All JMap Server management is done through the JMap Admin application. This web interface allows administrators to perform tasks such as integrating databases, creating projects, publishing applications, and managing security.

JMap Server manages database connections by placing them in pools. The pools contain a certain number of open database connections. These connections are shared with the entire system and used according to database access needs.

All the database connection pools (hereafter called databases for simplicity) are centrally managed using JMap Admin. Databases are typically used by JMap Server to read spatial data stored in tables and to access descriptive data related to spatial data. Once databases are configured in JMap Admin, they can be used from other sections and for various purposes in the administration process.

The Databases section in JMap Admin is used to display a table of existing databases and to show their statuses.

JMap has a System database that contains JMap Server’s configurations and geometry tables. This database is mandatory and generally should not be modified. It cannot be deleted and should only be manipulated by advanced users. See section JMap Server System Database for more information.

The following screen captures show the graphical user interface of JMap Admin. The different parts of the interface are described below.

To start creating a new database connection, press the Create button in the page listing the databases and follow the required steps.

Advanced parameters

The following advanced parameters usually don’t need to be modified.

The following walk-through guide describes the major steps for configuring and publishing a map with JMap Server Kathmandu.

Make sure JMap Server is running. If it was installed as a service on Windows, you must start it using the Windows Services window. Otherwise, it must be started using the executables in JMAP_HOME/bin or using the shortcuts created during the installation on the server.

To open JMap Admin, you can use the shortcut that was created during the installation inside the installation home directory, on the server. You can also open a web browser and type a URL similar to http://192.168.0.1:8080/jmapadmin. The IP address and port number may vary depending on the installation environment and chosen parameters.

Once JMap Admin is open, you will be prompted for a username and password. The default login after the installation is username “administrator” and the password field is empty.

In JMap Admin, you will need to follow the steps below in order to publish map data.

Step 1 - Creating spatial data sources

This step requires that you define your spatial data sources. These can be GIS files, spatial data servers, satellite images, etc. When doing so, you indicate to JMap where to read your data from.

Step 2 - Creating a project

A project in JMap contains map layer definitions data along with parameters regarding access controls (security), queries, units, etc. By creating a project, you define what information your map will contain and what it will look like.

Step 3 - Creating layers in the project

At this step, you create the map layers for your new project. Each map layer is associated with a spatial data source. For each layer, you must define the style (how the layer elements will be drawn), labels, thematics, etc. You can also define access control on a layer by layer basis.

Step 4 - Diffusing the project to the end users

This is the last step. Here you publish your project using whatever type of app you want. Each type of application offers different levels of functionality. There are desktop and web applications, applications that deploy and applications that connect to JMap’s Web API. Once your project becomes accessible to users, they can use it to navigate the data on your map.

This section has two tabs: Permissions and Owners. The owners are the only ones who can manage the administrative permissions for the connection, manage the list of owners and delete it.

When you click on the name of a connection, the Remote connection configuration interface displays.

JMap Admin provides a generic SQL console that can be used to view database structures, execute SQL queries, inspect the content of tables, test for query execution speed, etc. All configured databases are accessible through this console.

When performing an SQL query, the query execution is subject to security permissions granted to the user connected to the database. See Creating Databases section for more information about specifying the user for database connections.

Query results are displayed in a new window. The results of the INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE requests are grouped in the same tab. The results of SELECT type queries appear in separate tabs.

It is possible to create connections from one JMap Server to another. These connections can then be used to share layers and spatial data sources between different JMap Servers while avoiding duplication of source data. They may also be used by some JMap Server extensions that require server to server communication. These connections are used, among other things, when creating JMap Server vector or JMap Server raster data sources and when using shared layers.

JMap Server manages connections towards other JMap Servers by placing them in pools.

Note that your JMap user license must allow server sessions in order for another JMap Server to connect to your JMap Server. For more information, refer to the JMap Server Status section.

The following diagram shows the connection between two JMap Servers (A and B) where the JMap application connected to server A accesses spatial data served by another JMap Server instance (server B).

To start creating a new connection, click on the Create button in the page listing the connections and follow the required steps.

When you click on the name of a database in the Database section, the Database configuration interface displays.

This interface has buttons to Edit, , or the database. The button allows you to access the and sections.

Several subsections display information on the database. The parameter values indicated were defined when the database connection was created. Refer to for the details of each parameter. These parameters can be modified by clicking on Edit.

General information

This subsection displays the name, Id (internal JMap identifier), a description, and the database owner.

Database connection pool

This subsection displays the details of the connection pool. The parameters indicated are the following: Initial size, Maximum size, Pool usage, Pool usage peak, Connection timeout, and Connection wait timeout.

Database connection

This subsection displays the details of the database connection. The parameters indicated are the following: , Database (indicates the type), Driver, Connection string, Username, Validation query, and Connection type.

References

This subsection shows all the resources using the data from the database. The information in this section is presented hierarchically and displays the spatial data sources as well as the projects with the layers, reports, and forms, all showing the attributes used. This can be useful to view the resources that would be affected by changes made to the database.

Reinitializing databases

Reinitializing a database closes all open connections and creates new ones. This can be useful to force a reconnection to a database system.

Deactivating databases

Deactivating a database closes connections to the database without deleting its configuration. JMap Server can no longer query the database. Deactivating is useful when the database stops responding and causes delays in the local server.

Deleting databases

Deleting a database deletes the connection configuration for the database system. The data contained in the database is not affected at all.

Database statuses

Each database has a status. The status indicates the condition of the database connection. The following table describes the possible statuses of a database.

Reinitializing connections

When reinitializing a pool of connections to JMap Server, all open connections will be closed and new ones will be created. This action may be useful to force reconnection to a JMap Server.

Deleting connections

Deleting a connection to JMap Server deletes this connection’s entire configuration.

Deactivating a remote connection

You can deactivate a remote connection without removing the connection configuration. The local server can no longer query the remote server. Deactivating a connection is useful when the remote server stops responding and causes delays in the local server.

Connection statuses

Each connection has a status. This status indicates the condition of the connection towards JMap Server. The following table describes the possible statuses of a connection.

