What is web GIS and who needs it?

For decades, a geographic information system (GIS) was a specialist's tool: powerful software on a single workstation, with data accessible only to whoever knew where it lived and how to open it. Web GIS flips that model — the map and the data live on a server, and all a user needs is a browser and a link.

What does web GIS actually do?

At its core, web GIS combines three things: displaying spatial data on an interactive map, searching and filtering that data, and sharing it with the people who need it — colleagues, clients or the public. Basemaps such as the cadastre, orthophoto or spatial plans arrive through standard services (WMS/WFS), and your own layers sit on top: locations, networks, areas, measurements.

More advanced applications go beyond viewing: editing data directly on the map, user roles and permissions, and workflows such as report generation or field planning.

Who benefits?

Public administration, because citizens and investors get access to spatial plans without visiting an office — the geoportal model used by county planning institutes. Utility and field-service companies, because hundreds of locations, deadlines and crews can no longer be tracked in spreadsheets. And anyone making decisions about space: where to open a branch, where to route a line, which parcels fall within a zone.

What does adoption look like?

The good news: you don't start from zero. A large share of basemaps in Croatia is already publicly available through services of the State Geodetic Administration and other institutions, and open-source tools like GeoServer and OpenLayers keep licence costs at zero. A typical project starts with a list of the data you have and the questions a map should answer — and getting from there to a first version in the browser often takes less time than expected.

Thinking about web GIS for your organisation? Get in touch — we're happy to walk through your case.