Visualization of Geographic Data in ASP.NET

Abstract: This paper explores the development and implementation of an in-browser map with the purpose of visualizing large sets of geographic data. The map is implemented into a pre-existing search engine of geographic data. Two mapping frameworks are compared in terms of performance, ease-of-use, and functionality. These frameworks are Leaflet and Google Maps. This paper also explores which issues may arise when implementing these mapping frameworks within a pre-existing ASP.NET project. These aspects were evaluated through performance tests, documentation reading, and compiling experiences gained through implementing the map within the search engine. The experiments show that both Leaflet and Google Maps are viable frameworks to use when developing in-browser maps, but also that they have their pros and cons. Google Maps sports a generally higher level of performance, and a larger set of paid available services. Leaflet is a free, open-source alternative with a large plugin repository, but relies on third-party services for features such as geocoding.