Preface

Since its release in March 2002, GeoServer continued to mature and develop into a sophisticated open source web mapping server. It has a feature set that puts it on par with (some will argue that it even beats) the most popular commercial off-the-shelf web mapping servers. The key to a successful open source software project is to have a strong and talented group of developers and a vibrant community of active and engaged users. GeoServer has both of these key ingredients, which is why it is one of the most popular open source web mapping solutions available today. From large organizations such as Great Britain's national mapping agency (Ordnance Survey) handling large volumes of data to simple small-scale community websites, GeoServer can handle it all.

This book is intended as a natural follow-on from GeoServer Beginner's Guide by Stefano Lacovella and Brian Youngblood, also published by Packt Publishing. It is meant as an advanced guide to GeoServer, and is ideal for when you want to take GeoServer beyond the simple delivery of web maps into advanced uses such as spatial analysis. The book covers a variety of concepts such as installing production-ready and optimized servers, loading and managing spatial data, running complex spatial analysis, and manipulating the output.