Many are interested in the intersection of geospatial technologies, place, and culture because of the power that maps have for telling stories about the relationships between people and the places they inhabit and transform. That is certainly one reason I´m continually fascinated by this subject. However, if once produced a map simply sits in a dusty filing cabinet than what good is it?
Geographic information systems (GIS) as digital repositories of spatial data (including both quantitative and qualitative data forms, vis. a vis sources such as multimedia and embedded text). With the advent and now ubiquitous place of GIS it has become very easy to transmit maps and cartographic data electronically.
The caveat, until relatively recently, has been how and to whom the data are transmitted. Emailing a map as a .jpg or set of cartographic data as a zipped attachement to a colleague is one thing. Making those data available for public usage is completely different.
High-end (in terms of both financial expenditure and tehnological prowess) spatial data servers have been online for sometime now. These include product by the big names in databases Oracle for example. ESI´s ArcGIS server is another common player. However, these are mostly spatial database solutions for those with big budgets (again in terms of finances and labor-which are maybe the same...).
What options are there for those of us interested in more open-source data serving solutions?
One option that I'd like to highlight is called Data Basin. It is a great site that allows users to "explore and download a vast library of datasets, connect to external data sources, upload and publish your own datasets, connect to experts, create working groups, and produce customized maps that can be easily shared". And best of all....it's free! Within Data Basin, users can search and download datasets, as well as share their own. The website also provides a space for user groups where spatial data can be easily shared. Very cool indeed.
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