive thematic
maps as well as accessibility issues. The W3C standard SVG is solving
these issues in a reasonable way. XML/SVG data is easy to generate and, as
a result of this fact, easy to integrate in existing complex applications,
like business intelligence systems. Furthermore, Scalable Vector Graphics
and its neighbour technologies are offering almost unlimited possibilities
to create high quality maps and to provide unique new webmapping experiences.
The presented application is realized in a three component design. The
first one is geodata, the second is thematic information and the third are
viewer properties. All sources of information are defined in XML data and
configuration files. To integrate and visualize these large spatial
datasets, client-side ECMA scripting is necessary. Concepts of object
orientated programming are the key to develop cutting edge applications.
All these characteristics allow an easy integration of this light-weight
viewer in any kind of client-server architecture.
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