MapStore 2024.01 Series of releases

Dear Reader,

We are pleased to announce the new series 2024.01 of MapStore, our flagship Open Source WebGIS product. In Github it is possible to consult the full list of new features, enhancements and fixes we have provided within the 2024.01 series: 2024.01.00, 2024.01.01 and 2024.01.02  just released.

We want to thank everyone who contributed to all new features and improvements that are included in this series 2024.01, primarily the Municipality of Genoa, the Municipality of Florence, Dubai Municipality, Total Energy, Politecnico of Turin, Vlaanderen and, last but not the least, the Austrocontrol Austrian airspace control (the full list is available at v2024.01.00 release page 🙂 ).

The main focus of these series was to implement a large number of improvements and new features for MapStore widgets, TOC, the 3D support, Attribute Table and many more. Let’s now take a look together at the most relevant ones.

New Table of Contents

The MapStore TOC has been completely redesigned with many new functionalities and enhancements on existing capabilities resulting in a overall UI/UX improvement for MapStore users:

• Many new options available
• Simplified TOC with the new Legend mode
• Mutually exclusive groups and many other functions are now a reality in the MapStore TOC
• Toolbar improved to better manage tools and TOC actions
• A new contextual menu makes the UX improved a lot for MapStore users

New MapStore Table of Content

New Annotations

The Annotations tool has been also completely redesigned with an improved and new UI/UX including many enriched and new functionalities for 3D such as:

• Editing of 3D vector features
• Improved UI and editing aspects in general to provide a better user experience with more refined and user friendly controls
• Advanced styling including also 3D models symbolizers
• Better interoperability with other GIS applications with the improved import/export functions and many many more

New MapStore Annotations tool

New on MapStore Widgets

Charts widgets for both Viewer and Dashboards have been heavily enhanced and upgraded to support multivariable charts types and many new options for configuring, formatting and styling charts. It is now possible to configure different Traces (charts) for different dataset (layers) in a single widget having available at the same time many new options for managing the final aspect of your chart in therm of: axes management, styling, formatting, classification, layout and many more.

Multi-Variable charts for MapStore widgets

3D Geodesic length measurement

With the aim to further improve the MapStore 3D capabilities, it is finally possible also in 3D mode to have a new measurement type for the geodesic distance calculated at the absolute zero of the WGS84 ellipsoid.

3D geodesic length

Extruded features

Starting with v2024.01.00 MapStore provides the ability to extrude features on 3D based on a feature property or a fixed value within the Visual Style Editor. Many other improvements have been also included in this series to:

• Provide classification capabilities also to WFS and vector layers added to the map
• Provide the ability to use feature attributes as value for styling properties

Extruded features in 3D mode

IFC and Gltf 3D models support

The evolution of 3D functionalities is not stopped at all. Indeed, starting from MapStore v2024.01.00 there is the support for IFCs 3D models format as a new layer/source type. Basic layer functionalities are supported also for this new layer type as well as specific positioning controls provided to finely place the model layer in the desired position in the map such as: Lat, Lon Heading. Furthermore, the Visual Style Editor has been improved to better handle 3D model rules to be able to finely tune the GLTF position by given x/y.

Support for IFC as a further 3D model

New on Attribute Table and Layer Filter

Starting with v2024.01.00, the layer filtering support in MapStore also features some interesting and useful new functionalities aimed at better managing temporal filters. Filtering capabilities for Date/Time fields in Layer Filter tool have been enriched with a new support for quick date/time ranges selection and the Attribute Table has been also improved in that sense with a consistent UI/UX enhancement for quick filters management:

• Ability to select quick date/time ranges in Layer Filter tool
• Added date/time range filtering capabilities for Attribute Table quick filter
• Provided the operator selector for quick filters in Attribute Table to improve the user experience and the usability

Enhanced filtering capabilities for Date/Time fields in Attribute Table and Layer Filter tools.

New on Search tool

The Search tool has been enhanced providing the ability to select the desired search service to perform searches. Therefore, it is now possible to also selectively perform searches per single search service available:

• Choose the preferred search service from those configured for your search
• Use the new search function to search by coordinate in the map’s CRS (not only in WGS84)

MapStore search tool and its new features

Longitudinal Profile tool

Further enhancements have been provided also for this tool including additional export capabilities for other formats such as GeoJson and DXF.

Longitudinal Profile tool

GeoProcessing tool

The geo processing capabilities have been enriched so that it is now possible to use vector layers coming from measurements, annotations or  imported vector files to perform supported geo processes. Some hardening has been also provided in 2024.01 series for the overall tool functionalities where a better error handling is now available as well as an improved user notification system.

GeoProcessing Tool

Dependency updates and security improvements

With the 2024.01 series, an important step was also taken. Many dependency and security updates have been provided across different back-end modules including the printing one, where consistent security updates are now there with a consequent increase of the minimum Java version requested to 11 when that module is installed in MapStore (see the list of minimum and recommended requirements in the online documentation).

Schema of dependency updates and security improvements made on MapStore

Ongoing and future work

For the next releases we are working on the following functionalities (in sparse order):

Improving the interoperability with ArcGIS servers: WMS endpoints and REST APIs

ArcGIS interoperability

Enhancing the pluggability of Street View tool including the Mapillary viewer for custom 360 imagery 

Street View with Mapillary provider

Support to identify responses in HTML format for WFS layers. This will work on top of the gs-wfs-freemarker-plugin community module (requires GeoServer)

Identify for WFS layers in HTML format

Support for interactive legend functionalities. In case of classified style it will be possible to select each style rule to filter the layer in map accordingly. This will work on top of GetLegendGraphic in JSON format (requires GeoServer)

MapStore interactive legend

Improving the OpenID Connect (OIDC) support with a new client to enhance and generalize the existing support. The integration with other providers like Microsoft Azure AD will be also available

New OIDC support in MapStore

Further performance improvements in loading script bundles and general cleanup of bundles from deprecations and superfluous dependencies. Lightening the bundle and lazily loading chunks will be the main goal!

MapStore bundle improvement

Many more functionalities will land in 2024.02.00 so, so stay tuned!

If you are interested in learning more about how we can help you develop a WebGIS using MapStore or help you achieve your needs with MapStore, GeoServer, GeoNode and GeoNetwork through our Enterprise Support Services, Professional Training Services and Subscription Services  please contact us!

The GeoSolutions team,