Many developers rely on Google’s Static Maps API to generate map images, but this has limitations such as:
- API rate limits
-  Cost for high-volume usage
-  Potential data privacy concerns
-  Dependency on an external service

For a long time I was looking for an alternative to Maps Static API from Google which can be selfhosted but I couldn't find anything which seemed to fit my needs.

However I found [staticmaps](https://www.npmjs.com/package/staticmaps "staticmaps") which is a Node.JS library for creating map images with markers, polylines, polygons and text. But the library doesn't provide a web interface so I decided to built one on top of it with [express](https://github.com/expressjs/express "express") and containerized the staticmaps API.

## Docker Static Maps API

[docker-staticmaps](https://github.com/dietrichmax/docker-staticmaps "Docker Static Maps API") is a containerized web version for [staticmaps](https://www.npmjs.com/package/staticmaps) with [express](https://github.com/expressjs/express).

In general `docker-staticmaps` provides a self-hosted alternative that allows you to generate static map images on your own server without relying on third-party APIs.

## Usage

To get a static map from the endpoint `/staticmaps` several prameters have to be provided.

Parameter	Description	Example
center	Latitude,Longitude of map center	48.8588443,2.2943506
zoom	Zoom level (1-20)	12
size	Image size in pixels	600x400
marker	Add a marker at a location	48.8588,2.2943,red
polyline	Draw a line on the map	48.85,2.29;48.86,2.30,blue,2

- `center` - Center coordinates of the map in the format `lon, lat`
- `zoom` - Set the zoom level for the map.
- `width` - default `300` - Width in pixels of the final image
- `height` - default `300` - Height in pixels of the final image
- `format` - default `png` (e.g. `png`, `jpg` or `webp`)
- `basemap` - default `osm` - Map base layer

### Basemaps

For different basemaps docker-staticmaps is using exisiting tile-services from various providers. Be sure to check their Terms of Use for your use case or use a `custom` tileserver with the `tileUrl` parameter!

- `basemap` - default "osm" - Select the basemap
  - `osm` - default - [Open Street Map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/)
  - `streets` - [Esri street basemap](https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=7990d7ea55204450b8110d57e20c99ab)
  - `satellite` - Esri's [satellite basemap](https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=d802f08316e84c6592ef681c50178f17&center=-71.055499,42.364247&level=15)
  - `hybrid` - Satellite basemap with labels
  - `topo` - Esri [topographic map](https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=a72b0766aea04b48bf7a0e8c27ccc007)
  - `gray` - Esri gray canvas with labels
  - `gray-background` - Esri [gray canvas](https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=8b3d38c0819547faa83f7b7aca80bd76) without labels
  - `oceans` - Esri [ocean basemap](https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=5ae9e138a17842688b0b79283a4353f6&center=-122.255816,36.573652&level=8)
  - `national-geographic` - [National Geographic basemap](https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=d94dcdbe78e141c2b2d3a91d5ca8b9c9)
  - `otm` - [OpenTopoMap](https://www.opentopomap.org/)
  - `stamen-toner` - [Stamen Toner](http://maps.stamen.com/toner/) black and white map with labels
  - `stamen-toner-background` - [Stamen Toner](http://maps.stamen.com/toner-background/) map without labels
  - `stamen-toner-lite` - [Stamen Toner Light](http://maps.stamen.com/toner-lite/) with labels
  - `stamen-terrain` - [Stamen Terrain](http://maps.stamen.com/terrain/) with labels
  - `stamen-terrain-background` - [Stamen Terrain](http://maps.stamen.com/terrain-background/) without labels
  - `stamen-watercolor` - [Stamen Watercolor](http://maps.stamen.com/watercolor/)
  - `carto-light` - [Carto](https://carto.com/location-data-services/basemaps/) Free usage for up to 75,000 mapviews per month, non-commercial services only.
  - `carto-dark` - [Carto](https://carto.com/location-data-services/basemaps/) Free usage for up to 75,000 mapviews per month, non-commercial services only.
  - `carto-voyager` - [Carto](https://carto.com/location-data-services/basemaps/) Free usage for up to 75,000 mapviews per month, non-commercial services only.
  - `custom` - Pass through the tile URL using parameter `tileurl`

### Polylines

With the parameter `polyline` you can add a polyline to the map in the following format:

`polyline=polylineStyle|polylineCoord1|polylineCoord2|...`

- `polylineCoord` - required - in format `lat,lon` and seperated by `|`. Atleast two locations are needed to draw a polyline.

The `polylineStyle` consists of the following two parameters separated by `|`.

- `weight` - default `5` - Weight of the polyline in pixels, e.g. `weight:5`
- `color` - default `blue` -24-Bit-color hex value, e.g. `color:0000ff`

If no `center` is specified, the polyline will be centered.

<details>
  <summary>Polyline with no `zoom`, `weight:6` and `color:0000ff`</summary>
  <p>http://localhost:3000/staticmaps?width=600&height=600&polyline=weight:6|color:0000ff|48.726304979176675,-3.9829935637739382|48.72623035828412,-3.9829726446543385|48.726126671101639,-3.9829546542797467|48.725965124843256,-3.9829070729298808|48.725871429380568,-3.9828726793245273|48.725764250990267,-3.9828064532306628|48.725679557682362,-3.9827385375789146|48.72567025076134,-3.9827310750289113|48.725529844164292,-3.9826617613709225|48.725412537198615,-3.9826296635284164|48.725351694726704,-3.9826201452878531|48.725258599474508,-3.9826063049230411|48.725157520450125,-3.9825900299314232|48.725077863838543,-3.9825779905509102|48.724930435729831,-3.9825514102373938|48.724815578113535,-3.9825237355887291|48.724760905376989,-3.9825013965800564|48.724677938456551,-3.9824534296566916|48.724379435330384,-3.9822469276001118|48.724304509274596,-3.9821850264836076|48.7242453124599,-3.9821320570321772|48.724206187829317,-3.9821063430223207|48.724117073204575,-3.9820862134785551</p>
  </details>

![polylinepath.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/polylinepath_d9f50f216a.png)

### Polygons

With the parameter `polygon` you can add a polygon to the map in the following format:

`polygon=polygonStyle|polygonCoord1|polygonCoord2|...`

- `polygonCoord` - required - in format `lat,lon` and seperated by `|`. First and last locations have to be the same to close the polygon.

The `polygonStyle` consists of the following two parameters separated by `|`.

- `color` - default `blue` -24-Bit-color hex value, e.g. `color:4874db`
- `weight` - default `5` - Weight of the polygon in pixels, e.g. `weight:5`
- `fill` - default `green` -24-Bit-color hex value, e.g. `fill:eb7a34`

If no `center` is specified, the polygon will be centered.

<details>
  <summary>Polygon with no `zoom`, `color:4874db`,`weight:7` and `fill:eb7a3`</summary>
    <p>http://localhost:3000/staticmaps?width=600&height=600&polygon=color:4874db|weight:7|fill:eb7a34|41.891169,12.491691|41.890633,12.493697|41.889012,12.492989|41.889467,12.490811|41.891169,12.491691</p>
  </details>

![polygonexample.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/polygonexample_a8167c572c.png)


### Markers

With the parameter `markers` you can draw one or multiple markers depending on how much pair of coordinates you pass to the parameter

`markers=markerCoord1|markerCoord2|...`

- `markerCoord` - required - in format `lat,lon` and separated by `|`. Atleast one coordinate is needed to draw a marker.

If no `center` is specified, the markers will be centered.

<details>
  <summary>Markers</summary>
  <p>http://localhost:3000/staticmaps?width=600&height=600&markers=48.726304979176675,-3.9829935637739382|48.724117073204575,-3.9820862134785551</p>
  </details>

![markers.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/markers_e3060a2b45.png)

### Circles

With the parameter `circle` you can add a circle to the map in the following format:

`circle=circleStyle|circleCoord`

- `circleCoord` - required - in format `lat,lon` and separated by `|`. Atleast one locations is needed to draw a marker.

The `circleStyle` consists of the following parameters seperated by `|`.

- `radius` - required - Circle radius in meter, e.g. `radius:500`
- `color` - default `#0000bb` -  Stroke color of the circle, e.g. `color:#0000bb`
- `width` - default `3` - Stroke width of the circle, e.g. `width:3`
- `fill` - default `#AA0000` - Fill color of the circle, e.g. `fill:#AA0000`

If no `center` is specified, the circle will be centered.

<details>
  <summary>Circle with no zoom</summary>
  <p>http://localhost:3000/staticmaps?width=600&height=600&basemap=osm&circle=radius:100|48.726304979176675,-3.9829935637739382</p>
  </details>

![circle.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/circle_646b7609a9.png)

### More usage Examples

<details>
  <summary>Minimal example: `center` and `zoom`</summary>
  <p>http://localhost:3000/staticmaps?center=-119.49280,37.81084&zoom=9</p>
</details>

![minimalexample.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/minimalexample_ce216c4b8e.png)

<details>
  <summary>`width=500`, `height=500`, `center=-73.99515,40.76761`,  `zoom=10`, `format=webp`, `basemap=carto-voyager`</summary>
  <p>http://localhost:3000/staticmaps?width=500&height=500&center=-73.99515,40.76761&zoom=10&format=webp&basemap=carto-voyager</p>
</details>

![example2.webp](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/example2_2e3cbb505b.webp)

<details>
  <summary>Markers and Polyline</summary>
  <p>http://localhost:3000/staticmaps?width=600&height=600&polyline=weight:6|color:0000ff|48.726304979176675,-3.9829935637739382|48.72623035828412,-3.9829726446543385|48.726126671101639,-3.9829546542797467|48.725965124843256,-3.9829070729298808|48.725871429380568,-3.9828726793245273|48.725764250990267,-3.9828064532306628|48.725679557682362,-3.9827385375789146|48.72567025076134,-3.9827310750289113|48.725529844164292,-3.9826617613709225|48.725412537198615,-3.9826296635284164|48.725351694726704,-3.9826201452878531|48.725258599474508,-3.9826063049230411|48.725157520450125,-3.9825900299314232|48.725077863838543,-3.9825779905509102|48.724930435729831,-3.9825514102373938|48.724815578113535,-3.9825237355887291|48.724760905376989,-3.9825013965800564|48.724677938456551,-3.9824534296566916|48.724379435330384,-3.9822469276001118|48.724304509274596,-3.9821850264836076|48.7242453124599,-3.9821320570321772|48.724206187829317,-3.9821063430223207|48.724117073204575,-3.9820862134785551&markers=48.726304979176675,-3.9829935637739382|48.724117073204575,-3.9820862134785551</p>
  </details>

![markersandpolyline.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/markersandpolyline_04626a7660.png)



## Deployment

**with Docker**

```bash
docker run -d  \
  --name='static-maps-api' \
  -p '3003:3000/tcp' \
  'mxdcodes/docker-staticmaps:latest'
```

**with Node.js**

```bash
git clone https://github.com/dietrichmax/docker-staticmaps
npm i
npm run start
```

**Links**
* GitHub: [https://github.com/dietrichmax/docker-staticmaps](https://github.com/dietrichmax/docker-staticmaps)
* Docker Hub: [https://hub.docker.com/r/mxdcodes/docker-staticmaps](https://hub.docker.com/r/mxdcodes/docker-staticmaps)

A containerized web version for staticmaps with express.

docker-staticmaps: A selfhosted Static Maps API

Maps have long been a fundamental element in web development, transforming static websites into dynamic, location-aware applications. Whether you're navigating through the bustling streets of a city, planning a route for your next adventure, or visualizing data in a geographic context, maps play a crucial role in enhancing user experiences.

