OpenLayers 2.10 – A Beginner’s Guide Book Review

May 16, 2011 Leave a Comment

I was excited to be able to review a book on what I think is one of my favorite javascript libraries out there.  OpenLayers 2.10 Beginner’s Guide has some really good parts and is going to be a good resource for those who want to get started with OpenLayers.  There are some major typos and other formatting issues with the ePub version I have that may not be present in the print version (I’m so over killing trees), but prepare to be frustrated if you go the ePub route.

One section of the book that I did think was very valuable was the one on Firebug.  It is a good reminder that developing JavaScript applications with only your web browser and notepad is not generally going to be enough.

If you have any experience, this book is probably going to not be of much value as it really is a beginners guide.  Developers can probably get up and running quicker using the online docs and examples than this book.  That said, it could be a good introduction to anyone wanting to get started with online mapping APIs.  A sample chapter is available if you’d like to see if this book is for you.

If there is one thing you can say about the Geo/LI space is that we’ve got a great selection of books to pick from lately.  This OpenLayers book is probably no exception to those wanting an integration to OpenLayers.  People always ask me what “technology” should they learn[ref]”Should I learn ArcObjects?” — Er no![/ref] and I usually say OpenLayers.  If you are the type that likes a book to help them learn how to do something, I’m going to say OpenLayers 2.10 – A Beginner’s Guide is a good choice to get your head around OpenLayers.

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Book Review — Map Scripting 101

October 25, 2010 5 Comments

A great intro to web mapping!

I was thinking just the other day when someone asked, why were there not updated Google Maps API books out there. People like to read books, right? I mean, reading API pages is boring even for devs. I saw a review a couple weeks ago of Adam Duvander’s book, Map Scripting 101 and jumped at the chance to read it.

Funny thing though when I first started reading it. I was totally turned off by the use of the open source Mapstraction library. But what do you know… I’m a total convert now for beginners looking to get started in web mapping. I was thinking, it would be so better to teach people one API (probably the Google one) and then leave it at that. I mean who really uses Bing or Yahoo! anymore. Well after reading the book, I think for most “ordinary” people, focusing on the Mapstraction library is the way to go. Being able to code one JavaScript app for your web mapping applications simplifies the whole process (no matter how you wish to use it). If you need advanced features, you’ll probably want to code directly with the each particular API, but I’d wager most people reading a book titled “Map Scripting 101″ what the quickest method to getting a good looking map.

Anyway, enough about Mapstraction and on to Adam’s book. Adam starts off with some simple maps built on a couple APIs, but quickly gets into how you can use Mapstraction to simplify it. Once he gets beyond the intro to creating maps with these APIs, he gets into some samples that should get the attention of those who this book was written for. He hits on some classic mapping examples such as weather and earthquakes, but then gets into some Twitter and music event stuff that was a refreshing change from typical web mapping books. And you better believe there was a coffee shop example that used some cool geocoding and routing stuff.

Adam also got into some of the formats that are important to web mappers; GeoRSS, GeoJSON, KML and even threw in a MySQL example. Word of caution though, you’ll want to have some MySQL background before trying as there wasn’t much background there (and probably rightly so). The Map Scripting website has all the examples ready to go if you want to be a copy and paste coder.

The one thing about the whole book though is that it is clear that Adam is a great writer who is excited about technology and it shows. The book is very accessible for beginners and even intermediates who might want to get more familiar with Mapscraction. Adam should be very proud of his book as I think he’s done a superb job on it. I hope he’ll continue writing technology books because his style is needed in a normally very drab and boring space. I’d wager most readers of this blog will gain a ton of benefit from reading this book if they want to learn more and apply some of the fun things you can do with web mapping.

This web mapping is the craziest party that could ever be…

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A Look at Some ESRI Press Gems

June 25, 2010 7 Comments

If there is one thing that comes to mind with the ESRI Press it is probably that book about VBA and ArcGIS. Yea not exactly stay up late reading material at all. Last year ESRI brought an out of print book back that many GIS professionals had lusted after since they were told of its existence. Cartographic Relief Presentation was on the short list of many folks and a hugely welcome edition to any cartographer.

Well following up on that book, we’ve got a new one out now, The Look of Maps: An Examination of Cartographic Design.  What I like about this book is that it gives focus on techniques, not technology, which is something sorely missed by today’s books and instructions.  The “why” of what makes good cartographic design is becoming a lost art.

But that isn’t all, I saw in the ESRI Press Catalog that another book is on its way this fall.  Semiology of Graphics is yet another book that teaches concepts, not technology and helps cartographers make great decisions about presenting their data.

So much of computer GIS is devoid of good cartography reference books to give GIS professionals guidance to make timeless maps, not just those with the default ESRI north arrow on them.  I highly suggest putting these books on your Amazon wish list as they are valuable as they are timeless.

Photographic evidence indicates Mark Twain was a big reader of cartography books.

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ESRI Press Books: Implemementing GIS

July 8, 2008 9 Comments

I really do enjoy books that ESRI publishes (if only they were cheaper) and I’ve noticed two books coming up that really interest me.

The first, “Building a GIS” by Dave Peters looks to be a big help with implementing GIS at organizations. In fact ESRI is pushing it as a “companion” to Roger Tomlinson’s Thinking About GIS, which is one of my favorite books (I even got a signed copy). The table of contents reveals how deeply it will visit many of the topics folks email me daily on such as ArcGIS architecture and security (feel free to continue emailing me though ;) ). I know many folks avoid these books because they have an obvious ESRI slant to them (given the publisher), but I find their approach valuable in any geospatial implementation.

The second book is one that I think I’m even more interested in reading, “The Business Benefits of GIS, An ROI Approach” by David Maguire, Victoria Kouyoumjian and Ross Smith. ESRI linked to an interview with David Maguire on the book and David hit a on something that I think is why this book will be very valuable. David rightly points out there are very few examples of “measurable” business benefits of GIS projects and no standardized way to estimate the ROI on using GIS. (read the interview for more insight). A good methodology to establish true value of a GIS will greatly improve its acceptance in both enterprise and smaller organizations. ESRI has even set up a website to support the book (http://gis.esri.com/roi/).

According to Barnes & Noble, the books won’t be shipping until late August, but maybe there will be something at the ESRI UC next month on them. Even at their cost (especially the second book), I think will be very valuable in my bookshelf.

Update: It looks like there will sessions for both books at the UC.

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