Geographic information and Drupal

When you hear about Geography on the web, you're likely to think of Google Maps. It's useful to see addresses, directions and other information in this format, but that's just one way to make use of the wealth of geographic information out there. Drupal has had mapping support for a long time, but recent work has allowed us to take it all a step further.

In this week's presentation, I will describe some of the projects we have been working on to support the management and analysis of Geographic information in Drupal. With these tools, you can:

• Add CCK fields containing a variety of geographic formats including points, but also including complex information such as lines and areas.
• Populate your data by geocoding an address, clicking on a map, or even uploading a file!
• Import data from publicly-available sources such as the census or the DNR
• Search your data using the all-powerful Views module, to narrow down your results by geographic relevance.
• Present information in a variety of formats, including - of course - maps!

I'm hoping to speak with people of all skill levels here. I'll go over some definitions so you don't need to be a GIS expert, but I'd also enjoy input from other folks in town who have experience with this arena.