## Overview of OpenLayers and its Capabilities

[OpenLayers](https://openlayers.org/ "OpenLayers"), a robust open-source JavaScript library, stands at the forefront of enabling you to seamlessly integrate interactive maps into web applications. Its versatile and feature-rich nature makes it a go-to choice for projects requiring dynamic geospatial visualizations.

At its core, OpenLayers provides a comprehensive set of tools to manipulate maps, overlay data, and interact with geographic information. Its capabilities extend from simple map displays to complex [GIS](/articles/what-is-gis-geographic-information-system "GIS") applications, offering you the flexibility to create compelling and interactive mapping solutions. OpenLayers supports a modular and extensible architecture, allowing you to tailor their maps precisely to project requirements.

## Explanation of Key Concepts: Maps, Layers, Views, and Sources

Understanding the key concepts within OpenLayers is fundamental to harnessing its full potential:

**Map**

In OpenLayers, a map is a container for various layers and the view, serving as the canvas where geographical data is displayed. you can create multiple maps within an application, each with its set of layers and views.

The markup below could be used to create a  `<div>` that contains your map.
```javascript
<div id="map" style="width: 100%; height: 400px"></div>
```

The script below constructs a map that is rendered in the  `<div>` above, using the map id of the element as a selector.

```javascript
import Map from 'ol/Map.js';

const map = new Map({target: 'map'});

```

API Doc: [ol/Map](https://openlayers.org/en/latest/apidoc/module-ol_Map-Map.html "ol/Map")

**View**

The `view` in OpenLayers determines the `center`, `zoom` and `projection` of the map. It acts as the window through which users observe the geographic data. you can configure different views to represent varying perspectives or zoom levels within a single map.

```javascript
import View from 'ol/View.js';

map.setView(new View({
  center: [0, 0],
  zoom: 2,
}));
```

The projection determines the coordinate system of the center and the units for map resolution calculations. If not specified (like in the above snippet), the default projection is Spherical Mercator (EPSG:3857), with meters as map units.

The available zoom levels are determined by `maxZoom` (default: 28), `zoomFactor` (default: 2) and `maxResolutio`n (default is calculated in such a way that the projection's validity extent fits in a 256x256 pixel tile).

API Doc: [ol/View](https://openlayers.org/en/latest/apidoc/module-ol_View-View.html "ol/View")

**Source**

Sources provide the data for layers. OpenLayers supports different sources, including Tile sources for raster data, Vector sources for vector data, and Image sources for static images. These sources can fetch data from various providers or be customized to handle specific data formats.

To get remote data for a layer you can use the  `ol/source` subclasses.

```javascript
import OSM from 'ol/source/OSM.js';

const source = OSM();
```

API Doc: [ol/source](https://openlayers.org/en/latest/apidoc/module-ol_source.html "ol/source").

**Layer**

Layers define the visual content of the map. OpenLayers supports various layer types, such as Tile layers for raster data, Vector layers for vector data, and Image layers for rendering images. Layers can be stacked to combine different types of information into a single, coherent map.

- `ol/layer/Tile` - Renders sources that provide tiled images in grids that are organized by zoom levels for specific resolutions.
- `ol/layer/Image` - Renders sources that provide map images at arbitrary extents and resolutions.
- `ol/layer/Vector` - Renders vector data client-side.
- `ol/layer/VectorTile` - Renders data that is provided as vector tiles.

```javascript
import TileLayer from 'ol/layer/Tile.js';

// ...
const layer = new TileLayer({source: source});
map.addLayer(layer);
```

API Doc: [ol/slayer](https://openlayers.org/en/latest/apidoc/module-ol_layer_Layer-Layer.html "ol/layer").

## Installing OpenLayers

To start your journey into the world of interactive maps with OpenLayers and React, the first step is to install OpenLayers using your preferred package manager – npm or yarn. Open a terminal and execute one of the following commands:

```bash
npm install ol
# or
yarn add ol
```

This command fetches the latest version of OpenLayers and installs it as a dependency in your project. With the library now available, you're ready to embark on the next steps of integrating OpenLayers with React.

## Setting Up a Basic React Component for the Map

Now that OpenLayers is part of your project, the next crucial step is to create a React component that will serve as the container for your interactive map.

If you try to render the Map before the component has been mounted (meaning outside of useEffect)  like following you will get an error message.

```javascript
const MapComponent = () => {
  const mapRef = useRef()
  
  // Incorrect: Rendering content before the component has mounted
  const map = new Map({
      target: mapRef.current
      ...
  })
  return <div ref={mapRef} style={{ width: '100%', height: '400px' }}></div>;
};
```

**Solution:**
Ensure that you only render content when the component has properly mounted. You can use lifecycle methods like `componentDidMount` in class components or `useEffect` in functional components.

```javascript
const MapComponent = () => {
  const mapRef = useRef()
  
  useEffect(() => {
    // Code here runs after the component has mounted
    const map = new Map({
      target: mapRef.current,
    ...
    } 
    return () => map.setTarget(null)
  }, []);

  return <div ref={mapRef} style={{ width: '100%', height: '400px' }}></div>;
};
```
The return function will reponsible for resource cleanup for the map.

So a basic OpenLayers React example could look like the following:

```javascript
// MapComponent.js
import React, { useEffect, useRef } from "react"
import { Map, View } from "ol"
import TileLayer from "ol/layer/Tile"
import OSM from "ol/source/OSM"
import "ol/ol.css"

function MapComponent() {
  const mapRef = useRef()

  useEffect(() => {
    const osmLayer = new TileLayer({
      preload: Infinity,
      source: new OSM(),
    })

    const map = new Map({
      target: mapRef.current,
      layers: [osmLayer],
      view: new View({
        center: [0, 0],
        zoom: 0,
      }),
    })
    return () => map.setTarget(null)
  }, [])

  return (
    <div
      style={{ height: "300px", width: "100%" }}
      ref={mapRef}
      className="map-container"
    />
  )
}

export default MapComponent

```

<MapComponent />

In this example, the `MapComponent` initializes an OpenLayers map with a simple OpenStreetMap layer and the `useEffect` hook ensures that the map is created when the component mounts.

To ensure the correct styling and functionality of OpenLayers, it's crucial to import the necessary CSS and modules. In the ```MapComponent.js``` file, notice the import statement for the OpenLayers CSS:

```jsx
import 'ol/ol.css'; // Import OpenLayers CSS
```

This line imports the essential stylesheets required for OpenLayers to render properly. 
Additionally, other modules from OpenLayers, such as Map, View, TileLayer, and OSM, are imported to create the map instance and layers.

By following these steps, you've successfully set up a basic React component housing an OpenLayers map. You're now ready to delve deeper into the capabilities of OpenLayers and explore advanced features for creating dynamic and interactive maps within your React applications.

Also I created two examples for React and Openlayers:
- [OpenLayers 6 React example using a functional component](https://github.com/dietrichmax/openlayers-react-functional-component "OpenLayers 6 React example using a functional component")
- [OpenLayers 6 React example using a class component](https://github.com/dietrichmax/openlayers-react-class-component "OpenLayers 6 React example using a class component")

## Markers, Popups, and Custom Overlays

Markers, popups, and custom overlays enhance the visual storytelling capabilities of a map, providing users with valuable context. OpenLayers simplifies the process of adding these elements:

- **Markers:** Representing specific points of interest on a map becomes intuitive with markers. you can add markers to highlight locations, making the map more informative and engaging.

![Screenshot_2024_01_18_152148_f19d10c63b.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/Screenshot_2024_01_18_152148_f19d10c63b_79d26e5486.png)

- **Popups:** Interactive popups can be attached to markers, providing additional information when users click on specific map features. This allows for a more detailed exploration of the data.

![Screenshot_2024_01_18_152206_2e473efa56.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/Screenshot_2024_01_18_152206_2e473efa56_d031150b4b.png)

- **Custom Overlays**: OpenLayers allows you to create custom overlays, enabling the display of additional information in a tailored manner. This could include tooltips, legends, or any other supplementary elements.

