Revision of Syllabus for Online Maps with OpenLayers from Tue, 2011-01-11 07:51

Online Maps with OpenLayers

Communications
* If you DON’T want to share a question, idea, or map page, please say so in your e-mail or post!  I want us to share a lot with the course so someone can find it and learn from it.

* If you’re getting many e-mails from P2PU, have them go to a Gmail account, and all comments from the same post in the course go to one conversation

* To write your code, I recommend Notepad++ from

* To test and debug your maps: install Mozilla Firefox, then add the Firebug extension from http://getfirebug.com/  If you know how to debug JavaScript in another browser, that’s fine.

* Download Skype and make a call to the test service.  We may want to Skype for the course, and it’s one of the best ways to get in touch with open source groups for the final project

* We will have a place where you can write the HTML and JavaScript of your map, test it, share it with the group, and make comments. This will be on webcraft-coder.appspot.com

Benefits of webcraft-coder.appspot.com
* Your map pages will be online for quick and easy editing and viewing
* Get valuable feedback from others in the course - newbies and experienced programmers
* Saves time: you don’t need a server or an account, just an e-mail address
* Coursework, source code, comments, and examples will stay online for future learners
* Please contact me if your work should be removed from the website at the end of the course.

* Several of you have your own websites.  Awesome!  You can put your map pages there if you want.  Add a link to the website so that we can leave comments.

Schedule
60 days and so much to do!  I’m dividing it into the four main topic areas: OpenStreetMap, OpenLayers, applications of maps, and the final ‘interest project’

OpenStreetMap - 10 days
Starting with simple task to discuss OpenStreetMap and add to their global participatory map

Ongoing Discussion (post early, reply often)
OpenStreetMap involves similar themes to P2PU Webcraft: open information, sharing knowledge, volunteers. Each of you should share one positive or negative of this map being open to edit and use, and reply to others’ positives and negatives.

Three-part task
* Make an account at OpenStreetMap.org so you can make edits
* If you have a GPS, find something missing from the map, and add points, a road, or a trail
* No GPS: find Bing aerial imagery and add local content to OpenStreetMap

Share your work
Link to your edits.  For example, http://www.openstreetmap.org/user/syedmahm/edits

OpenLayers - 25 days

Ideas for tasks (what if people complete around ½ of 10-20 tasks suggested by community?)

• Start Here: a quick interactive map (JavaScript variables and objects)
• Adding markers (info about vectors)
• Adding clickable markers and image markers
• Dimensions: points, lines, and polygon shapes
• Re-tiling the map; layers concept
• Call JSON and KML services to add photos, Wikipedia articles, map files

Share your work
Your map is blank, and Firebug is saying something weird. Don’t be afraid to share these maps and get help from others!

Also...
If you are better at writing in human language than in computer code, you can balance your time in the next segment to complete these tasks.

Applications of Maps - 10 days
Okay, now you can make a map. Where do you go from here?

Choose-the-Topic Case Study
How are smart maps (not mapping offices, but acting and learning through maps and geospatial technology) used by business, disaster response, open government, environmentalists, or ___?  * Choose a field / profession / line of work / interest area / hobby
* Find a smart map strategy that is used
* Write up a short case study of who’s involved, how someone experiences their map, and what effects it has

Ongoing Discussion (post early, reply often)
Are online map technologies changing traditional roles and capabilities of people such as soldiers, journalists, and voters?

Also...
This is a good time to contact someone for your interest project.  For example, if you would like to make an add-on for Ushahidi, ask a question about the group, link to the course, and mention your interest project.

Interest Project - 15 days
Read through everyone’s case study and see where you can make your mark.  What you have learned in the past few weeks is enough for you to get started!

If you make a project which connects to someone’s API or website, please send e-mail telling them about this course and link to your project!

Ongoing Discussion (post early, reply often)
Let’s help each other code some awesome maps.  Does anyone need help with their interest project?

Also...
Now you know OpenLayers.  The basics here prepare you for any maps platform.
Let’s open a discussion about goodies and pitfalls in the Google Maps API, Microsoft Bing Maps API, and ESRI ArcGIS Server.  If you want to branch out for a project using 3D Google Earth and StreetView, amazing Birdseye imagery, or powerful geoprocessing, we’ll point you in the right direction.