To begin creating a new spatial data source, go to the Spatial data section and click on Create. Certain parameters are common to all data sources, while others are specific to each type of data source.

Note that custom data source types may also exist. These are new types of data sources that are developed for special purposes using the JMap SDK.

The next configuration steps will depend on the data source type you selected. For more information on configuring a specific type of spatial data source, refer to the appropriate section in this manual.

Projections

The projection of the data source must be selected to match the projection of the data. If this parameter is not set correctly, the data displayed may be invalid.

Note: At the last stage of creating a spatial data source, the Start update automatically option allows you to initiate the update when you click on Finish. If you do not select this option, you will have to launch the update manually from the spatial data section in order for your changes to be taken into account.

A spatial data source in JMap Server, as its name implies, is any source that can provide spatial data. Spatial data sources are separated into 2 families: vector data sources and raster data sources. Vector data sources provide vector spatial data along with its attributes, and raster data sources provide raster data (images). Configuring data sources is usually the first step to publishing spatial data with JMap.

Some spatial data sources work with a file reader to load spatial data from files in various formats (e.g. MID files, SHAPE files, image files, JPEG photo files, etc.). Other data sources access the data stored on remote spatial data servers (e.g. PostGIS, Oracle Spatial/Locator, ArcSDE, WMS/WFS servers, etc.).

Once a spatial data source is created, it must be updated before it can be used. Updating a spatial data source means preparing it for use by JMap Server. In concrete terms, this operation involves different tasks, depending on the type of data source. Generally speaking, for data sources that access data stored in files, the contents are read by JMap Server and inserted in the tables of JMap’s System database. A spatial index is then built for fast access, and attribute statistics are calculated. For data sources that access data stored on spatial data servers like Oracle Spatial/Locator or WFS systems, the update process is simpler and only involves calculating attribute statistics. Updating file data sources takes more time than updating server data sources.

Spatial data sources are listed in the Spatial data section in JMap Admin. The table displayed presents basic information about each data source. When you click on the name of a data source, a details section is displayed. This section presents some useful information about the spatial data source and provides some management functions associated with it.

Basic concepts

Editable data sources

Some spatial data sources support data editing (writing) by JMap Server. This is the case of most DBMS type data sources (PostGIS, Oracle Spatial, etc.). In this manual, each section pertaining to a specific type of data source indicates whether it supports reading only or reading and writing.

File type data sources (SHP, GML, etc.) do not support data editing. However, there is an option allowing you to transform this type of data source into a JMap Spatial data source, which will then allow you to edit spatial and descriptive data in JMap. Once this transformation has been done, the data source will no longer be linked to the original files. All data modifications will have to be performed directly using JMap’s editing tools.

Including multiple files

In most data sources that read files, multiple files can be integrated together to form continuous maps. It is frequent for CAD users to split a territory in rectangular tiles. By reading all tile files together, JMap administrators can recreate continuous maps, provided that the files contain the same data structure (geometry, layers and attribute types).

File browsing

JMap Admin provides a file browser that allows you to navigate through the file system of the server where JMap Server is running in order to select the files to include in the data sources. Local and network storage units can be used, as long as the JMap Server process has access to them.

You can also create user paths. These paths are shortcuts that allow you to save time when browsing the system. They can also be used to write paths that are specific to an operating system, such as Windows UNC (e.g. \myserver\data). To create a user path, you must go to the root of the file system and click on Add user path…

To restrict browsing in the file system, you can define one or more root folders. The JMap administrator will not be able to navigate outside these folders. To do this, you must add a line to the file jmapserver.properties.

admin.filebrowser.roots=c:/data/DataGeo|Data;d:/data2|Data2

In this example, two root folders are created, named Data and Data2.

Uploading files

Accessible through the file browser, the Uploads directory contains files uploaded by all users directly to JMap Server from JMap Admin. If you want to upload a file for use as a spatial data source, click on this folder to access the upload interface.

Enter a name for the file and press Upload. The file will be uploaded to a directory created automatically for your user account. The file is accessible to all user accounts.

Updating spatial data sources

Before a spatial data source can be used to create layers, it must be updated. In JMap, updating a data source generally involves collecting information on the spatial data and its attributes and preparing data for fast and efficient access. This process may be very brief or may take several minutes, depending on the type of data source and amount of data.

In JMap Admin, you can update a data source by clicking on Update in its information section. You can also update several data sources simultaneously by selecting them in the section displaying the list of data sources and clicking on Update.

Scheduling automatic data source updates

You can schedule automatic updates for spatial data sources. This action may be helpful if you use data sources that read data files. If the files are frequently modified, you can schedule automatic updates that will occur on a regular basis (every day at midnight, for instance) for the appropriate data sources. Each data source can have its own schedule.

In order to schedule updates for a given data source, click on Schedule from that data source’s details section or in the list of data sources. Afterwards, simply follow the wizard to define the specific moments when the updates will take place. Scheduling options are very flexible.

Once these tasks have been scheduled, you can view the current schedule for a data source by viewing its information section.

At any time, you can access the list of all planned updates for data sources by clicking on Scheduler in the JMap Server section.

Deleting spatial data sources

You can delete spatial data sources by clicking on Delete from the data source’s information section. You can also delete data sources by selecting them in the section listing the sources and then clicking Delete. When a data source has been deleted, its entire configuration is permanently deleted. The data itself (the file or database) is not affected.

Statuses of spatial data sources

Each spatial data source has a status. The status indicates the condition of the data source, i.e. if it is ready to be used, if an error occurred, etc. The status of a newly created data source is always set to not ready (unless you checked the auto-update flag). This means that the data source cannot be used yet. In order to be used, every data source must be updated at least once.

Data sources can be updated in batches. A maximum of 3 data sources can be updated simultaneously. Other data sources to be updated are queued until they can be updated.

The following table describes the possible statuses of a spatial data source:

System spatial data sources

System spatial data sources are data sources that are automatically created by JMap to support JMap data source and layer sharing. Normally, these resources do not need to be managed and they are not displayed by default in the list of spatial data sources. If you wish to display them, you can select Show system data sources in the display settings of the list of spatial data sources.

