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Flash and Web Mapping

When asked how to share GIS information on the Web, many GIS users would first look to ESRI's ArcIMS as a solution. While this product has become an industry standard, there are several other products that can be used to create web-based interactive maps. One of these products is Macromedia Flash. When combined with a MySQL database and a server side scripting language such as PHP or PERL, Flash can create a very powerful and dynamic map interface. The scripting language, called Actionscript, that is built into Flash is an object oriented language and when combined with the multimedia features of Flash can be used to create informative and fun Public Participation GIS experiences. This presentation will serve as the first step for anyone interested in using Flash to display spatial data on the web. The discussion will include several case studies of existing Flash solutions and will highlight some of the building blocks such as database connectivity, panning and zooming tools, integration of OGC Web Feature Services (WFS) and linking to websites such as the Iowa Ortho Server. As interest in Web-mapping continues to grow, Flash Mapping is poised to become more popular each year.