Here's a simplified example demonstrating the addition of a marker with a popup:

```javascript
// MarkerPopupMap.js
import { useEffect, useRef } from "react"
import "ol/ol.css"
import Map from "ol/Map"
import View from "ol/View"
import Overlay from "ol/Overlay"
import { toLonLat } from "ol/proj.js"
import { toStringHDMS } from "ol/coordinate.js"
import styled from "styled-components"
import { Icon, Style } from "ol/style.js"
import Feature from "ol/Feature.js"
import { Vector as VectorSource } from "ol/source.js"
import { Tile as TileLayer, Vector as VectorLayer } from "ol/layer.js"
import Point from "ol/geom/Point.js"

const Popup = styled.div`
  background-color: var(--content-bg);
  padding: var(--space-sm);
`

const MarkerPopupMap = () => {
  const mapRef = useRef()
  const popupRef = useRef()

  const osm = new TileLayer({
      preload: Infinity,
      source: new OSM(),
    })

  const iconFeature = new Feature({
    geometry: new Point([0, 0]),
    name: "Null Island",
    population: 4000,
    rainfall: 500,
  })

  const iconStyle = new Style({
    image: new Icon({
      anchor: [0.5, 46],
      anchorXUnits: "fraction",
      anchorYUnits: "pixels",
      src: "https://openlayers.org/en/latest/examples/data/icon.png",
    }),
  })

  iconFeature.setStyle(iconStyle)

  const vectorSource = new VectorSource({
    features: [iconFeature],
  })

  const vectorLayer = new VectorLayer({
    source: vectorSource,
  })

  useEffect(() => {
    const overlay = new Overlay({
      element: popupRef.current,
      autoPan: {
        animation: {
          duration: 250,
        },
      },
    })

    const map = new Map({
      target: mapRef.current,
      layers: [osm, vectorLayer],
      view: new View({
        center: [0, 0],
        zoom: 3,
      }),
      overlays: [overlay],
    })

    /**
     * Add a click handler to the map to render the popup.
     */

    map.on("singleclick", function (evt) {
      // Get Coordinates of click
      const coordinate = evt.coordinate;
      const hdms = toStringHDMS(toLonLat(coordinate));
      
      // Show popup at clicked position
      overlay.setPosition(coordinate);

      if (popupRef.current) {
        popupRef.current.innerHTML = `<p>You clicked here:</p><code>` + hdms + `</code>`;
      }
      
      overlay.setPosition(coordinate)
    })

    return () => map.setTarget(null)
  }, [])

  return (
    <div>
      <div ref={mapRef} style={{ width: "100%", height: "400px" }} />
      <div ref={popupRef} className="ol-popup" style={popupStyle} />
    </div>
  )
}

const popupStyle = {
  position: "absolute",
  backgroundColor: "white",
  padding: "5px",
  borderRadius: "5px",
  border: "1px solid black",
  transform: "translate(-50%, -100%)",
  pointerEvents: "none",
  width: "220px",
  color: "black"
};

export default MarkerPopupMap
```
Click anywhere on the map to create a popup:
<MarkerPopupMap/>

## Handling Map Events and User Interactions:

Interactive maps come to life when you handle events and user interactions effectively. OpenLayers simplifies this process by providing robust event handling mechanisms. Consider the following example demonstrating how to capture a click event on the map:

```javascript
    // Handle a click event on the map
    map.on('click', (event) => {
      const clickedCoordinate = event.coordinate;
      console.log('Clicked Coordinate:', clickedCoordinate);
    });
```

This example displays OpenLayers' event handling to log the coordinates of a click event on the map. you can extend this functionality to respond to various user interactions, such as dragging, zooming, or even custom gestures.

**useState for Managing State:** Use the useState hook to manage state within the React component. This is particularly useful for dynamic changes to the map, such as updating the center or zoom level based on user interactions.

```javascript
const [mapCenter, setMapCenter] = useState([0, 0]);

// Update the map's center based on user interaction
const handleMapInteraction = (event) => {
  const newCenter = event.map.getView().getCenter();
  setMapCenter(newCenter);
};

```

## Advanced OpenLayers Map Features

**Adding Vector Layers and Working with GeoJSON Data**

Vector layers in OpenLayers allow you to display and interact with vector data, opening up possibilities for intricate and detailed map representations. Leveraging GeoJSON, a popular format for encoding geographic data, is a common practice. Below is an example of incorporating a vector layer with GeoJSON data into a React component:

```javascript
// VectorLayerMap.js
import { useEffect, useRef } from "react"
import "ol/ol.css"
import Map from "ol/Map"
import View from "ol/View"
import TileLayer from "ol/layer/Tile"
import OSM from "ol/source/OSM"
import VectorLayer from "ol/layer/Vector"
import VectorSource from "ol/source/Vector"
import GeoJSON from "ol/format/GeoJSON"
import {getCenter} from 'ol/extent';

const VectorLayerMap = () => {
  const mapRef = useRef()

  // read geojson feature
  const geoJSONFeatures = new GeoJSON().readFeatures(geojsonObject)

  // create vector source
  const vectorSource = new VectorSource({
    features: geoJSONFeatures,
  })

  // create vector layer with source
  const vectorLayer = new VectorLayer({
    source: vectorSource,
  })

  // default view
  const view = new View({
    center: [0, 0],
    zoom: 2,
  })

  useEffect(() => {
    const map = new Map({
      target: mapRef.current,
      layers: [
        new TileLayer({
          source: new OSM(),
        }),
        vectorLayer,
      ],
      view: view
    })

    // fit view to geometry of geojson feature with padding
    view.fit(geoJSONFeatures[0].getGeometry().getExtent(), { padding: [100, 100, 100, 100]});
    
    return () => map.setTarget(null)
  }, [])

  return (
    <div
      ref={mapRef}
      style={{ position: "relative", width: "100%", height: "400px" }}
    ></div>
  )
}

export default VectorLayerMap

const geojsonObject = {
  type: "Feature",
  geometry: {
    type: "MultiLineString",
    coordinates: [
      [
        [-1e6, -7.5e5],
        [-1e6, 7.5e5],
      ],
      [
        [1e6, -7.5e5],
        [1e6, 7.5e5],
      ],
      [
        [-7.5e5, -1e6],
        [7.5e5, -1e6],
      ],
      [
        [-7.5e5, 1e6],
        [7.5e5, 1e6],
      ],
    ],
  },
}

```

<VectorLayerMapGeojson />


## Optimizing React and OpenLayers Integration: Strategies for Rendering Performance

**1. Addressing Rendering Performance Concerns:**

Efficient rendering is paramount in any web application, and integrating OpenLayers with React requires careful consideration of performance concerns. Here are some strategies to address rendering performance:

- **Debouncing and Throttling:** When handling events that trigger frequent updates, such as map movements or zoom changes, implement debouncing or throttling techniques. This prevents excessive re-renders and ensures that updates are processed at a controlled rate.

- **Batched State Updates:** Use React's `setState` batching mechanism to group multiple state updates into a single render cycle. This reduces the number of renders triggered by multiple state changes, resulting in a more efficient rendering process.

**2. Implementing Lazy Loading for Map Components:**

To enhance overall application performance, especially in scenarios where maps are not initially visible or are part of larger applications, consider implementing lazy loading for map components. This ensures that the OpenLayers library and associated map components are only loaded when needed.

- **Dynamic Imports:** Use dynamic imports and React's `React.lazy` to load OpenLayers and map components lazily. This approach allows you to split your code into smaller chunks that are loaded on-demand, reducing the initial page load time.

```javascript
// Example using React.lazy
const LazyLoadedMap = React.lazy(() => import('./LazyLoadedMap'));

const App = () => (
  <div>
    {/* Other components */}
    <React.Suspense fallback={<div>Loading...</div>}>
      <LazyLoadedMap />
    </React.Suspense>
  </div>
);
```

**3. Memoization Techniques Using React Hooks:** 

Memoization is a powerful technique to optimize expensive calculations and prevent unnecessary renders. React provides hooks like `useMemo` and `useCallback` for effective memoization.

**useMemo:** Use `useMemo` to memoize the result of a computation and ensure that it is only recalculated when dependencies change. This is particularly useful when dealing with derived data or complex computations within your map components.

```javascript
const expensiveData = /* some expensive computation */;

const MyMapComponent = ({ center, zoom }) => {
  const memoizedData = React.useMemo(() => expensiveData, [center, zoom]);

  // Component logic using memoizedData...
};
```

**useCallback:** When passing functions as props to child components, use `useCallback` to memoize those functions. This ensures that the same function reference is maintained across renders unless its dependencies change.

```javascript
const MyMapComponent = ({ onMapClick }) => {
  const handleClick = React.useCallback(() => {
    // Handle map click...
    onMapClick();
  }, [onMapClick]);

  // Component logic using handleClick...
};
```

These practices contribute to a more responsive and optimized integration of OpenLayers within React applications, enhancing the overall user experience.

For additional inspiration and examples, explore the [OpenLayers API Documentation](https://openlayers.org/en/latest/apidoc/ "OpenLayers API Documentation"). You can also find valuable examples specific to React and OpenLayers at [https://codesandbox.io/examples/package/react-openlayers](https://codesandbox.io/examples/package/react-openlayers).

**Resources:**
- [OpenLayers - Tutorials](https://openlayers.org/doc/tutorials/ "OpenLayers - Tutorials")

Unlock the full potential of interactive maps in your React applications by delving into the seamless integration of OpenLayers.

Mastering React and OpenLayers Integration: A Comprehensive Guide

[MapProxy](https://mapproxy.org/ "MapProxy") is a powerful open-source proxy for geospatial data that allows for efficient caching and serving of map tiles. Combining MapProxy with Docker and Nginx can provide a scalable and easily manageable solution for serving cached map tiles. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up MapProxy using Docker and configuring Nginx to serve cached tiles.

**Prerequisites:**

1. Docker installed on your system
2. Basic understanding of Docker
3. Basic understanding of Nginx

If you don't meet this prerequisites yet I recommend to have a look at the following guides first:
- [Nginx Beginner’s Guide](https://nginx.org/en/docs/beginners_guide.html "Nginx Beginner’s Guide")
- [Docker overview](https://docs.docker.com/get-started/overview/ "Docker overview")
- [Install Docker Engine](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/ "Install Docker Engine")

##  Set Up MapProxy with Docker

Start by creating a Network in Docker with:

```bash
sudo docker create network nginx
```

By adding the network nginx to the Nginx Container and the Mapproxy container the containers can communicate with each other without exposing ports on the server.

