An Assessment Framework for the Development of Internet GIS

The popularity of Internet technology has brought about some fundamental changes in the field of GIS. Internet GIS is emerging as a new technology to access, process, and disseminate spatial information over the Internet. Internet GIS cover a much wider audience than the traditional GIS. This raises many issues that are distinct from traditional desktop GIS, such as easy access, web-compatible user interface, and file transfer security. I will first discuss the definition and features of Internet GIS. Two major approaches used in the Internet GIS development—server-side processing and client-side processing—are then described. These approaches are compared according to their performance, user interactivity, and other criteria. The server-side approach is appropriate to provide users easy access and inquiry of large databases, whereas the client-side Internet GIS offer better user interactions. The technology of Internet GIS is evolving rapidly. It is therefore important for the GIS community to monitor and define the course of its development.