Building web mapping for visualization and sharing socio-economic statistical data

Abstract

Currently, statistical database is relatively large in VietNam, and have been computerised in the process of managing and organising information. However, these data are only presented and published in the traditional tabular format. This study aims to enhance the value and the effectiveness of statistical data by exploring their spatial aspect and making them more accessible to the general public. We intend to achieve this through producing Web Mapping that allows users to actively create thematic maps, which visualise statistical data using suitable mapping methods. In this paper, we use MapFish Framework to build Rich Web-Mapping Applications (as called as Rich Internet Application - RIA). Established web mapping application is the integration of Web Browsers (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, etc), Apache Tomcat, UMN MapServer, MapFish Client, MapFish Server, database management system PostgreSQL/PostGIS. In this application, users can select statistical indicators of interest, then select the method of expression and the associated parameters such as method of grouping, number of groups, and colors to create thematic maps on the world wide web environment.