The spatial data source (SDS) configuration interface allows you to access information on a source as well as parameter configuration functions such as metadata, permissions, and attributes.

Attributes

The Attribute sample tab displays the value of the attribute for a sample of SDS elements.

In the details section of a spatial data source, click on Permissions to access the permissions section. You can also modify permissions in batches. To do this, select several data sources in the list and click on Permissions.

A list of authorized users and groups displays. Click on to add new users or groups. The available users and groups are configured in the JMap Server section of JMap Admin. Refer to the Managing Users and Groups section for more information on managing users in JMap.

Only administrator permissions are associated with spatial data sources.

External attributes for a spatial data source are attributes that are obtained from an external database (external means a database that is separate from the data source itself). The external attributes are added to the list of existing attributes and can thereafter be used like any other attribute in reports, queries, mouseover, thematics, etc.

External attributes are available only for vector spatial data sources that read data from files (shp, mif, tab, dwg, dgn, etc.) and JMap Spatial tables. When working with vector data sources that access data inside existing spatial databases (PostGIS, MySQL Spatial, Oracle Spatial/Locator, etc.), this option is not available. In that case however, it is often easy to include all needed attributes using normal SQL joins with other tables or by creating views.

External attributes are created from the spatial data source creation wizard.

To create an external attribute, choose External attributes in the Attribute section of the wizard. Press Add and choose one of the following two methods: Select fields or SQL query.

Select fields

Choose this option in order to select one or more fields from a specific database table from which you want to obtain the values. This option is the simplest method, and it allows you to create several attributes at once.

SQL query

Choose this option to provide an SQL query that will extract the attribute values in the database. This method is more flexible, but limits you to creating one attribute at a time.

JMap Server can read DGN version 7 and 8 files as a spatial data source. Select the data source type that is appropriate for your DGN files’ version. DGN files are generally produced by Bentley MicroStation.

DGN files are often paired with a database of attributes. This can be an MS Access database or any other database system. If the DGN files have attributes stored in a separate database, you must first configure a database connection pool for that database before proceeding. See for more information on database connection configuration.

JMap Server can read ADF and E00 files as a spatial data source. These files are normally produced by ESRI’s Arc/Info software.

Spatial data sources can be shared in order to be accessed by other JMap Server instances. This way, data can be stored in a single location but is accessible from several JMap Server instances.

In JMap Admin, you can share a spatial data source by granting the Remote access permission to one or more users on this spatial data source. This choice must be consistent with the user who established the connection from the JMap Server that must access the shared spatial data sources.

Refer to sections and for more information on this topic.

Once a spatial data source has been shared, a icon displays in the list of data sources, in the Shared column.

Sharing a vector SDS with JMap Cloud

You can share a vector SDS with JMap Cloud, a cloud based platform developed by K2 Geospatial.

You must first connect to JMap Cloud. The section provides details on this topic. If this step is not completed, a message indicates it in the JMap Cloud section of the SDS configuration interface.

To share or synchronize the SDS with JMap Cloud, in the configuration interface of the SDS, in the JMap Cloud section:

1. Press Synchronize with JMap Cloud. A window opens and offers you several options:

   Copy: A copy of the SDS (data and configuration) is created in JMap Cloud. No link JMap Server → JMap Cloud is created. If an update occurs on JMap Server, the data will not be synched with JMap Cloud.

   Copy and synchronize manually: A copy of the SDS (data and configuration) is created in JMap Cloud. A link JMap Server → JMap Cloud is created. If an update occurs on JMap Server, the data is not synched automatically with JMap Cloud. You must click on to launch an update.

   Copy and synchronize automatically: A copy of the SDS (data and configuration) is created in JMap Cloud. A link JMap Server → JMap Cloud is created. If an update occurs on JMap Server, the data is synched automatically with JMap Cloud. You can also click on to launch an update.

2. Select one option and press OK. When the SDS is synchronized with JMap Cloud, the JMap Cloud section presents the following information:

   Id: The JMap Cloud spatial data source ID.

   Status: The current spatial data source status. While synching, this show the current sync task. Otherwise, it shows the JMap Cloud spatial data source status.

   Last update: The last time that the spatial data source was synched.

   Automatic synchronization: If ON and an update occurs on JMap Server, the data will be synched automatically with JMap Cloud.

   Once a spatial data source has been synched, a icon displays in the list of data sources, in the JMap Cloud column.

3. Press to remove the JMap Server → JMap Cloud link for the SDS. It will not be possible to manually or automatically sync this spatial data source. The spatial data source in JMap cloud is not deleted.

Vector data sources are used to access vector spatial data (points, lines, polygons, etc.). See the following sections for information on the various types of vector data sources that are supported.

Attributes

When configuring a vector spatial data source, you need to configure attributes for the data source. All available attributes are listed in a table. By default, all attributes are included but some attributes can be excluded, in which case they will be completely ignored by JMap Server. It is also possible to specify for which attributes JMap Server should create an index in order to optimize performances when queries are performed on these attributes (if no index is used, this will not affect map download and display times). These indexes are used when performing attribute queries on these fields.

This section also contains settings to configure external attributes. See for more details on this topic.

JMap Server can read CSV files or any text file with separated values that contain x and y coordinates. These coordinates can be used for layers of points. The first row must contain the field names. The allowed separators are commas (,), semicolons (;) and tab characters. Text fields may or may not be inside double quotes. X and Y coordinates must be numeric values.

Metadata can be associated with spatial data sources in JMap. It can include information such as the person who produced the data, the date it was updated, a description, etc. Users can view this information for the corresponding layers in JMap applications. Metadata can be entered directly into JMap Admin using preset templates or it can be taken from an external metadata management system. Refer to the section for more information on creating templates.

To access the metadata settings of a spatial data source, click on Metadata in the details section of a spatial data source. The following options are available:

Layers whose data originates from spatial data sources with metadata will automatically inherit this metadata. Metadata can be viewed by users of JMap Web and JMap Pro applications.

