Mapping with Drupal

Mapping with Drupal

by Alan Palazzolo, Thomas Turnbull
Released December 2011
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9781449326357

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Book description

Build beautiful interactive maps on your Drupal website, and tell engaging visual stories with your data. This concise guide shows you how to create custom geographical maps from top to bottom, using Drupal 7 tools and out-of-the-box modules. You’ll learn how mapping works in Drupal, with examples on how to use intuitive interfaces to map local events, businesses, groups, and other custom data.

Although building maps with Drupal can be tricky, this book helps you navigate the system’s complexities for creating sophisticated maps that match your site design. Get the knowledge and tools you need to build useful maps with Drupal today.

  • Get up to speed on map projections, the ethics of making maps, and the challenges of building them online
  • Learn how spatial data is stored, input by users, manipulated, and queried
  • Use the OpenLayers or GMap modules to display maps with lists, tables, and data feeds
  • Create rich, custom interactions by applying geolocation
  • Customize your map’s look and feel with personalized markers, map tiles, and map popups
  • Build modules that add imaginative and engaging interactions

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Table of contents

  1. Mapping with Drupal
    1. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
    2. Preface
      1. Audience
      2. Drupal and Mapping Glossary
      3. Drupal 7 Modules
      4. Conventions Used in This Book
      5. Using Code Examples
      6. Safari® Books Online
      7. How to Contact Us
      8. Acknowledgments
    3. 1. Why Map with Drupal
      1. The Power of Maps
        1. Story Telling
        2. The Persuasion
        3. Conversations in Maps
        4. Why Use Maps
        5. What Maps to Use
        6. Further Resources
      2. The Power of Drupal
        1. Drupal as a CMS
        2. Mapping in Drupal
    4. 2. Web Mapping Basics
      1. Projections and Coordinate Systems
        1. Map Projections
          1. Spherical Mercator
          2. More resources
        2. Coordinate Systems
          1. Longitude first
      2. Data Storage
        1. Data Types
          1. Vector data
          2. Vector data standards
          3. Raster data
        2. Databases
      3. Challenges of Web-Based Mapping
        1. Browser Capabilities
          1. Client-side clustering
          2. Library size
          3. Tile rendering
        2. Usability
    5. 3. Spatial Data
      1. Data Storage
        1. Database Layer in Drupal
        2. Methods
          1. Geofield
          2. Location
          3. Text fields
          4. Geo
      2. Data Input
        1. Geofield Module
          1. Basic configuration of Geofield
          2. Adding geographic data to a node with Geofield
        2. Location Module
          1. Basic configuration of location
          2. Adding geographic data to a node with the Location module
          3. Extending the Location module with the GMap module
      3. Geocoding
        1. Modules
          1. Geocoder and Addressfield
          2. Other geocoding modules and services
    6. 4. Displaying Maps
      1. Mapping with the OpenLayers Module
        1. Basic Configuration of OpenLayers
        2. Setting Up an OpenLayers Map
          1. OpenLayers layers
          2. OpenLayers Maps
          3. Using Views to display an OpenLayers map
          4. OpenLayers styles
        3. Exploring OpenLayers Behaviors
        4. Advanced OpenLayers Configuration
        5. Creating an OpenLayers Map Layer from KML
      2. Mapping with the GMap Module
        1. Basic Configuration
        2. Integrating with Views
      3. Other Ways of Displaying Spatial Data
        1. Spatial Data in Tables and Lists
        2. Creating Feeds
    7. 5. Extending Map Interactions
      1. GMap
        1. Architecture
        2. Geolocation Example
          1. Creating the geolocation block
          2. Add geolocation options to maps
          3. Add JavaScript
          4. Bind interactions to the map
      2. OpenLayers
        1. Architecture
        2. Geolocation Example
          1. Define Behavior
          2. The Behavior plug-in object
          3. JavaScript interactions
          4. The final touch
      3. Conclusion
    8. 6. Making Beautiful Maps
      1. Markers
        1. OpenLayers Styles
        2. GMap Markers
          1. Marker location
          2. Add a marker
          3. The .ini file
          4. Regenerate marker cache
      2. Data-Driven Styling
        1. GMap Marker Handling
        2. OpenLayers Attribute Replacement
      3. The Map Interface
        1. OpenLayers Module
      4. Theming Pop Ups
        1. GMap Theming
        2. OpenLayers Theming
        3. OpenLayers Pop Up Style
      5. Map Tiles
        1. Adding Base Layers to GMap
        2. Adding Base Layers to OpenLayers
        3. Available Base Layers
          1. Google Maps tiles
          2. MapQuest tiles
          3. CloudMade
          4. MapBox
          5. TileMill
    9. 7. Managing Maps as Features
      1. Exporting OpenLayers and Geofield with Features
      2. Exporting GMap and Location with Features
    10. 8. Conclusion
      1. Next Steps in Mapmaking
      2. The Future of Mapping with Drupal
    11. A. Further Reading
      1. Drupal Books
      2. Mapping Theory Books
      3. Technical Mapping-Related Books
    12. B. Map Projections
      1. WGS 84 (Latitude and Longitude)
      2. Gall-Peters Projection
      3. South-Oriented Maps
    13. C. Glossary
      1. Mapping Terms
      2. Drupal Terms
    14. About the Authors
    15. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly

Product information

  • Title: Mapping with Drupal
  • Author(s): Alan Palazzolo, Thomas Turnbull
  • Release date: December 2011
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9781449326357