Drupalcon Denver 2012 - Designing Maps

2012DrupalconDenver-DesigningMaps

Tools to use 
* Tilemill (http://mapbox.com/tilemill/index.html)

About Tilemill
* Available on Windows, Mac, and linux
* Support shape files
* Uses code called carto to describe and create map. Code similar to css
* Very easy doesn't require a database
* can create maps on fly

About mapbox
* Provides API to create maps with any drupal install, etc
* Runs on nodejs to allow on the fly map rendering
* All managed restfully through api - even quality can be controlled
* nodejs allows optimal conditions for mobile browsing
* allows many layers 

Examples of maps:
* http://www.npr.org/censusmap/#4.00/39.00/-84.00 - Census data used 300mb of data
* http://climate4development.worldbank.org 
* http://data.nai.org.af
* http://whitehouse.gov/issues/fiscal/excess-property-map

Steps to create map:
* Download tilemill
* Obtain a csv for your map and your map data

Tilemill Supports the following:
* SQL-lite
* csv
* haml

Mapbox + Drupal
* Two ways to integrate drupal and mapbox
  1. Use data layer - Allows scalability 
  2. Use base layer - Limitations in scalability at certain point will experience browser issues
* BoF Tomorrow at room 502
* MapBox module - configure with map
* Open layers - module for drupal as views plugin and puts data on top map
* Wax js - create maps with json object - allows direct impact
    * provide jsonp url
    * allows interaction
* Powerful mapbox api reference on mapbox hosting
* contrib module called flashmaps

Exposing data ready for tilemill
* create data download and drop into tilemill
* very easy - tile mill allows remote data sources
* provide remote service 
* allows cli automation