I would explain the difference - but the examples you listed are all from different categories of tools (with different goals). There are kind of two categories of tools ...
All the Web 2.0 stuff - like google maps, yahoo etc.. which can be used as part of web mash-ups - but you do not own the data and google gets to snoop in on what your users are looking at. ArcIMS looks to be a Web 2.0 front end for the ESRI middleware stuff. You may find the "OpenLayers" project interesting as it lets you "mash up" data from a range of sources. A bunch of cool 3D visualization clients - like google earth, nasa world wind and so on. These servers work based off their own data - and really large servers. Both of them let you layer your own data ontop as long as you publish it to the web using .... There are other 2D clients out there like uDig, OpenJUMP and gvSig (these often focus GIS tasks like editing data rather than just looking at it). GeoServer, MapServer and and other "servers" that let you publish your data out to the web. GeoServer supports "standards" like WMS / WFS / WCS and also works with the KML format used by google maps and google earth. You use one of these programs to get your data into one of the 3D visualization clients. And under the covers you have things like PostGIS, Oracle Spatial or raw shapefiles that hold your spatial data. Cheers, Jody Amy Johnson wrote: > Can someone explain the differences between various web mapping tools or > point me to a place to find a clear explanation? For instance, what does > Google offer as far as tools that are different/better/worse than > Geoserver? What about ArcIMS? How is that different? > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.net email is sponsored by DB2 Express > Download DB2 Express C - the FREE version of DB2 express and take > control of your XML. No limits. Just data. Click to get it now. > http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/ > _______________________________________________ > Geotools-gt2-users mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/geotools-gt2-users > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This SF.net email is sponsored by DB2 Express Download DB2 Express C - the FREE version of DB2 express and take control of your XML. No limits. Just data. Click to get it now. http://sourceforge.net/powerbar/db2/ _______________________________________________ Geotools-gt2-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/geotools-gt2-users
