Chapter 1. Getting Started with OpenLayers

Within the past few years, the popularity of interactive web maps has exploded. In the past, creating interactive maps was reserved for large companies or experts with lots of money. But now, with the advent of free services like Google and Yahoo! Maps, online mapping is easily accessible to everyone. Today, with the right tools, anyone can easily create a web map with little or even no knowledge of geography, cartography, or programming.

Web maps are expected to be fast, accurate, and easy to use. Since they are online, they are expected to be accessible from anywhere on nearly any platform. There are only a few tools that fulfill all these expectations.

OpenLayers is one such tool. It's free, open source, and very powerful. Providing both novice developers and seasoned GIS professionals with a robust library, OpenLayers makes it easy to create modern, fast, and interactive web-mapping applications.

In this chapter we will

• Learn what OpenLayers is

• Discuss some web mapping application concepts

• Make our First Map

• Cover concepts behind OpenLayers, such as Object Oriented Programming

• Provide information on resources outside of this book