Preface

As in every other computer-related field, the Web has also become a determining factor in GIS. In this new trend, with some client-based knowledge, we can easily publish our maps and layers on the Web. However, as technology rapidly develops, we can now perform some more serious GIS-related work on the Web as well. With enough browser capabilities and client-side computational power, an even newer trend has emerged from the Web-based GIS world: WebGIS. This new trend researches the possibilities of deploying powerful GIS applications on the Web, making the most general workflows of a spatial analyst possible on a browser in a platform-independent manner.

Thanks to OSGEO, OGC, and other initiatives, companies, individuals, and the open source philosophy have made a quick and great impact on this brand new field. Consequently, there is a wide palette of open source applications and libraries to work with and build upon. One of the most original and robust web mapping projects is OpenLayers. This library debuted a brand new, cutting-edge technology with a major version change. OpenLayers 3 is capable of things that we could not even imagine a few years ago.

An unplanned consequence (we could probably call it externality) of its powerful capabilities is the added difficulty of using it and a steep learning curve. The twisted version of a famous quote also states: with great power comes great complexity. Creating simple maps and deploying simple web mapping applications is easy with OpenLayers 3; however, if we need something more advanced, we need more stable and in-depth knowledge of the library. Gaining this knowledge is a great journey, which Mastering OpenLayers 3 is designed to start you on and aid you through.