Metadata templates

JMap Server allows you to define metadata templates to document spatial data sources directly in JMap Admin. Once the template has been defined, you can associate it to certain data sources and enter all the information, which users can then easily view in JMap’s applications. If you already use a metadata management system that can be accessed in a browser, you can also create a direct link between certain layers and this system.

You can create as many metadata templates as you want.

The metadata template management section can be accessed by clicking on Metadata templates in the Spatial data section.

Creating a metadata template

Click on Create to create a new template. The interface shows the following options.

JMap Server can read EDIGEO files as spatial data sources.

JMap Server can read DWG and DXF files produced by Autodesk Autocad versions 12 to 2018 as a spatial data source. Block attributes are read and converted into element attributes.

JMap Server can read GML files as a spatial data source. GML files must be paired with schema files (.XSD). If a GML file contains instances of more than one feature type, only one of those types can be chosen as the base type for the data source. JMap can read GML files of versions 2.x and 3.x.

JMap Server can read GeoJSON files as a spatial data source.

JMap Server can read ESRI File geodatabases as a spatial data source.

GPX is an XML-based GPS data exchange format. JMap Server can read GPX files as a spatial data source.

JMap Server can read Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) files as a spatial data source. IFC is the standard exchange format commonly used by software for building information modeling (BIM).

JMap Server can read MID/MIF files as a spatial data source. These files are generally produced by MapInfo applications.

JMap Server can read TAB files as spatial data sources. These files are usually produced with MapInfo applications.

JMap Server can read shape files as a spatial data source. They are generally produced by ESRI applications.

JMap Server can read KML files as spatial data sources.

JMap Server can read photo files (360 or normal) in JPEG format as a source of spatial data. These photos can be viewed in JMap Pro and JMap NG applications from point layers associated with this type of data source.

JMap Server reads all image files in the specified directory. Files that are not images or image files without spatial information (latitude and longitude) are ignored.

From each file, JMap Server reads the metadata (latitude, longitude and other information) and writes them to a JMap Spatial table. Coordinates (latitude and longitude) define a point and other metadata are attributes of the point. Direction data can be used, for example, to apply a rotation to symbols that represent the points. 360 photos are processed as normal photos.

JMap has its own storage format for annotations in database tables. If you have any annotations in this format, JMap Server can use them as a spatial data source. Annotation tables in JMap format have a certain number of required fields, as explained in the table below. An SQL query must be provided. The query will be executed to read the data and it can access more than one table at a time.

The database connection must already be configured. Refer to the Creating Databases section for more details on this topic.

JMap Server can connect to ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online REST services to access vector data published by this type of service. Geometries and attributes are available, but the other information (styles, scales…) is ignored and must be configured in the layers of the JMap project.

Note that it is also possible to create a JMap project by importing an existing layer configuration from an ArcGIS REST service. Refer to Creating projects for more information.

JMap Server can connect to any relational database to extract X and Y coordinates that can be used as a spatial data source to create layers of points. The database must contain at least coordinate fields (numeric values) and a field with unique integer values to be used as element identifiers. An SQL query must be provided. This query will be executed to read the data and it can access one or many tables at the same time.

The connection to the database must already be configured. See Creating Databases for more information.

JMap Server may use a vector spatial data source that comes from another JMap Server instance. To enable this, you must start by configuring a connection towards the other JMap Server. Refer to for more information.

JMap Server can read Enterprise geodatabases from ESRI (ArcGIS 10.0 and later, JMap Server validates the EGDB version) to extract spatial and attribute data to be used as a spatial data source. The connection to the database must already be configured. See for more information.

The spatial data source supports value domains. Relationships defined in the enterprise geodatabase (EGDB) are also supported, but can only be exploited by using external tools.

The data source attributes will correspond to the table columns. To associate the data from other tables, a view can be created in the database and then be configured as a layer in JMap. The data source attributes will then correspond to the columns returned by the view.

JMap Server can read Enterprise geodatabases that use the ArcSDE service (ArcGIS version 10.1 and earlier) to extract spatial and attribute data to be used as a spatial data source. The connection to the ArcSDE service must already be configured. See for more information.

There is a special attribute configuration option that is available only with ArcSDE data sources that have attribute domains.

Exporting ArcSDE domains

In order for JMap to use ArcSDE attribute domains, they must be exported into database tables that JMap can understand. There is a tool that plugs into ArcCatalog to create such tables. Please contact K2 Geospatial for more information on this.

JMap Spatial is the format used to store JMap’s spatial and descriptive data. It is based on the WKB format (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well-known_binary).

An existing JMap Spatial table may be used as a spatial data source or a new one can be created to receive data.

Adding or modifying a table

Click on Add table to create a new table in JMap Spatial format. You can also select an existing table and click on Edit table to change its name or structure. When creating or editing a table, you can add new fields to the table in the User Attributes tab by clicking on and remove fields by clicking on . Note that there are other fields in the table displayed on the System Attributes tab. These include geometry fields (vary according to geometry type), spatial index fields, and so on. These fields are created and populated automatically by JMap.

Once the table has been created or modified, it can be used for the spatial data source.

JMap Server can connect to MySQL Spatial databases to extract spatial data and attributes to be used as a spatial data source. The only special requirement is the presence of a numeric column with unique integer values to use as element identifiers. An SQL query must be provided. This query will be executed to read the data and it can access one or many tables at the same time.

The connection to the database must be already configured. See for more information on this topic.

JMap Server can connect to MongoDB to extract spatial data and attributes to be used as a spatial data source.

NoSQL database systems such as MongoDB are widely used in cloud applications. They have made it possible to solve important problems that traditional SQL database management systems have encountered (rigid schemas, lack of scalability, limited performance).

You need to connect to a MongoDB system () stored locally or in the cloud. MongoDB offers a local application, MongoDB Compass and a web application, MongoDB Atlas that allow you to access data.

The data or documents are organized in collections (analogous to relational database tables) stored in databases that integrate “clusters” (MongoDB deployments). The clusters are organized into projects.

Data loading can take some time due to the lack of structure of the data collections.

JMap Server can read ESRI Personal geodatabases to extract spatial and attribute data to be used as a spatial data source. This format uses Microsoft Access files to store the data. The connection to the Access database must already be configured using the MS Access driver. See Creating Databases for more information on this topic.