Create a Docker Compose file `docker-compose.yml` with the following content:

```docker
networks:
  default:
    external: true
    name: nginx
    
services:
  mapproxy:
    image: kartoza/mapproxy
    container_name: mapproxy
    restart: always
    environment:
      PRODUCTION: true
      PROCESSES: 4
      CHEAPER: 2
      THREADS: 8
      MULTI_MAPPROXY: true
      MULTI_MAPPROXY_DATA_DIR: /multi_mapproxy/configurations
      ALLOW_LISTING: true
    volumes:
      - /data/containers/mapproxy/data:/multi_mapproxy
```

Save the file and run:

```bash
docker-compose up -d
```

This will pull the MapProxy Docker image and start a container. MapProxy will be accessible on the container with `http://localhost:8080`.

## Set Up Nginx with Docker

Afterwards you need to create a Docker Compose file `docker-compose.yml` for Nginx. Here's a example:

```docker
version: '3'

networks:
  default:
    external: true
    name: nginx
    
services:
  nginx:
    image: nginx:latest
    container_name: nginx
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      ## Config
      - /data/containers/nginx/config/:/etc/nginx/
      ## SSL
      - /etc/letsencrypt/:/etc/letsencrypt/
      - /etc/ssl/:/etc/ssl/
      ## Logs
      - /data/containers/nginx/logs/:/var/log/nginx
      ## Cache
      - /data/containers/nginx/cache:/var/cache/nginx
```

Then you can create a virtual host for mapproxy under `/data/containers/nginx/config/sites-available/mapproxy` with:

```bash
sudo nano /data/containers/nginx/config/sites-available/mapproxy
```

Copy and paste the following virtual host configuration for your Mapproxy Container :

```nginx
upstream mapproxy_upstream {
  server mapproxy:8080;
}

server {

  server_name mapproxy.domain.com;

  listen 80;

  ## Mapproxy default
  location / {
    proxy_pass http://mapproxy_upstream/;
    proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
  }
}
```

After you created your configuration you need to create a symlink to `/data/containers/nginx/config/sites-enabled/` with:

```bash
sudo ln -S /data/containers/nginx/config/sites-available/mapproxy /data/containers/nginx/config/sites-enabled/
```

In order that your domain gets resolved you have to create a A-record for your Domain under which you want to publish MapProxy which points to your server ip.
Then you need to restart your Nginx Container and now should be able to access http://mapproxy.domain.com where you will be greeted by your MapProxy Instance.

![Screenshot_2024_01_25_154515_63e86fb113.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/Screenshot_2024_01_25_154515_63e86fb113_aed92b8f04.png)

## Step 3: Caching the Tiles with MapProxy

So far you have set up Nginx and MapProxy with Docker and MapProxy will cache by default all served tiles with the default configuration.
However there are some limitations to the MapProxy caching process because each time a tile gets requested from MapProxy, MapProxy will save the tile to it's cache. But it won't check by default if the tile is old and a newer tile could be served.

E.g. I am serving tiles from MapProxy which visualize my locations where I have ever been to. So I don't want to cache the tiles infinite because they change probably every day

But you can force MapProxy to refresh tiles from the source while serving if they are found to be expired.
The validity conditions are the same as for seeding:

```yaml
#Explanation
  # absolute as ISO time
  refresh_before:
    time: 2010-10-21T12:35:00
  # relative from the time of the tile request
  refresh_before:
    weeks: 1
    days: 7
    hours: 4
    minutes: 15
  # modification time of a given file
  refresh_before:
    mtime: path/to/file
```

So to stay at my example i added:

```yaml
refresh_before:
      days 1
```

This way MapProxy will refresh tiles everyday. This of course only makes sense for data where you want always latest data

So edit your `mapproxy.yaml` like this:

```yaml
services:
  demo:
  tms:
    use_grid_names: true
    # origin for /tiles service
    origin: 'nw'
  kml:
      use_grid_names: true
  wmts:
  wms:
    md:
      title: MapProxy WMS Proxy
      abstract: This is a minimal MapProxy example.

layers:
  - name: osm
    title: Omniscale OSM WMS - osm.omniscale.net
    sources: [osm_cache]

caches:
  osm_cache
    grids: [webmercator]
    sources: [osm_wms]
    refresh_before:
      days: 1

sources:
  osm_wms:
    type: wms
    req:
      url: https://maps.omniscale.net/v2/demo/style.default/service?
      layers: osm

grids:
    webmercator:
        base: GLOBAL_WEBMERCATOR

globals:
```

Save the file and restart your MapProxy Container.

Now MapProxy will always refresh tiles everyday.

## Step 4: Access the MapProxy Tiles

Visit `http://mapproxy.domain.com` in your browser, and you should see MapProxy serving tiles through Nginx. 

By following these steps, you've successfully set up MapProxy with Docker and configured Nginx to serve cached map tiles. This scalable solution allows for efficient geospatial data delivery with the added benefit of easy container management. Adjust the configurations based on your specific requirements and integrate this setup into your mapping projects.

If you decide to to take use of [MultiMapProxy](https://mapproxy.org/docs/nightly/deployment.html "MultiMapProxy")(scroll down to MultiMapProxy) you can just create more configuration files for MapProxy in `/data/containers/mapproxy/data/configurations` and  append the cache path and location blocks like in your existing Nginx configuration for MapProxy.

MapProxy is a powerful open-source proxy for geospatial data that allows for efficient caching and serving of map tiles. Combining MapProxy with Docker and Nginx can provide a scalable and easily manageable solution for serving cached map tiles.

 Setting Up MapProxy with Docker and Serving Cached Tiles via Nginx

In this article I will explain how you can create a basic web map with Leaflet and React by using functional components without any third party packages. So i will strongly recommend to have a look at the [Leaflet API reference](https://leafletjs.com/reference.html).

## What is Leaflet?

[Leaflet](https://leafletjs.com/ "Leaflet") stands out as a versatile and free JavaScript library, empowering developers to craft seamless Web [GIS](/articles/what-is-gis-geographic-information-system "GIS") applications. Leveraging HTML5 and CSS3, Leaflet is compatible with all major web browsers, providing a user-friendly platform for integrating raster and vector data from diverse sources.

## Exploring React and Leaflet Integration

Diving deeper into the integration of React and Leaflet components, this article explains the process of creating a web map with fundamental features:

- Basic map using OpenStreetMap.
- Visualizing data in GeoJSON format.

## Getting Started

First of all you need a react app which you can create with:

```javascript
npx create-react-app leaflet-react
cd leaflet-react
```

 and you will need to install Leaflet in your project with:
```bash
npm install leaflet
```

After you have installed the package you can import it with `import L from "leaflet"` into your App.js. The import of the leaflet.css is also important because without it the map-tiles will be misplaced.

```javascript
//App.js
import React, { useEffect } from "react"
import L from "leaflet"
import "leaflet/dist/leaflet.css"

const App = () => {
  const mapStyles = {
    width: "100%",
    height: "300px",
  }
  const layer = L.tileLayer(
    `https://{s}.tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png`,
    {
      attribution:
        '&copy; <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">OpenStreetMap</a> contributors',
    }
  )

  const mapParams = {
    center: [52, 4],
    zoom: 4,
    layers: [layer],
  }

  // This useEffect hook runs when the component is first mounted,
  // similar to componentDidMount() lifecycle method of class-based
  // components:
  useEffect(() => {
    const map = L.map("map", mapParams)
  }, [])

  return (
    <div>
      <div id="map" style={mapStyles} />
    </div>
  )
}

export default App
```

Since Leaflet doesn't support server-side rendering, the ```useEffect``` hook ensures the map rendering post-component mounting.

```javascript
useEffect(() => {
  L.map("map", mapParams);
}, []);
```

The "map" parameter is the id of the html-element in which the map will be rendered. With mapParams you can pass some basic parameters as props for the Leaflet map. These parameters can just be created in a object [Leaflet API: Map Creation](https://leafletjs.com/reference.html#map-factory):

```javascript
const mapParams = {
  center: [0, 0],
  zoom: 0,
  layers: [layer]
};
```

TileLayers with OpenStreetMap Data are created with ```L.tileLayer(url, options)``` [(Leaflet API: TileLayer)](https://leafletjs.com/reference.html#tilelayer).

```javascript
  const layer = L.tileLayer(`https://{s}.tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png`, {
        attribution: '&copy; <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">OpenStreetMap</a> contributors'
  });
```

Also some basic css in js is created for the map container which makes the map fullscreen and will be passed as style props:

```javascript
const mapStyles = {
  width: "100%",
  height: "100vh"
 };
```

In the end you just need html element in which the map will be rendered:

```javascript
 return (
      <div>
        <div id="map" style={mapStyles} />
      </div>
    )
```

<SimpleLeafletDemo/>

In case something didn't work out as expected you can just clone the following repositiory:

Github Repositiory: [https://github.com/dietrichmax/leaflet-react-functional-component](https://github.com/dietrichmax/leaflet-react-functional-component)
Live Demo: [https://dietrichmax.github.io/leaflet-react-functional-component/](https://dietrichmax.github.io/leaflet-react-functional-component/)

## Adding GeoJSON Data

To add GeoJSON the the map first of all you will need to create a GeoJSON object:

```javascript
function getGeoJson() {
  return {
    type: "GeometryCollection",
    geometries: [
      {
        type: "Polygon",
        coordinates: [
          [
            [6.000000248663241, 56.000000155530984],
            [7.000000192318055, 56.000000155530984],
            [8.000000135973096, 56.000000155530984],
            [9.000000247266257, 56.000000155530984],
            [10.000000190921071, 56.000000155530984],
            [11.000000134576112, 56.000000155530984],
            [12.000000245869273, 56.000000155530984],
            [12.000000245869273, 55.000000211876],
            [12.000000245869273, 54.00000010058284],
            [12.000000245869273, 53.00000015692797],
            [12.000000245869273, 52.00000021327298],
            [12.000000245869273, 51.00000010197982],
            [12.000000245869273, 50.00000015832478],
            [12.000000245869273, 49.00000004703179],
            [12.000000245869273, 48.000000103376806],
            [11.000000134576112, 48.000000103376806],
            [10.000000190921071, 48.000000103376806],
            [9.000000247266257, 48.000000103376806],
            [8.000000135973096, 48.000000103376806],
            [7.000000192318055, 48.000000103376806],
            [6.000000248663241, 48.000000103376806],
            [6.000000248663241, 49.00000004703179],
            [6.000000248663241, 50.00000015832478],
            [6.000000248663241, 51.00000010197982],
            [6.000000248663241, 52.00000021327298],
            [6.000000248663241, 53.00000015692797],
            [6.000000248663241, 54.00000010058284],
            [6.000000248663241, 55.000000211876],
            [6.000000248663241, 56.000000155530984],
          ],
        ],
      },
    ],
  }
}
```
The object is wrapped in a function which will return the GeoJSON. You could also fetch a GeoJSON object from somewhere else here.

