WebGD Framework and WebGD-Gen Application Generator

A typical Internet map-server application allows only retrieval of maps and maprelated data. We have been developing web-based GIS/database (WebGD) applications that allow users to insert, query, update, and delete geographical features and the data associated with them from standard Web browsers. The code shared by these applications is organized as the WebGD framework. We have also built a WebGD application generator (WebGD-Gen) that automatically produces a WebGD application from a database schema. This application generator greatly simplifies the process of creating a complex Web-based GIS/database application and significantly reduces the development time and maintenance cost. The WebGD framework and WebGD-GEN currently support such advanced features as tight integration of a Webbased map interface with a database, automatic selection of the spatial reference and map layers for the current region, and automatic generation of Web forms. The forms generated can be used to insert, search, update, and delete geographical features and the data associated with them. 1