JMap Server can connect to Oracle Spatial or Locator databases to extract spatial data and attributes to be used as a spatial data source. The only special requirement is the presence of a numeric column with unique integer values to be used as element identifiers. An SQL query must be provided. This query will be executed to read the data and it can access one or many tables at the same time.

The connection to the database must already be configured. See Creating Databases for more information.

JMap Server can connect to Microsoft SQLServer Spatial databases to extract spatial data and attributes that can be used as a spatial data source. The only special requirement is the presence of a numeric column with unique integer values to be used as element identifiers. An SQL query must be provided. This query will be executed to read the data and it can access one or many tables at the same time.

The connection to the database must be already configured. See Creating Databases for more information.

Note: The projection system selected for the spatial data source must exactly match the spatial reference identifier (SRID, e.g. EPSG) of the elements of the table, for the elements to be displayed.

Web Feature Service (WFS) is a standard proposed by the Open Geospatial Consortium that defines how client applications should request map vector data and attributes from a WFS compatible server. The protocol used is HTTP and the data returned is typically in Geography Markup Language (GML). WFS servers publish their capabilities in an XML document that specifies the types of requests supported and provides a description of available features.

JMap Server can read data from WFS servers versions 1.0.0 and 1.1.0 to be used as a spatial data source.

JMap Server can connect to services complying with the OGC API Features standard (https://ogcapi.ogc.org/features/) to use them as spatial data source. This new OGC standard replaces the WFS services standard.

OGC API Features provides APIs for creating, modifying, and querying “features” (real world elements or entities) on the web. The OGC API Features is made up of several parts, each of which is a separate standard. Part 1, the “core”, specifies the basic capabilities and is limited to the recovery of features where the geometries are represented in the WGS 84 longitude/latitude coordinate reference system. Part 2 specifies capabilities for extracting features whose geometries are represented in all other coordinate reference systems. Part 3, which is in the development phase, concerns data filtering as well as queries using the Common Query Language (CQL). Additional capabilities that meet more advanced needs will be specified in additional parts: support for creating and modifying features, more complex data models, multiple data sets, and collection hierarchies (https://www.ogc.org/standards/ogcapi-features).

JMap 7 Kathmandu implements part 1 of the standard, which provides access to spatial data (entities or features) organized in collections. The data is sent in HTML or GeoJSON format (https://ogcapi.ogc.org/features/overview.html).

Raster data sources are used to access raster spatial data (images). See the following sections for information on the various types of raster data sources that are supported

JMap Server can connect to databases containing geometries that have been coded according to WKB and WKT standards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Well-known_text).

In addition to the column containing the geometry, you must have a number column with unique integer values used as element identifiers. There must also be 4 columns containing the values of minimum bounding rectangles (MBR).

An SQL query must be provided. The query will be launched to read the data and it can access more than one table at a time.

The connection to the database must already be configured. Refer to the section Creating Databases for more information on this topic.

JMap Server can connect to PostGIS databases to extract spatial data and attributes that can be used as a spatial data source. The only special requirement is the presence of a numeric column with unique integer values to be used as element identifiers. An SQL query must be provided. This query will be executed to read the data and it can access one or many tables at the same time.

The connection to the database must be already configured. See Creating Databases for more information.

With this type of data source, it is possible to read ECW or JPG2000 image files or to connect to an ECWP server ( Image Web Server) to obtain images. It is not possible to configure both at the same time.

Note: This type of data can also be read by the GDAL data source with the same performance. This data source is kept for compatibility with existing configurations.

This type of spatial data source allows you to read a wide variety of raster data formats. GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library) is an open source library specializing in raster data conversion and processing.

There can be one or more source image files (mosaic of images). The images of the mosaic can overlap and there can be holes in the mosaic.

When the data source is updated, if the option is activated, a pyramid of lower resolution images is created by JMap Server and stored in the image cache. The image cache is then used for high performance production of images on the fly at specific resolutions. Depending on the initial image sizes and parameters, the image cache size can become voluminous. Typically, the total image cache is about the same size as the original images. Available disk space must be sufficient before updating this data source. It is possible that the data format selected will not require the creation of a pyramid. In this case, the parameter will be ignored.

JMap Server can use a raster spatial data source that comes from another JMap Server instance. To enable this, you must start by configuring a connection towards the other JMap Server. Refer to JMap Server to JMap Server Connections for more information.

JMap Server can connect to ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online REST services to access WMTS-type raster data published by this type of service.

JMap Server can use the OpenStreetMap map as a raster data source. No parameters need to be configured for this type of data source.

Web Map Service (WMS) is a standard proposed by the Open Geospatial Consortium that defines how client applications must request maps from a WMS compatible server. The protocol used is HTTP and the maps returned are typically images in popular formats (PNG, GIF, JPEG, etc.). WMS servers publish their capabilities in an XML document that specifies the types of requests supported as well as the metadata (list of layers, supported projections, etc.).

By configuring WMS data sources, you allow JMap to connect to and query WMS compatible servers (versions 1.0 to 1.3). You can then create raster layers based on these WMS data sources inside projects.

Once you have obtained the capabilities, you can define the parameters for the other types of requests in the WMS protocol. JMap Admin automatically suggests default queries that usually work very well. They are generated from the GetCapabilities request. If you wish to modify these default requests, you must select the Override default request option and enter new requests. For each type of request, you can also activate HTTP authentication and provide sign-on parameters.

Web Map Tile Service (WMTS) is a standard offered by the Open Geospatial Consortium that determines how client applications perform queries to obtain map data in the form of predefined tiles from a data server.

By configuring WMTS data sources, you enable JMap to connect to and query WMTS-compatible servers (version 1.0.0). You can then create raster layers based on WMTS data sources within projects.

In JMap, map data is organized in projects. A project is composed of an ordered list of layers. Typically, when a JMap application connects to JMap Server, the application opens a project and displays the project layers. You can create as many projects as you want.

