Posted by itserich on February 3, 2011 at 3:10pm
We have a lost and found web site, for pets.
I would like to allow people to add sightings to a map.
I found a site http://ScribbleMaps.com which has a neat drag and drop OR address entry option.
It also has a simple way to remove points.
I am wondering how people are allowing public users to add and remove reported locations.
Comments
The Open Layers module has
The Open Layers module has enough functionality to allow users to add and remove locations from a map. I would suggest you start out by reading the Open Layers documentation which is under "Resources" in the right hand column of the Open Layers project page -> http://drupal.org/project/openlayers
Note, you will need to be comfortable with the concepts of node types, CCK, Views, and Drupal Permissions to get this working. If you need help with those concepts you can read the Drupal.org Handbook http://drupal.org/documentation, look for support from the community http://drupal.org/community, read one of the many books out now on these concepts, or hire someone to do this for you http://groups.drupal.org/jobs.
Thanks, yes, OL can do
Thanks, yes, OL can do it.
The problem is primarily the user interface, even with OL Geocoder. Asking people to enter "street, city and state" yields surprsingly incomprehensible (to the geocoder) results.
A "submit" button like Google Maps "Search Maps" could help, and exists with Google Maps Tools module. http://drupal.org/project/gmaps
OL Geocoder does have a drag and point option.
The difficulty is not the capability of the mapping modules to add and remove locations, it is the user interface and user understanding.
Sometimes it is a bit like a Mr Magoo cartoon. http://routingbyrumor.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/magoo.jpg?w=500
"Submitting and Removing nodes on a single map" -> Open Layers
I agree. "Submitting and Removing nodes on a single map" is something I would love to have time/funding to do. I started working on simple point and click UI enhancements with my patch to allow users to point to where they would like the center of their proximity search to be http://drupal.org/node/937206#comment-3555484/
I've created a feature request in the Open Layers issue queue to spur discussion around how this might be accomplished: http://drupal.org/node/1050158
*Clarification: I agree the
*Clarification: I agree the UI needs work to be intuitive for the 80% of end users (maybe more) who are not used to how to use what Open Layers currently gives us. But I do think that improving "Submitting and Removing nodes on a single map" is a good place to start :).
Any other suggestions?
Thanks rjstatic. As to adding
Thanks rjstatic.
As to adding points on a map, OL Geocoder allows a drag and drop for simple points, I think. I could not figure out how to delete points added that way (I read in an issue queue that it is related to the letter "d" not delete button).
So not sure whether this is an OL issue or OL Geocoder issue. I get the issues for them confused.
Here is one issue started in OL Geocoder for a submit button. http://drupal.org/node/1002092
I can think of a few ways that adding a node to a map by drag and drop might work.
For the general public, the best interface I have found is http://scribblemaps.com
It is still a messy interface, but relatively intuitive. It combines input by drag and drop or by street address on the same input page.
If the toolbar could / can be configured, all the options which are not needed could be removed and it would be more user friendly.