Then you will need to add the GeoJSON object to the map with:
```javascript
  useEffect(() => {
    const map = L.map("map", mapParams)
    L.geoJSON(getGeoJson()).addTo(map)
  }, [])
```

And thats it! You map should look now like this:

<LeafletGeojsonDemo/>

The code for this component looks like this:

```javascript
import React, { useEffect } from "react"
import L from "leaflet"
import "leaflet/dist/leaflet.css"

const Map = () => {
  const mapStyles = {
    width: "100%",
    height: "300px",
  }
  const layer = L.tileLayer(
    `https://{s}.tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png`,
    {
      attribution:
        '&copy; <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">OpenStreetMap</a> contributors',
    }
  )

  // This useEffect hook runs when the component is first mounted,
  // similar to componentDidMount() lifecycle method of class-based
  // components:
  useEffect(() => {
    const map = L.map("map", mapParams)
    L.geoJSON(getGeoJson()).addTo(map)
  }, [])

  return (
    <div>
      <div id="map" style={mapStyles} />
    </div>
  )
}

export default Map

function getGeoJson() {
  return {
    type: "GeometryCollection",
    geometries: [
      {
        type: "Polygon",
        coordinates: [
          [
            [6.000000248663241, 56.000000155530984],
            [7.000000192318055, 56.000000155530984],
            [8.000000135973096, 56.000000155530984],
            [9.000000247266257, 56.000000155530984],
            [10.000000190921071, 56.000000155530984],
            [11.000000134576112, 56.000000155530984],
            [12.000000245869273, 56.000000155530984],
            [12.000000245869273, 55.000000211876],
            [12.000000245869273, 54.00000010058284],
            [12.000000245869273, 53.00000015692797],
            [12.000000245869273, 52.00000021327298],
            [12.000000245869273, 51.00000010197982],
            [12.000000245869273, 50.00000015832478],
            [12.000000245869273, 49.00000004703179],
            [12.000000245869273, 48.000000103376806],
            [11.000000134576112, 48.000000103376806],
            [10.000000190921071, 48.000000103376806],
            [9.000000247266257, 48.000000103376806],
            [8.000000135973096, 48.000000103376806],
            [7.000000192318055, 48.000000103376806],
            [6.000000248663241, 48.000000103376806],
            [6.000000248663241, 49.00000004703179],
            [6.000000248663241, 50.00000015832478],
            [6.000000248663241, 51.00000010197982],
            [6.000000248663241, 52.00000021327298],
            [6.000000248663241, 53.00000015692797],
            [6.000000248663241, 54.00000010058284],
            [6.000000248663241, 55.000000211876],
            [6.000000248663241, 56.000000155530984],
          ],
        ],
      },
    ],
  }
}
```

If you are curious how to add some more features like vector layers, some controls or markers have a look at the [Leaflet API Reference](https://leafletjs.com/reference.html) and much fun playing around with your Leaflet web map created with React and functional components


In this article I will explain how you can create a basic web map with Leaflet and React by using functional components without any third party packages. So i will strongly recommend to have a look at the Leaflet API reference.

Understanding Leaflet and React: A Guide to Web GIS Applications

2021-03-02 i started tracking my current location with [OwnTracks](https://owntracks.org/ "OwnTracks") and [Strapi](https://strapi.io/ "Strapi") ([How i constantly track my location and display a web-map with all the locations](/articles/constant-location-tracking-with-owntracks-strapi-and-visualizing-data-with-deckgl "How i constantly track my location and display a web-map with all the locations")) and created a [/map](/map "map with locations") which shows all the locations i have ever been to. 

Recently i reached one million datasets and unfortunately that means every user had to download about 50MB of location data before the map could be rendered. 
So i definitely needed a much faster solution and decided to render and serve server side some tiles which will be used to display the locations. 
In the end i built a tile-server following [Manually building a tile server (20.04 LTS)](https://switch2osm.org/serving-tiles/manually-building-a-tile-server-20-04-lts/ "Manually building a tile server (20.04 LTS)") with a custom Mapnik stylesheet.

In this article i want to show you how you can build your own Mapnik stylesheet for displaying any data from PostgreSQL/PostGIS.

The Mapnik stylesheet XML is not very handy but fortunately there are some tools which will help you to create one. After some research i decided to go with [TileMill](https://tilemill-project.github.io/tilemill/ "TileMill") which is an open source map design studio to design maps. It offers a simple UI and (more important) the possibility to export the created map-style as Mapnik stylesheet.

Actually i couldn't get the latest version running so i decided to go with TileMill v0.10.1 which offers anything you will need to create a stylesheet. At [https://tilemill-project.github.io/tilemill/docs/win-install/](https://tilemill-project.github.io/tilemill/docs/win-install/) you can download and install TileMill.

After you have installed TileMill you can create a new project and uncheck 'default data'. Otherwise TileMill will create some kind of basemap with a default style.

![content_tilemill_create_project_028d3d068a.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/content_tilemill_create_project_028d3d068a_f5f46bcd61.png)

Now you will have to add some data to the project. Therefore you click on the layer button and add a new layer.

![cover_tilemill_add_layer_9bfeb33806.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/cover_tilemill_add_layer_9bfeb33806_fcce2db562.png)

Switch to the **PostGIS** tab and fill out ID, Connection, Unique key field, Geometry field and SRS. It's actually pretty straight forward. 
Keep in mind that TileMill doesn't like large datasets so i would recommend you to set some extent.

In SRS you have to specify the PROJ.4 projection string. If you don't it know a look at https://epsg.io/[epsg-code] where you will replace [epsg-code] with the epsg code of your coordinate system and scroll down to PROJ.4 where you can copy the projection string. 

![proj4_2c3dab1b78.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/proj4_2c3dab1b78_f6547d0070.png)

Afterwards save the layer and the project. You won't see your data/features yet because you need to define some style for it. You can style the map with CartoCSS which is very similiar to CSS. For example i specified my layer id as locations and i am styling points so the CartoCSS properties could look like the following.

```config
#locations {
   [vel >= 0] { marker-width:6; marker-fill: #f45; marker-line-color: #813; marker-allow-overlap: true; }
   [vel >= 50] { marker-width:6; marker-fill: #f45; marker-line-color: #813; marker-allow-overlap: true; }
   [vel >= 100] { marker-width:6; marker-fill: #f45; marker-line-color: #813; marker-allow-overlap: true; }
}
```


With CartoCSS you can also dynamically style your features depending on some attribute values. For more information about CartoCSS have a look at [Styling data from TileMill](https://tilemill-project.github.io/tilemill/docs/crashcourse/styling/ "Styling data").

When you are happy with your style you can export if as Mapnik-XML and use if for example for your tile-server.

![tilemill_export_mapnik_xml_2d50702c3b.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/tilemill_export_mapnik_xml_2d50702c3b_8820136598.png)
 
At [/map](/map) you can see my current stylesheet in 'action'.
 

In this article i want to show you how you can build your own Mapnik stylesheet for displaying any data from PostgreSQL/PostGIS. The Mapnik Stylesheet XML can be used for a tile-server with your custom style.

How to create a Mapnik stylesheet for displaying any data from PostgreSQL/PostGIS

Inspired by Aaron Parecki who has been [tracking his location since 2008](https://aaronparecki.com/gps/ "location tracking") with an iPhone app ([Overland](https://overland.p3k.app/ "Overland")) and a server side tracking API ([Compass](https://github.com/aaronpk/Compass "Compass")), I decided to go for a similar approach.

I wanted to track my position constantly with my Android smartphone, save the data to a Postgres database and use the data to display an map with all locations i have ever been to.

To be able to track my position i needed an stable android app and after some tinkering around with different tracking apps I found [OwnTracks](https://owntracks.org/ "OwnTracks")  which basically has all i need (and a good [documentation](https://owntracks.org/booklet/ "OwnTracks Documentation") of it).

In this article, we will explore a step-by-step guide on how to set up a location tracking system using OwnTracks for mobile devices, Node.js for a webhook server, PostgreSQL for data storage, and GeoServer, MapProxy, and Nginx for visualizing the location data.

But first of all we need a database to be able to actually save the data.

## Set up PostgreSQL 

To install [PostgrSQL 16](https://www.postgresql.org/about/news/postgresql-16-released-2715/ "PostgreSQL 16") you will need to the repository that provides the packages.
First, update the package index and install required packages:

```bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gnupg2 wget vim
```

The PostgreSQL repository can then be added using the command:

```bash
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb https://apt.postgresql.org/pub/repos/apt $(lsb_release -cs)-pgdg main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pgdg.list'
```

Import the repository signing key:
```bash
curl -fsSL https://www.postgresql.org/media/keys/ACCC4CF8.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/postgresql.gpg
```
And update your package list:

```bash
sudo apt update
```

Afterwards you can install the latest PostgreSQL (16) version with:
```bash
sudo apt-get -y install postgresql postgresql-contrib
```

Once installed, start and enable the service:
```bash
sudo systemctl start postgresql
sudo systemctl enable postgresql
```

Now you will need a user and database for your location data.