Each layer of a project is associated with a spatial data source. The data source provides the data of the layer. Different projects can contain layers sharing the same data sources, allowing different data bindings, styles, etc. for the same data. Also, more than one layer in a project can share the same data source. This is useful when using layer filters to show different data of the same data source on multiple layers.

A project is a secured resource, which means that permissions are associated with it in order to control access by users. This allows precise control of which users or groups will be allowed to open each project. Similar access control is also available for each layer in the project.

To create a new project, press Create in the section listing the projects. Projects are created by walking through a wizard.

Project source

When creating a project, you can either create a new empty project or import an existing project configuration from another source. When you use an existing configuration, you can automate the creation of the project’s layers and avoid reconfiguring everything in JMap Admin. Currently, only one option is available for importing a project configuration: importing projects from an ESRI ArcGIS REST Service.

Importing ArcGIS REST projects

You can choose to import the layer configuration from an ESRI ArcGIS REST service. JMap will import the project’s parameters, the layers and their symbology, the scale parameters, the extents, etc.

Select the ArcGIS REST option and click on Next.

JMap supports the import of OGC WMTS raster layers.

In the REST service layer import interface, icons indicate layers whose format is not compatible with JMap.

Personal layers are layers of data created and populated by users. When creating a new personal layer, the user specifies a name, a geometry type and a set of attributes. The layer configuration and the data (geometries and attributes) are stored in the JMap Server System database. Once they have been created, personal layers can be shared between users with a permission system. They can also be converted to normal layers inserted in a project by the administrator. Users need a special permission granted by the administrator to create personal layers.

You can access the personal layers section by clicking on Personal layers from the Projects section.

In JMap Admin, the administrator can see a list of existing personal layers. It can be displayed by personal layer or by user. When selecting a personal layer, you can see which users have access to it. When selecting a user, you can see which personal layers the user has access to. You can also click on a personal layer in the list to open its details section.

Deleting a personal layer

To delete a personal layer, select it in the list and press Delete. Be aware that deleting a personal layer also deletes its configuration and all its data. This action cannot be undone.

Publishing a personal layer

Publishing a personal layer transforms it into a regular project layer. Once it is published, a personal layer can no longer be managed by users. However, it can still be edited if the administrator grants the appropriate permissions to users. To publish a personal layer, select it in the list, press Publish and select the project in which the layer will be inserted.

The Projects section in JMap Admin displays a list of existing projects. From this section, projects can be created, cloned or deleted.

Modifying an existing project

A project can be modified by pressing Edit from the project detail section. Modifying a project goes through the same steps as when the project was created. If the projection of the project is changed, the vector data cache of the layers is cleared.

Cloning projects

You can clone an existing project by selecting it from the table and pressing Clone. All layers inside the project are copied to the new project. Note that the underlying spatial data sources and databases are not copied. Instead, they are shared between the layers of the new project and the layers of the old project.

Deleting projects

You can delete an existing project by selecting it in the table and clicking on Delete. You can also delete a project from its configuration section. Deleting a project permanently deletes all layer configurations included in it. The spatial data sources are not affected.

Vector tiles are a format of vector data that is very effective for web-based mapping. With vector tiles, the entire vector data of a project is divided into tiles, similarly to raster data tiles (WMTS).

There are several standards for creating vector tiles. Mapbox has provided a standard based on the protocol buffer encoding (“Protobuf”) created by Google (https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers). Mapbox vector tiles (mvt) are supported by a wide range of map-based products, including JMap 7 as of the Jakarta version.

A grid defining the tiling is applied to the vector data, which is split into tiles. Each tile can contain the vector data (vectors) of several layers.

A set of tiles is produced for each scale level. Generally, there are 23 scale levels in web-based mapping, 0 being Earth level and 22 being street level. The vectors of lower levels are simplified (generalized) to optimize the display of the data, while maintaining a volume of tiles that performs well.

The vectors (lines, polygons) of each layer are clipped at the boundaries of the tiles. When a geometry crosses over the boundary between tiles, it is cut, and each tile thus contains part of the geometry. The map application reunites the vectors to obtain the full geometry.

The attributes of map elements are included in the tiles. This makes it possible to display thematics created on the fly or to display data in a map using attribute filters, for instance. This makes the data more dynamic and interactive.

The vector tiles contain the geometries and their attributes; styles are not included in the tiles. The information defining the styles is stored and managed in a separate JSON file. This feature allows application users to define styles dynamically, since the applications manage the styles. In addition, when the style of the data changes, it is not necessary to generate new tiles.

Tiles can be created in advance and cached; the server responds much more quickly to queries from the web-based mapping application, and therefore the rendering of the map is very smooth and performs well. In addition, the tiles can be used with WebGL for smooth and efficient rendering, especially in 3D.

Producing vector tiles with JMap

A JMap project generates three sets of data that are used by the applications:

• 1 JSON style file. This file accompanies the vector tiles. It contains the definition of each layer contained in the vector tiles, their style parameters, the thematics, etc.

• A set of vector tiles containing the geometries and attributes of non-editable layers. JMap produces an MVT file for each tile. These tiles can be created on request when users navigate through the JMap Survey or JMap NG applications. They can also be created in advance and cached. The following article offers details on how to create and manage the cache of tiles with JMap.

• GeoJSON vector data corresponding to the geometries and attributes of editable layers. This data is sent to applications on request, by region.

Regardless of the procedure used to create tiles (on request or in advance with caching), the tiles are created in the cache/mapbox directory of JMap Server. In this directory, there is one folder per project (named using the project ID), which contains one folder per resolution (currently 512). The files of the tiles are named using the z-x-y.mvt code, where z is the scale level, and x and y indicate the position of the tile in the grid.

Factors affecting the performance of vector tiles

In general, vector tiles are lighter than raster tiles, but some factors can affect the size of tiles and impact the performance of the JMap Survey and JMap NG applications. The size of tiles is associated with the time it takes to produce them, their storage volume, the volume of data exchanged with the applications, and the dedicated memory of the applications.

Some factors to consider:

• Number of attributes bound to layers: the attribute data influences the size of the tiles; the more attributes there are, the more the size increases.

