The recent open source geo-week in Portland, Oregon was a big hit and we’re happy to share our videos and slides that are now online. Here’s a quick recap of our talks at the FOSS4G and JS.geo conferences.
FOSS4G Sessions
How Simplicity Will Save GIS - Vladimir Agafonkin
It’s 2014 — we have consumer robots and electric cars, private spacecraft, planet colonization projects, and the Higgs boson is confirmed, but GIS software is still a mess. How do we reverse this GIS entropy? What does it take to turn complex technology into something that anyone can use and contribute to?
Mobile vector map rendering with Mapbox tools - Justin Miller
Rendering maps from vector data is the next wave in custom cartography, and nowhere is this more important than on mobile devices. Let’s look at what’s possible with Mapbox GL, including client-side map style customization and influencing the user experience with sensor inputs, and talk about high-level design goals of the tools and where they are headed next.
Vector tiles for fast custom maps - Dane Springmeyer
Vector tiles are becoming a common solution for fast clientside rendering of spatial data in both browsers and mobile devices. We’ll cover the open source technology under the hood in Mapbox Studio as well as the status of an emerging specification for vector tiles and recent advances in the format.
Fiona and Rasterio: Data Access for Python Programmers and Future Python Programmers - Sean Gillies
Fiona and Rasterio are new GDAL-based Python libraries that embody lessons learned over a decade of using GDAL and Python to solve geospatial problems. Among these lessons: the importance of productivity, enjoyability, and serendipity to both experts and beginners.
Implementing change in OpenStreetMap - John Firebaugh
In 2013, I was involved in two substantial technical changes to OpenStreetMap: a new default editor and a redesign of the website. Because OpenStreetMap is a collaborative project, these were as much social as technical efforts.
FOSS4G Workshops
Mapbox Studio Fundamentals - An introduction to the successor of TileMill, Mapbox Studio. Covers getting started with Sources and Styles as well as basic CartoCSS.
Leaflet and Mapbox.js API Fundamentals - Basics of the Leaflet JavaScript mapping library and how the Mapbox.js API acts as a plugin on top of Leaflet.
JS.Geo
The lead developer and founder of Leaflet, Vladimir Agafonkin, shares some history and the roadmap for the world’s most popular mapping library.
Lauren Budorick explains the nuts and bolts of OpenGL for cartography and how it ultimately changes the speed of rendering your maps.