Connect to the PostgreSQL database with:
```bash
sudo su postgres
psql
```

and create a database with:
```sql
CREATE DATABASE locations;
```

aswell a user with:
```sql
CREATE USER USER <username> with encrypted password '<password>';
```

Then you can grant privileges for your user to the database:
```bash
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE locations TO <username>;
```

After you set up your database and user you also will need a table to store the data.
The table where I save my locations can be recreated with: 

```sql
CREATE TABLE public.locations (
	id bigserial NOT NULL,
	created_at timestamptz NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
	lat float8 NULL,
	lon float8 NULL,
	acc int4 NULL,
	alt int4 NULL,
	batt int4 NULL,
	bs int4 NULL,
	cog numeric(10, 2) NULL,
	rad int4 NULL,
	t varchar(255) NULL,
	tid varchar(255) NULL,
	tst int4 NULL,
	vac int4 NULL,
	vel int4 NULL,
	p numeric(10, 2) NULL,
	conn varchar(255) NULL,
	topic varchar(255) NULL,
	inregions jsonb NULL,
	ssid varchar(255) NULL,
	bssid varchar(255) NULL,
);
```
The most important attributes are **lat** (latitude), **lon** (longitude) and **alt** (altitude) which are used to render points later on.

Also I am saving the velocity, battery level of the smartphone and some more data which will be displayed at my [/now](/now "/now") page. The velocity and altitude are quite inaccurate though which probably also depends on the smartphone.

## Create a Node.js Webhook server

You can create a node.js server to act as a webhook to receive location data from OwnTracks. With the [pg](https://www.npmjs.com/package/pg "pg") npm package you can interact with the PostgreSQL database.

```javascript
const http = require("http");
const axios = require('axios');
const { Pool} = require('pg')

const pool = new Pool({
  user: 'username',
  database: 'database',
  password: 'pw!',
  port: port,
  host: 'localhost',
})

async function insertData(body) {
  try {
    const res = await pool.query(
      "INSERT INTO locations (lat, lon, acc, alt, batt, bs, tst, vac, vel, conn, topic, inregions, ssid, bssid) VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $6, $7, $8, $9, $10, $11, $12, $13, $14)",
      [body.lat, body.lon, body.acc, body.alt, body.batt, body.bs, body.tst, body.vac, body.vel, body.conn, body.topic, body.inregions, body.ssid, body.bssid]
    );
    console.log(`Added location ${body.lat}, ${body.lon}`);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error(error)
  }
}

const server = http.createServer((request, response) => {
  let body = [];
  console.log(request.method)
  if (request.method === "POST") {
     request.on('data', (chunk) => {
      body.push(chunk);
      }).on('end', () => {
        body = JSON.parse(Buffer.concat(body).toString());
        insertData(body)
      })
  }

  response.end();
});

server.listen(9001);
```

So basically the webhook parses the request body and inserts the data via an insert statement into the postgres table. Also the server is listening on port 9001 so be sure you opened that port on your sever. The Url for Owntracks now could be **http://yourserverip:9001**.

## Setting up OwnTracks

The OwnTracks app runs in the background on your Android or iOS device and waits for the smart phone to tell it that the device has moved, whereupon OwnTracks sends out a message with its current coordinates (and a few other things we'll discuss in a moment)

With different settings for the app I could tailor the app exactly to my needs because I wanted the app to check my position every second and when i have moved more than two meters from my last known position it should send a POST-Request to my Strapi instance which will store the location data in a Postgres database.

In the following screenshot you can see the settings I am using for OwnTracks.

![content_Screenshot_Own_Tracks_settings_c7d95a33be.jpg](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/content_Screenshot_Own_Tracks_settings_c7d95a33be_4b3fcffdf5.jpg)

The most important seetings for me are the mode 
- **Significant location change mode**,
- **locatorDisplacement**,
- **locatorInterval**,
- **ignoreInaccurateLocations** and
- **url** for the POST-request.

The **significant location change mode** is a mode which will let you decide in which interval you want to track your position. I am using the **locationInterval** '1' which will track my position every second with an **LocatorDisplacement** of 1 which will check if i moved away a meter away from my last known position. If i did it will send an POST-request with the location data to the given url if the position data isn't more inaccurate than 10 meters.

Because the app has to run always in the background you probably have to switch off energy saving modes for your smartphone which might disable the background functionality. 

Be warned: You probably will have to charge your smartphone more often. Also sometimes the app has some tracking error if you are using parallel some other tracking app for example for activities like strava.

The url **http://yourserverip:9001** for the POST-request points to the nodejs server webhook which will run a insert command for the postgres database. 

Now the data will be stored in the postgres database but it still needs to be visualized somehow and therefore it needs a geometry attribute. 

## Creating a PostGIS extension

To be able to create a geometry you will need the [PostGIS](https://postgis.net/ "PostGIS") extension. You can extend your PostgreSQL database with 

```bash
sudo apt-get install postgis
sudo su postgres
psql
\c locations
CREATE EXTENSION postgis;
\q
```

Then create a view which creates a geometry based on the lat and lon attribute from the existing table. 

```sql
CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW public.locations_geom
AS SELECT id,
    lat,
    lon,
    alt,
    vel,
    st_setsrid(st_makepoint(lon, lat, alt::double precision), 4326) AS geom
   FROM locations;
```

At the moment I wrote/edited this post I have about two million datasets in the table, so fetching and rendering the data client-side would not be the best idea. This is where Geoserver takes over.

## Install and configure Geoserver

[GeoServer](https://geoserver.org/ "GeoServer") is an open source server for sharing geospatial data.

To setup GeoServer I created a stack in portainer:

```docker
version: '3'

networks:
  default:
    external: true
    name: nginx
    
services:
  geoserver:
    image: kartoza/geoserver:latest
    container_name: geoserver
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - /data/containers/geoserver:/opt/geoserver/data_dir
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      GEOSERVER_DATA_DIR: ${GEOSERVER_DATA_DIR}
      GEOSERVER_ADMIN_PASSWORD: ${GEOSERVER_ADMIN_PASSWORD}
      GEOSERVER_ADMIN_USER: ${GEOSERVER_ADMIN_USER}
      INITIAL_MEMORY: ${INITIAL_MEMORY}
      MAXIMUM_MEMORY: ${MAXIMUM_MEMORY}
      DB_BACKEND: POSTGRES               
      HOST: ${POSTGRES_HOST}                         
      POSTGRES_PORT: 5432                
      POSTGRES_DB: gwc                
      POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER}    
      POSTGRES_PASS: ${POSTGRES_PASS}               
      POSTGRES_SCHEMA: public           
      DISK_QUOTA_SIZE: 20        
```

After deploying GeoServer you can login with the default user "admin" and password "geoserver" or the credentials you assigned with environment variables.

To add a new datasource you have to click on **Stores** and **Add new store**. Then you can select PostGIS (or whatever datasource you want to use).

![Screenshot_2024_01_31_162720_b6e7885b51.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/Screenshot_2024_01_31_162720_b6e7885b51_737a7d28df.png)

Fill out host, port, database, schema, user and passwd and save your connection.
Afterwards you can select layers which you want to publish.

![Screenshot_2024_01_31_162805_b0ba171177.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/Screenshot_2024_01_31_162805_b0ba171177_75e18fdc67.png)

After you published your layer you can preview the layer at **Layer Preview**.

Now I am not using Geoserver as endpoint to serve the tiles because I have a Mapproxy instance running which will take care of transforming tiles from internal or external ressources.

## MapProxy

Setting up MapProxy is optional but in this post I will use the endpoints from MapProxy to render a web map. So if you decied to skip MapProxy you will have to adjust the wms URL's to your endpoint from GeoServer.

[MapProxy](https://mapproxy.org/ "MapProxy") is an open source proxy for geospatial data. It caches, accelerates and transforms data from existing map services and serves any desktop or web GIS client.
I have decided create a own docker image [mapproxy-docker](https://github.com/dietrichmax/mapproxy-docker " dietrichmax/mapproxy-docker") which you can setup use in a portainer stack with:

```yaml
version: '3.9'

networks:
  default:
    external: true
    name: nginx
    
services:
  mapproxy:
    image: mxdcodes/mapproxy-docker:latest
    container_name: mapproxy
    restart: always
    ports:
      - 3050:80
    volumes:
      - /mapproxy/config:/persistentConfigFolder
      - /mapproxy/cache_data:/persistentCacheFolder
```

The only thing MapProxy needs one or multiple configuration files in yaml format for each service. So set up a locations.yaml under ```/persistentConfigFolder/locations.yaml```:

```yaml
services:
  demo:
  tms:
    use_grid_names: true
    # origin for /tiles service
    origin: 'nw'
  kml:
      use_grid_names: true
  wmts:
  wms:
    md:
      title: Location Data
      abstract: For mxd.codes.

layers:
  - name: locations
    title: Locations - mxd.codes
    sources: [locations_cache]

caches:
  locations_cache:
    grids: [webmercator]
    sources: [locations_wms]

sources:
  locations_wms:
    type: wms
    req:
      url: http://geoserver:8080/geoserver/mxdcodes/wms?
      layers: locations
      transparent: true

grids:
    webmercator:
        base: GLOBAL_WEBMERCATOR

globals:
  # cache options
  cache:
    # where to store the cached images
    base_dir: '/cache_data'
    # where to store lockfiles for concurrent_requests
    lock_dir: '/cache_data/locks'
    # where to store lockfiles for tile creation
    tile_lock_dir: '/cache_data/tile_locks'
    # request x*y tiles in one step
    meta_size: [4, 4]
  # image/transformation options
  image:
    # use best resampling for vector data
    resampling_method: bilinear # nearest/bicubic/bilinear
    formats:
      image/jpeg:
        encoding_options:
          # jpeg quality [0-100]
          jpeg_quality: 80
```

Be sure to replace the sources url with the url from your GeoServer instance.

Now you should have a endpoint for your wms tiles under **http://serverurl:3050/locations/service?** which you can use to create web map on your website.

I also created each service under a seperate subdomain and setup https for it with Cloudflare but I won't go into detail here because you will find hundreds of tutorials online.

