Building OSM based web app from scratch

FOSDEM 2018

There are a lot of tools to build a web app from scratch - as a novice you have to find your way through alle these tools and pick the right ones.

If you are an OpenStreetMap enthusiast and want to create a simple web mapping application based on OSM data you have the choice among a huge amount of software and tools. If you are, in addition, a hobby developer with a low budget but without a strong background regarding IDEs, toolsets, provider services, databases and so on, you will be lost in the jungle…

I will describe you how I found the way through this jungle as a novice and how I built my web app finde.cash! (www.findatm.cash) from scratch. I will cover the following topics:

Programming language (JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP)
IDE (Eclipse, Aptana, WebStorm)
WebServer (Local vs remote, MacOS/Windows/Linux)
Mapping library (OpenLayers, Leaflet)
Responsive Web Design (ZURB Foundation, Bootstrap, other)
OSM data retrieval (PostGIS DB, OSM API 0.6, Overpass API)
Additional functionality (Geolocation, Point in Polygon, Distance)
Routing (MapBox, OSRM, route360.net)
Own SVG Icons (GIMP, InkScape, Illustrator)
Version Control/Publishing (Git, GitHub)

OpenStreetMap is a database storing a huge amount of map relevant data and there should be a lot more small web applications using this data for useful maps!

Finding the right tool chain is crucial to get it up and running.

Speakers: Nils Vierus