Light Map features

• LightMap is called so because cliend-side part is extremely small: Java applet size is just 40 kilobytes. All data transferred from server is compressed to decrease download traffic. Client applet allows to freely navigate on map using mouse. Map repaints are fast and flickerless. LightMap does not have yet many advanced features such as loading of maps from local files or from files on the network.
• Project requirements: server side - PHP-enabled web server with MySQL. Client side must be Java-enabled.
• Client-side part is crossplatform because it is fully written in Java. This means that you can browse maps not only from Windows box, but also from Unix, etc.
• Server side is written on PHP that is also almost crossplatform. Server side PHP scripts access MySQL database engine to store map objects. One of my current tasks is to make it DBMS-independent, that is, to make it work with any database supported by PHP.
• Client performs access to server by HTTP requests. This allows users to work through HTTP_enabled firewalls.
• Light Map performs incremental data download. It will ask server to send data only if these data is actually necessary on client. The same map object will not be sent over network twice. Theoretically, it is possible to create huge projects containing all cities and their streets and buildings of the world and this will not make user to wait for all objects to download. User just will navigate map and only currently visible objects will be downloaded.
• Server administration is performed by using simple web interface that is written in PHP.
• It is possible to upload data from .shp + .dbf files into server database.
• Light Map engine administrator can create multiple accounts that will be able to edit map simultaneously. Administrator can assign these users rights to each dataset on server, allowing or denying groups of users to perform data edition.
• Look at Project News sometimes. I will put there information about changes.

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