## Creating a Web Map with Leaflet and React

The end product of all this should be a simple map on my [personal website](https://mxd.codes "mxd.codes") under [/map](/map "map"). The map component looks like the following:

```javascript
import { useState, useRef, useEffect } from "react";
import "ol/ol.css";
import Map from "ol/Map";
import TileLayer from "ol/layer/Tile";
import View from "ol/View";
import WMTSTileGrid from "ol/tilegrid/WMTS.js";
import WMTS from "ol/source/WMTS.js";
import { transform, get as getProjection } from "ol/proj";
import { getTopLeft, getWidth } from "ol/extent.js";

// Define types for the props
interface LiveMapProps {
  coords?: { lat: number; lon: number }; // Optional coordinate prop
}

const LiveMap = ({ coords }: LiveMapProps) => {
  const [map, setMap] = useState<Map | null>(null); // Map state type
  const mapElement = useRef<HTMLDivElement | null>(null); // Ref to the map container element

  const projection = getProjection("EPSG:3857");
  const projectionExtent = projection.getExtent();
  const size = getWidth(projectionExtent) / 256;
  const resolutions = new Array(19);
  const matrixIds = new Array(19);

  // Populate resolutions and matrixIds
  for (let z = 0; z < 19; ++z) {
    resolutions[z] = size / Math.pow(2, z);
    matrixIds[z] = z;
  }

  const locData = new TileLayer({
    preload: Infinity,
    source: new WMTS({
      attributions:
        'Tiles &copy; <a href="https://mxd.codes/">Max Dietrich</a>',
      url: `/api/maps`,
      layer: "locations",
      matrixSet: "webmercator",
      format: "image/png",
      projection: projection,
      tileGrid: new WMTSTileGrid({
        origin: getTopLeft(projectionExtent),
        resolutions: resolutions,
        matrixIds: matrixIds,
      }),
      style: "default",
      wrapX: true,
    }),
  });

  const basemap = new TileLayer({
    preload: Infinity,
    source: new WMTS({
      attributions:
        '© <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright">OpenStreetMap</a> contributers',
      url: `/api/maps`,
      layer: "osm",
      matrixSet: "GLOBAL_MERCATOR",
      format: "image/png",
      projection: projection,
      tileGrid: new WMTSTileGrid({
        origin: getTopLeft(projectionExtent),
        resolutions: resolutions,
        matrixIds: matrixIds,
      }),
      style: "default",
      wrapX: true,
    }),
  });

  // Set center coordinates (default or from props)
  /*const center = coords
    ? transform([coords.lon, coords.lat], "EPSG:4326", "EPSG:3857")
    : [-15.439457, 28.128124]; // Default center if no coords are provided*/

  const center = [-15.439457, 28.128124]
  
  useEffect(() => {
    const map = new Map({
      target: mapElement.current!,
      layers: [basemap, locData],
      view: new View({
        center: center,
        zoom: 13,
        maxZoom: 16,
      }),
    });

    return () => map.setTarget(null);
  }, []);

  return (
    <div
      style={{ height: "100%", width: "100%" }}
      ref={mapElement}
      className="map-container"
    />
  );
};

export default LiveMap;
```

Example of the map:
![Screenshot 2025-03-31 103058.png](https://cms.mxd.codes/uploads/Screenshot_2025_03_31_103058_4b41291cd7.png)

Inspired by Aaron Parecki and who he has been tracking his location since 2008 with an iPhone app and a server side tracking API i decided to go for a similar approach.

I wanted to track my position constantly with my Android smartphone and use the data to display a map with all locations i have ever been to.

A Guide to Location Tracking and Visualization with OwnTracks, Node.js, PostgreSQL, GeoServer, MapProxy, Nginx and OpenLayers

In order to be able to work with digital maps or information ([geodata](/articles/what-are-geodata "geodata")), a [geographic information system (GIS)](/articles/what-is-gis-geographic-information-system "What is GIS?") is used. With  GIS, geodata can be recorded, edited, analyzed and displayed appropriately. There are now many good providers of geographic information systems, the two best known of which are probably QGIS (Open Source) and ArcGIS from Esri.

Now you have decided on a GIS, but the question still arises which additional GIS applications (also called industry models) are required or which are available at all. I would like to go into this further in this article.

Basically there are GIS applications for the following industries:

*	Banks
*   Education
*	Infrastructure development
*	Disaster management
*   Agriculture
*	Logistics
*	Marketing
*   Medicine
*	Telecommunications
*	Tourism
*	Crime mapping
*   Traffic
*	Insurance
*	Economic development

For each of these industries, GIS service providers offer different GIS applications and also adapt them individually to the needs of the customers.

In the following, I would like to go into more detail about a few applications, especially for municipalities (GIS).

## Tree cadastre

A tree cadastre supports municipalities and tree care companies in the collection, control and management of tree stands. Trees can be divided into groups of trees and various material data or media can also be added to the trees:

* Number, type, height, crown diameter, degree of sealing, type of soil, damage, maintenance measures carried out or checks and pictures, to name just a few.

The trend here is towards mobile solutions. This means apps that allow you to enter data into the GIS directly on a tablet using controls or maintenance measures. This data is stored online and can then be corrected or revised later in the office.

Development plans / land use plans

Development and land use plans can be easily managed and evaluated in a GIS.

Depending on the legal validity, areas of validity can be displayed in different colors, changes can be linked to the main plan, and text files, such as additions to the articles of association, can be added.

In addition, analog development plans can be prepared (scanned, georeferenced) and displayed in the GIS. This can be done with PDF or CAD files, for example.

As a result, you get a data record for each development plan, to which all associated files and changes are linked, and can present them in an appealing or clear manner.

Real estate cadastre

For example, in the case of a construction project in a certain area, all affected citizens can be identified and written to very easily by automatically creating reports using templates for writing and selecting all citizens in this area (in this area in the GIS).

## Sealing cadastre (split sewage fees)

All sealed areas of a property are determined in a sealing register. This takes place via a previously carried out aerial survey, in which high-resolution images are taken, or via digitization of satellite images.

All parcels are combined into one plot and the sealed areas of these parcels are linked to the plot. This enables municipalities to determine the split rainwater fee.

## Supply networks

### Water

Water supply networks can be managed digitally in a GIS. Hydrant plans can be created automatically, which can be very helpful, for example, for the local fire brigade in an emergency.

Repairs carried out on pipes can be stored digitally, so that you always have an overview of which pipes have already been renovated and which should be renovated in the near future.

### Sewage

Many commissions are legally obliged to keep a channel register.

A channel register is created either from analog data such as plans, which are digitized, or from a measurement that has been carried out beforehand.

In a channel cadastre, data such as posture length, depth, cable diameter material, etc. can be saved, managed and analyzed.

Large corporations now also have wastewater registers for their company premises.

### Electricity / gas / broadband / street lighting

Enables the acquisition, management and analysis of all supply networks.

### Tree and green areas

Allows the construction of a tree and green area register for further planning and maintenance of the inventory.

## Conclusion

Especially in municipalities, the importance of a geographic information system is beyond question. A lot of time is saved due to less administrative work.

The various industry models can be easily combined with each other, making work processes much more efficient.

But also in the private sector, e.g. In the real estate market, in agriculture or in archeology, the advantages of a geographic information system (GIS) are increasingly recognized and used. Mobile apps that are combined with a GIS are particularly popular.

If you want to see more applications, check out GIS-Geography. There you will find [1000 GIS Applications & Uses - How GIS Is Changing the World](https://gisgeography.com/gis-applications-uses/ "1000 GIS Applications & Uses - How GIS Is Changing the World").

In order to be able to work with digital maps or information geodata, a geographic information system is used. With GIS, geodata can be recorded, edited, analyzed and displayed appropriately.

GIS Applications - Which GIS Applications are there?

## What is OpenLayers?

[OpenLayers](https://openlayers.org/) is a JavaScript library that makes it relatively easy to visualize geodata in web applications (Web-GIS).

OpenLayers is a programming interface that allows client-side development independent of the server. Map tiles, vector data and markers from various data sources can be displayed.

Open Layers was developed to promote the use of [geodata](/en/gis/geodata-what-are-geodata "What are geodata?") Of all kinds. OpenLayers is also free, open-source and is published under "2-clause BSD License".

To be able to create a map with OpenLayers, all you need is a basic general knowledge of programming languages. The missing pieces of the puzzle can be found very easily using the detailed documentation on OpenLayers.

## Create HTML file

First of all, an HTML file is required as the basic framework. The basic structure usually looks like this:

```html
    <html>
      <head>
        <title>OpenLayers Demo</title>
      </head>
      <body>
      </body>
    </html>
```

You can now copy this code and paste it into a file that you name, for example, "jsmap.html".

_If you want to learn more about HTML, you can find a few useful tutorials on [w3schools](https://www.w3schools.com/html/)._

## Insert OpenLayers Javascript library

Now the OpenLayers Javascript is integrated into the HTML. You copy for that

```html
    <script src="http://www.openlayers.org/api/OpenLayers.js"></script>
```

between `<title>` and `<head>`. You can do that right away

```javascript
function init() {
  map = new OpenLayers.Map("basicMap"); //create a new map
  var mapnik = new OpenLayers.Layer.OSM(); //add an OpenStreetMap layer to have some data in the mapview
  map.addLayer(mapnik); //add the OSM layer to the map

  var markers = new OpenLayers.Layer.Markers( "Markers" ); //add a layer where markers can be put
  map.addLayer(markers); //add the markers layer to the current map

  var lonLat = new OpenLayers.LonLat( 13.0 ,47.8 ) //define a new location with these coordinates in WGS84
    .transform(  //transform the location to the coordinate system of our OpenLayers map
      new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:4326"), // transform from WGS 1984
      map.getProjectionObject() // to Spherical Mercator Projection
    );
  markers.addMarker(new OpenLayers.Marker(lonLat)); //add the newly created marker to the markers layer

  map.setCenter(lonLat, 15); // Use maker to center the map above and set zoom level to 15
}
```

also included in script tags. Here a function with the name init is created, the

* which creates the map and inserts it in the element "basicMap"
* created a layer with [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=6/51.330/10.453) data and added it to the map
* creates a layer for markers and also adds this to the map
* Defined a marker in WGS84 and then transformed it from WGS1984 to Spherical Mercator Projection
* add this marker to the map
* and finally centered the map on this marker and set a zoom level.

Now this function must also be loaded and the card placed. For that you are replacing now

```html
  <body>
  </body>
```

with

```html
    <body onload="init();">
        <div style="width: 100%; height: 60%;" id="basicMap"></div>
    </body>
```

With `javascript onload =" init (); `the function is executed when loading the HTML file and inserted via the id` id = "basicMap" `.