• Layer visibility scales: Establishing visibility thresholds for the display of layers is recommended when layers have very dense data. A good strategy is to limit the display of these layers to larger scales because the tiles of the smaller scales will not contain the data of these layers, and the time required to produce the tiles will be reduced.

• Caching: producing tiles in advance and caching them greatly improves application performance, while reducing JMap Server’s workload. JMap Server can indeed reach its full workload capacity when several users are navigating through large and complex projects in the applications.

• JMap server memory: influences the performance of tile production. Increasing the memory allocated to the JMap server can accelerate tile production.

JMap projects can be configured to support several languages. This way, each user can view the project in his or her own language, as long as the language is available and the translations have been provided. When a JMap application is launched, it can automatically identify the language of the user’s operating system and use this language for the project and graphical interfaces. This behavior depends on the options selected when deploying the application.

For a project supporting multiple languages, each text element that is visible to the users can be translated into each language. For example, you can provide translations for the project name, the names of the layers, labels, mouseover bubbles, forms, etc.

To enable multilingual support, you must choose at least 2 languages when creating or editing a project. You must also select the default language.

Afterwards, you can enter the translations in the sections identified with the symbol when configuring the project and layers. The figure presents the translation interface for a project supporting 3 languages.

If translations are not provided in all available languages for certain text elements, the text will automatically be displayed in the default language.

The configuration interface of a project allows you to access information on the project. This interface also contains functions to configure various parameters, such as the initial view of the project in the applications.

JMap Web Preview

It opens a JMap Web application in a new browser window.

The preview offers most of the functionality of JMap Web applications and allows you to validate the project’s configuration.

JMap NG Preview

It opens a JMap NG application in a new browser window.

The preview offers most of the features of JMap NG applications and allows you to validate the project configuration.

JMap Pro Preview

It opens a JMap Pro application offering most of the functionality of JMap Pro applications. You can validate the project configuration.

You can also delimit the initial view of the project, when it is opened in JMap Pro applications. Click on . A rectangle displays to delimit the initial view. When you close the preview, the geographic coordinates of the initial view are automatically saved.

Synchronizing the project with JMap Cloud

You can synchronize the project with JMap Cloud, the cloud based platform developed by K2 Geospatial. Beforehand, you must connect to JMap Cloud. The JMap Server Settings section offers details on this subject.

Project properties, layers with their associated spatial data sources, order and hierarchy of layers are reproduced in JMap Cloud. Warning, the link between the project in JMap Server and the project in JMap Cloud is not preserved, therefore, changes in the properties or the order or hierarchy of the layers in the project on JMap Server are not synchronized with JMap Cloud .

To synchronize the project with JMap Cloud:

1. In the project configuration interface, press Sync with JMap Cloud…. A window opens offering you some options:

   Name: Specify a new project name that will be used in JMap Cloud. If the project uses multiple languages, the name specified here will replace the default language value. All translations are synchronized.

   Copy: A copy of the project layers (configuration and data) and their spatial data sources is created in JMap Cloud. No JMap Server → JMap Cloud link is created. When a layer is updated on JMap Server, the data is not synchronized with JMap Cloud.

   Copy and synchronize automatically: A copy of the project layers (configuration and data) and their spatial data sources is created in JMap Cloud. A JMap Server → JMap Cloud link is created. When a layer is updated on JMap Server, the layer and its spatial data source are automatically synchronized with JMap Cloud.

2. Select an option and press OK. Since there is no link between the project in JMap Server and the project in JMap Cloud, no information is provided about the project on JMap Cloud.

3. Press again Sync with JMap Cloud…. A new window opens. This indicates that some layers of the project are already synchronized with another project on JMap Cloud. The options offered are:

   Skip these layers: The synchronization will not affect the layers already synchronized.

   Associate the synchronization with the selected project: The synchronization will create the whole project in a new project on JMap Cloud.

   The options for the project layers are similar to those described in point 1.

Image producer

The image producer of a JMap project is used to produce images on demand for that project. These images are used for JMap Web applications. When a user works in JMap Pro, the image producer is not used because the data is transferred in vector format (except for photos).

Normally, the image producer’s settings do not need to be modified because the default configuration is adequate. The following table describes the settings of the image producer.

JMap extensions compatible with JMap NG or JMap Survey

Extensions which are compatible with the new generation applications, JMap NG and JMap Survey, must be configured and activated to make them accessible to the users of these applications which publish the project.

To enable the extension, slide the switch in the Extensions section of the project configuration interface.

The chapter JMap Server Extensions provides details on the configuration of extensions in JMap Server.

There are two aspects to organizing layers in a project. One is to define the order of appearance of the layers on the map. Layers at lower positions are drawn first and layers at higher positions are drawn at the end. Top layers can hide elements of bottom layers. The other aspect is to create a logical hierarchy based on the nature of the layers. In other words, this allows the creation of groups (and subgroups) of layers that have a logical relationship. For example, there could be a group of layers related to roads, another to hydrography, and another to census. Organizing them in groups makes it easier for the users to work with layers.

To start organizing the layers, open the Layers section of the project.

Ordering layers

To order layers of a project, open the tab titled List. This section presents the layers in their order of appearance on the map. The lowest position is the first layer to be drawn on the map. To change the order, you must use the Modify menu located at the top of the column displaying the position of each layer. You can also select one or more layers and move them using the available options (Move up, Move down, Move at…, etc.). In addition, you can open a window displaying all the layers and reorder them using drag-and-drop actions.

Grouping layers

To organize layers in groups, open the tab named Hierarchy. This section presents the current hierarchy of layers. By default, all layers of the project are in one unique group called Layers. To create a new group, press Create group. Fill the layer group parameters as described below:

Once groups have been created, you can move layers towards these groups using the Modify menu located at the top of the column displaying the position of each layer.

From the project detail section, press Permissions to access the project permissions section. A list of currently allowed users and groups is displayed. Press to add new users or groups and automatically grant them the Open this project permission. The available users and groups are configured in the JMap Server section in JMap Admin. See Managing User Accounts and Groups for more information about managing users in JMap.

Project permissions are divided into two categories: administrator permissions and user permissions.

