Please consider adding a “web mapping” category

I was wondering if the admins of discourse.wicg.io would consider adding a “web mapping” discussion category. The reason I ask is because I intend to invite the members of the OpenStreetMap, Leaflet, OpenLayers, and D3 projects (among others) to comment on the Use Cases and Requirements for Standardizing Web Maps document, and I think it would be great to not have that discussion on an email list, which seems to put many people off nowadays.

I think this could have multiple benefits, with hopefully limited impact on the discourse instance:

First, it will invite prominent member projects of the Web mapping community to participate in an open and serious discussion of the relationship of mapping tech with the world of Web standards.

A possible result of such discussion, should it actually take place, would be to expose interested members of the Web standards community to the views of the various Web mapping communities, not only about that document but also about Web tech in general. There are many brilliant minds involved in Web mapping, and it would be great to have their contributions to the Web platform to help build the platform somehow. I guess I’m referring to the “virtuous cycle” cited in the Extensible Web Manifesto.

Secondly, it will help the efforts of the Maps For HTML Community Group, as well as other spatial data/ web mapping interest groups, community or otherwise, to bring spatial information to the mainstream Web, because as I see it, people who understand and value Web technology and architecture seem to hang out here, and it would be ideal to have their influence and ideas rub off on the spatial Web community, if even in a small way.

Finally, by creating a venue for “web mapping” on discourse.wicg.io, the WICG could signal a welcome to those communities without unduly overloading the HTML or other category.

Cheers, and thanks, Peter Rushforth

Sure. Created one

There’s an automatic post generated that would probably benefit from a few words about the category. Can you write something up?

yep. Off to a meeting but will do so forthwith! Thanks!

Here is what I’ve come up with. It’s possibly too much, but I tried to go by the suggestions in the automatic post.

The proposed 200-character banner for the top of the forum topics page is (italics only ):

Discussion of mapping-related Web standards. The Web is the modern printing press and Web maps depend on Web standards for existence. How can each influence the other towards an open standard map-friendly future?

And the expanded category description might be:

This forum is dedicated to constructive civil discussion of Web standards. Many professional Web standards developers participate here, and may be willing to offer constructive feedback on ideas posted here.

The Web mapping forum category is for discussion of Web standards as they relate to mapping and spatial data integration in the Web platform. The focus of posts to the Web mapping category should in general be the application of Web standards to maps and spatial data, or proposals for the development of new or extended Web standards in support of mapping and spatial data on the Web. Improving the accessibility of map information is of particular interest.

There are other topic categories for specific areas, such as JavaScript, APIs, SVG and HTML, among others. The Web mapping category is intended to encourage discussion of mapping and spatial data-related Web standards in a way which allows the Web standards and Web mapping communities to intersect in a productive environment, allowing the demands of Web mapping to influence the evolution of Web standards, and conversely, encouraging Web standards to influence the evolution of spatial data on the Web.

Please feel free to post, but if you do, please consider the following:

• have you read the forum rules / etiquette?
• how does your topic relate to Web standards?
• is your topic related to Web maps or spatial data on the Web?
• has your topic been covered before in another topic. If so, consider linking to it and discussing the relationship to that topic.

All set: https://discourse.wicg.io/c/web-mapping

Formidable! Merci beaucoup!