Your complete file should now look like this:

```html
    <html>
      <head>
        <title>OpenLayers Demo</title>
        <script src="http://www.openlayers.org/api/OpenLayers.js"></script>
        <script>
          function init() {
            map = new OpenLayers.Map("basicMap"); //create a new map
            var mapnik = new OpenLayers.Layer.OSM(); //add an OpenStreetMap layer to have some data in the mapview
            map.addLayer(mapnik); //add the OSM layer to the map

            var markers = new OpenLayers.Layer.Markers( "Markers" ); //add a layer where markers can be put
            map.addLayer(markers); //add the markers layer to the current map

            var lonLat = new OpenLayers.LonLat( 13.0 ,47.8 ) //define a new location with these coordinates in WGS84
              .transform(  //transform the location to the coordinate system of our OpenLayers map
                new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:4326"), // transform from WGS 1984
                map.getProjectionObject() // to Spherical Mercator Projection
              );
            markers.addMarker(new OpenLayers.Marker(lonLat)); //add the newly created marker to the markers layer

            map.setCenter(lonLat, 15); // Use maker to center the map above and set zoom level to 15
          }
        </script>
      </head>
      <body onload="init();">
        <div style="width: 100%; height: 60%;" id="basicMap"></div>
      </body>
    </html>
```

If you save the file and open it, you will end up in the browser of your choice and your Javascript web map will be displayed with OpenLayers.

If you now want to change the position of the marker, all you have to do is change the coordinates.

## Create markers with a 'for .. of ..' loop

Normally, you often want to display several points and not just one on the map.
In theory you could

```javascript
  var lonLat = new OpenLayers.LonLat( 13.0 ,47.8 ) //define a new location with these coordinates in WGS84
    .transform(  //transform the location to the coordinate system of our OpenLayers map
      new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:4326"), // transform from WGS 1984
      map.getProjectionObject() // to Spherical Mercator Projection
    );
    markers.addMarker(new OpenLayers.Marker(lonLat)); //add the newly created marker to the markers layer
```

now copy for each additional marker you want to create and simply change the coordinates. But since the whole thing becomes relatively confusing, we will solve it differently.

First, we create an array of arrays.

```javascript
  var poi = [ // create array with point of interests
    [ 11.557617 ,48.092757 ],
    [ 8.558350, 50.028917 ],
    [ 6.701660, 51.289406 ],
    [ 13.337402, 52.496160 ]
  ];
```

All coordinates for the markers to be displayed are now stored in this array. Now we create a function that can be called to create markers and add them to the map.

```javascript
function createmarker (lon,lat) {
  var feature = new OpenLayers.LonLat( lon, lat ) // create features (locations) out of arrays in points
    .transform(  //transform the location to the coordinate system of our OpenLayers map
      new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:4326"), // transform from WGS 1984
      map.getProjectionObject() // to Spherical Mercator Projection
    );
    markers.addMarker(new OpenLayers.Marker(feature)); // Add new features to markers layer
}	
```

This function should now be carried out for each pair of coordinates in the "poi" array. This can be solved with a "for .. of" loop.

```javascript
for (var x of poi) { // for each array(object) in array 
  createmarker (x[0],x[1]) // create markers
}
```

In this loop, a marker is now created for each coordinate pair in the array, transformed and added to the map. The "poi" array can now be expanded as required and the additional markers are automatically added to the map.

## Add markers via UI

In order to make the whole thing more user-friendly and not having to change the code manually every time, we are now creating a simple user interface to add additional markers.

The new coordinates should be entered via two input fields and created with a confirmation on a button.

The HTML framework can look like this and should be placed somewhere in the "body" area:

```html
    <div class="add_markers">
    	<div class="input_markers">	
    	  Add new markers with coordinates in WGS84!
    		<div class="row">
    			<div class="col-25">
    				<label for="lat">Latitude:</label>
    			</div>
    			<div class="col-75">
    				<input type="text" id="lat" name="firstname" placeholder="48.060614">
    			</div>
    		</div>
    		<div class="row">
    			<div class="col-25">
    				<label for="lon">Longitude:</label>
    			</div>
    			<div class="col-75">
    				<input type="text" id="lon" name="lastname" placeholder="12.190876">
    			</div>
    		</div>
    		<button id="add_marker" class="button">Add marker!</button>
    		<div id="poi_added" class="poi_added"></div>
    	</div>
    </div>
    </div>
```

The most important here are the ids via which the values of the fields are later adopted.

To create these markers we use a function that is called every time the button "Add Marker!" is clicked.

The complete function looks like this:

```javascript
function addFeature() {
  var lat = parseFloat(document.getElementById("lat").value); // get value of input lat and parse to float
  var lon = parseFloat(document.getElementById("lon").value); // get value of input lon and parse to float

  var newFeature = [ lon, lat ] // create array "newFeature" with lon , lat
  poi.push(newFeature) // add NewFeature to array "poi"

  createmarker (lon,lat) // create marker for input lat, lon  
  document.getElementById('poi_added').innerHTML = "Added marker for " + "latitude: " + lat + "; longitude: " + lon; // visual feedback for added marker
}
```

```javascript
    var lat = parseFloat(document.getElementById("lat").value); // get value of input lat and parse to float
    var lon = parseFloat(document.getElementById("lon").value);
```

Are references to the elements with the ID "lat" and "lon", ie the two input fields. Here the two variables "lat" and "lon" are created, to which the value from the input fields is assigned.

Then they are merged into an array, since a marker always consists of two coordinates and is added to the "poi" array.

```javascript
    var newFeature = [ lon, lat ] // create array "newFeature" with lon , lat
    poi.push(newFeature) // add NewFeature to array "poi"
```

Adding it to the "poi" array is not functionally necessary, but it can be useful if, for example, you want to create popovers that show the coordinates of each marker.

The coordinates are now saved in "lat" and "lon" and they only have to be transferred to the previously created function "createmarker", which creates the markers and adds them to the map.

```javascript
    createmarker (lon,lat) // create marker for input lat, lon  
```

It would be nice if the user received feedback about what happened after clicking the button. This can be done with

```javascript
    document.getElementById('poi_added').innerHTML = "Added marker for " + "latitude: " + lat + "; longitude: " + lon; // visual feedback for added marker
```

The last thing that is missing is that the function is executed with a click on the button.

```javascript
    document.getElementById('add_marker').addEventListener('click', addFeature); // execute function "addFeature" when button with id "add_marjer" is clicked
```

As soon as the button with the id "add_marker" is clicked, the "addFeature" function is now executed.

With

```javascript
    var extent = map.zoomToExtent(markers.getDataExtent()); // get extent of markers layer
```

the extent of the "markers" layer is determined, zoomed onto it and assigned to the variable extent.

If you now save and open your file again, you should see your map with all markers and be able to add additional markers via a graphical user interface.


```html
    <html>
      <head>
        <title>OpenLayers Demo</title>
        <script src="http://www.openlayers.org/api/OpenLayers.js"></script>
        <script>
    		function init() {
    			map = new OpenLayers.Map("basicMap"); //create a new map
    			var mapnik = new OpenLayers.Layer.OSM(); //add an OpenStreetMap layer to have some data in the mapview
    			map.addLayer(mapnik); //add the OSM layer to the map

    			var markers = new OpenLayers.Layer.Markers( "Markers" ); //add a layer where markers can be put
    			map.addLayer(markers); //add the markers layer to the current map

    			function createmarker (lon,lat) {
    				var feature = new OpenLayers.LonLat( lon, lat ) // create features (locations) out of arrays in points
    						.transform(  //transform the location to the coordinate system of our OpenLayers map
    							new OpenLayers.Projection("EPSG:4326"), // transform from WGS 1984
    							map.getProjectionObject() // to Spherical Mercator Projection
    						);
    				markers.addMarker(new OpenLayers.Marker(feature)); // Add new features to markers layer
    			}	

    			var poi = [ // create array with point of interests
    			[ 11.557617 ,48.092757 ],
    			[ 8.558350, 50.028917 ],
    			[ 6.701660, 51.289406 ],
    			[ 13.337402, 52.496160 ]
          ];

    			for (var x of poi) { // for each array(object) in array 
    				createmarker (x[0],x[1]) // create markers
    			}

    			var extent = map.zoomToExtent(markers.getDataExtent()); // get extent of markers layer

    			function addFeature() {
    			  var lat = parseFloat(document.getElementById("lat").value); // get value of input lat and parse to float
    			  var lon = parseFloat(document.getElementById("lon").value); // get value of input lon and parse to float

    			  var newFeature = [ lon, lat ] // create array "newFeature" with lon , lat
    			  poi.push(newFeature) // add NewFeature to array "poi"

    			  createmarker (lon,lat) // create marker for input lat, lon  
    			  document.getElementById('poi_added').innerHTML = "Added marker for " + "latitude: " + lat + "; longitude: " + lon; // visual feedback for added marker
    			}

    			document.getElementById('add_marker').addEventListener('click', addFeature); // execute function "addFeature" when button with id "add_marjer" is clicked
    		}

    		//  popover coordinates markers 
        </script> 
    	<style>
      /*dein style*/
    	</style>
      </head>
      <body onload="init();">
    	<div id="wrapper"  >
    		<div style="width: 100%; height: 80%" id="basicMap"></div>
    			<div class="add_markers">
    				<div class="input_markers">	
    					Add new markers with coordinates in WGS84!
    					<div class="row">
    						<div class="col-25">
    							<label for="lat">Latitude:</label>
    						</div>
    						<div class="col-75">
    							<input type="text" id="lat" name="firstname" placeholder="48.060614">
    						</div>
    					</div>
    					<div class="row">
    						<div class="col-25">
    							<label for="lon">Longitude:</label>
    						</div>
    						<div class="col-75">
    							<input type="text" id="lon" name="lastname" placeholder="12.190876">
    						</div>
    					</div>
    					<button id="add_marker" class="button">Add marker!</button>
    					<div id="poi_added" class="poi_added"></div>
    					</div>
    				</div>
    			</div>
    		</div>
    	</div>
      </body>
    </html>
```

OpenLayers is a JavaScript library which allows you to visualize easily geodata in web applications (Web GIS).