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OpenLayers is an open source Javascript library for delivering dynamic map content to any web page. It can display map tiles and markers loaded from any source and is supported by the open source community. By abstracting out the server side and setting up a common interface between the client and the server side, any map service or custom coded library can provided content and functionality to the client removing the limitation of waiting for the commercial vender to provide new features and bug fixes. User interaction will also be improved since the clients have more control over rendering and visualization; however, some of the advanced rendering capabilities provided by ArcIMS would have to be custom coded and there will be more computational load on the client. This increased computational load is partially mitigated by the increasing computational power available to common users.
!mm_arch_new.jpg!Figure 2. Proposed Architecture
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This component will be implemented by using OpenLayers toolkit and will display the selected map layers overlaid. For this project, we will support at least two layers extracted from the current Market Maker database, Illinois census tracts and Illinois business locations. In addition, background layers from Google Maps will also be supported. The map component will show detailed information for each geospatial entity by clicking on or hovering the mouse over the entity. A map legend and navigation bar will also be provided.
!mm_mockup.png!Figure 3. Mock-up user interface and major parts
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