Administrator permissions

Administrator project permissions define the project administration rights for the users authorized to use JMap Admin. For more information on concepts related to permissions and administration roles in JMap Admin, refer to the Managing Permissions section.

User permissions

User project permissions determine which users and groups can open a project. Access will be denied to users who do not have the appropriate permissions. Security can also be configured at the layer level. For more information on this topic, refer to the Layer Permissions section.

Anonymous user

Adding the Anonymous user to the list of users authorized to open the project gives users the possibility to open a project without any authentication. This is equivalent to removing all security for opening the project. This is useful for public applications, when no project access control is needed.

Everyone user

Adding the Everyone user to the list of users authorized to open the project allows all users to open the project, including the Anonymous user. This means that the project is accessible to all users, with or without authentication.

Authenticated users

Adding the Authenticated users to the list of users authorized to open the project allows any authenticated user to open a project. This is useful for private applications where all users are allowed to open a project but must authenticate themselves.

In JMap, forms are used for attribute queries to enter the search parameters, to enter attribute values of editable layers and to manage data stored in databases. This is always done in relation with the elements of a layer.

The JMap administrator designs the forms using the . Afterwards, users can use them in JMap Pro, JMap Web, JMap NG and JMap Survey.

Like data editing forms, attribute query forms are created using the . They allow the users to enter query parameters. Each form component is therefore associated with a parameter of the query ($param1, ​$param2, etc.).

Unlike the other types of forms, they cannot be divided into sections. In addition, the Photo components are not available for this type of form.

These forms are created when configuring attribute queries, by clicking on Form layout.

When creating an attribute query form, it is important to consider which parameters are required and which are optional in the query definition. For instance, if Required is not selected for a form component, the query must consider this parameter as optional. Refer to the section for more information on optional parameters in queries.

Style templates are predefined styles that can be reused across many projects and layers. They help save time because a style can be configured once but used at many places. Style templates also help create standardized maps.

Once a style template is configured, it can be used in every place a style is needed (layer styles, selection styles, thematics, etc.). A style template can be used as a reference or as a copy. When used as a reference, if the style template is modified, all layers that refer to it will also use the modified style. When used as a copy, the style is detached from the style template and can be modified independently thereafter.

Style templates are associated with only one type of map element (point, line, polygon, etc.) and cannot be used for other types of elements.

To use a style template, click on Use a style template from any style configuration interface. See for more information.

You can access the style template configuration section by clicking on Style templates in the Projects section.

Creating style templates

To create a new style template, press Create.

Deleting style templates

To delete a style template, select it in the list and press Delete.

A project is composed of an ordered list of layers. Layers are used to display data extracted from spatial data sources. Each layer is related to a specific spatial data source. Vector layers are related to vector data sources and display vector data while raster layers are related to raster data sources. The layer configuration determines the appearance of the data (style of the layer), the visibility thresholds, what information is associated with the spatial data (attributes), etc. Each layer has its own configuration parameters for labelling, reports, thematics, etc.

Layers are created in the project they belong to. Specific permissions can be configured for each layer. Thus, some layers can be accessed only by a subset of users authorized to open the project.

The layers of a project can be organized into a logical tree-like structure or hierarchy. This feature is useful to better organize information when working with projects that have a high number of layers. In client applications, users are able to control the visibility of the layers belonging to the same group in one click. Refer to the section for more information on this subject.

Layers can be copied from one project to another or even shared between various projects located on the same JMap Server or on separate JMap Servers. From the Kathmandu version, it is also possible to share layers from JMap with the cloud-based platform JMap Cloud, developed by K2 Geospatial. Refer to the section titled for more information on this topic.

Attribute queries are used to find and select elements of a map layer using their attribute values or a database associated with the layer. In JMap Admin, JMap administrators create the queries and their associated forms. Then, users of JMap applications use those forms to enter attribute values to search for. All elements whose attribute values match the values entered are then selected or listed in an elements explorer.

You can access the query configuration section by clicking on Queries in the Projects section.

Creating a new attribute query

To create a new query, press the Create query button in the Attribute queries section. This will open the query configuration interface. Parameters will vary depending on the type of query selected.

Layer queries

External queries

This type of query is used when the search must be conducted within the data of an external database. The external database must contain a field that links to a layer attribute. A select SQL query is executed in the external database and the values returned are then associated with the layer elements using the link field.

Required and optional parameters

Although search forms are designed to mark fields as required or optional, the where clause of the query must be adjusted to support this option. To accomplish this, any part of the query that is associated with optional parameters must be included between braces ( { } ).

Example of WHERE clause:

CITY = '$param1' and { COUNTRY = '$param2' }

Multiple values for the same parameter

$multiple{true|false} {$delimiter{;}}

Example:

CITY = '$param1{$multiple{true} $delimiter{;}}'

Searches for cities whose CITY attribute value is equal to one of the values entered in parameter 1. The values are separated by semicolons.

Managing attribute queries

Attribute queries can be modified by administrators. In JMap Dakar and later versions, when a project’s queries are modified, the applications that disseminate the project do not need to be redeployed because the changes are reflected directly.

Organizing attribute queries

Attribute queries can be organized into groups.This is particularly useful for projects that have a large number of queries.

Deleting attribute queries

Deleting an attribute query permanently deletes the query and its associated form. To delete a query, select it in the list and click on Delete.

Publishing queries

Once a query has been created, it is automatically published. However, you can disable this publication, which will make your query unavailable in applications, but its configuration will still be saved. If you do not want your query to be published, clear the Published checkbox of your query in the query management interface.

Queries on referenced layers

When a project contains referenced layers, the queries configured on these layers are automatically available in the project. The project “inherits” these queries.

You cannot modify these queries from the project; they can only be modified in the project that contains the original layer.

If you wish to make changes to a query on a referenced layer, create a copy of the query by clicking on Clone. The configuration interface shows the search parameters that you can modify.

Once the new query has been configured, you can clear the Published check box of the query that was “inherited” from the referenced layer if you no longer want it to be available in JMap applications. If the Published check box is cleared for an attribute query on a layer, that query will no longer be available in the projects that use the referenced layer.