So, what is on the roadmap? Firstly, our own tiles :) The design is based upon Stamen Traffic with OSM data (the tiles are being designed by Thunderforest). This will give users of MapFig Studio even more choices and more autonomy. Our MapFig tiles should be online later this week. Our Tiles will be publicly accessible, so they can be used even if you are not using MapFig Studio. A bit further ahead (but not by much), full SQL Query capabilities and creating maps directly from SQL. MapFig Studio uses PostgreSQL with PostGIS as it's back-end database. So we have forked a Java version of MapFig Studio that retains all of the multi-user and management features, but adds the ability to create maps via SQL. This will allow users to create meaningful visualizations from any data set. As with the current PHP-based release of MapFig Studio, the emphasis is on simplicity and being able to run your own service. The Java/SQL version is a single WAR file that can run on Tomcat or JBoss.
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When I checked this product for the first time, I was happily surprised to find out it's open source!
@robertwilliger I see you have a pretty extensive table that shows the differences with other mapping solutions (google maps, mapbox, etc.).
Can you please highlight the most important differences for us?
I know as part of the Product Hunt community, a common question is "Why do we need another...? :) We also get asked a lot what the difference is between what we are offering and what is already out there - http://mapfig.org/compare-us.html. No solution is right for everyone but there is certainly need in the market for what we have to offer.
@gregoiregilbert I think there are several key distinctions. Foremost (for me), is that it is self-contained. You own the application. Building on this, the application resource requirements are minimal (on par with WordPress). Installation is simple and, once deployed, it is ready for use by users of any skill level. These elements, combined, enables people to take the maximum amount of control over their maps and mapping. A key distinction in terms of functionality is that the platform was designed to put maps on websites. It allows users to deploy via iframe, url, html, or integrated plugins for WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Omeka.
Hello everyone. Rob here, and I am one of the co-founders of MapFig with @davidghedini. We will be around in the comments all day so if there are any questions or suggestions please let us know. Thank you to @Gregoiregilbert for hunting us.
Absolutely. The primary focus behind MapFig is to provide tools for website maps. There is a lot of functionality built in for web developers such as being able to manage multiple client maps from an admin panel as well as update the map in one location and have it updated everywhere. There are plugins for WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla.
A great use of the private maps feature that I thought of while doing the last Periscope update would be for youth organizations. Activities like Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little League, Soccer, etc.. always need to give location information for events. With the world we live in, it would be an advantage to keep those password protected so only those who need have access to the information.
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