A Comprehensive Geospatial Platform for Data Management and Visualization

Piergiorgio December 12, 2025 Geospatial Platform

GeospatialDashboardWordPressPostGISVisualizationData ManagementGISOpen SourceSpatial Analysis

geoDashboard is an advanced geospatial web platform designed to provide a flexible and customizable solution for visualizing and analyzing spatial data. Built as a WordPress template, geoDashboard combines the power of a robust backend with a user-friendly interface, making it an ideal choice for managing and presenting geospatial information.

The platform utilizes WordPress as its foundation and relies on a Postgres database with PostGIS extension for advanced geospatial capabilities. It offers a comprehensive set of tools for data visualization, spatial analysis, and custom module development.

Project Overview

It can be defined as a comprehensive geospatial platform that combines elements of software, tools, and cloud-based infrastructure. It is designed to provide a structured framework for managing and visualizing geospatial data, offering a range of functionalities and capabilities to users.

Architecture and Technology Stack

The system is built on a robust stack combining the WordPress CMS with powerful geospatial databases and libraries.

WordPress Foundation

geoDashboard utilizes WordPress as its foundation, leveraging its built-in security features, file organization guidelines, and extensive function collection. The WordPress dashboard handles user authentication and session management, ensuring secure logins and logouts.

Theme and Child Theme

The geoDashboard theme is based on a custom child theme called Underscore, which serves as a simple starting point. The theme provides the core design and layout of the geoDashboard, offering a consistent user experience. Customization options are available within the child theme, allowing for personalized branding and visual enhancements.

Pages and Sub-Pages

geoDashboard primarily utilizes pages instead of posts, offering greater flexibility in content organization. Pages are created dynamically using PHP functions, enabling the enable/disable functionality for various features such as maps, wiki pages, cards, and UI tools. Each sub-page has a unique HTML template and can be accessed using WordPress’ query_vars.

Database and Settings

geoDashboard relies on a Postgres database to store the platform’s settings and system tables. The main database houses geospatial data from various sources, providing a centralized repository for spatial information. The tb_map table within the database stores the settings and configurations for each sub-page.

JavaScript Libraries and Customizations

The HTML templates for main pages and sub-pages load JavaScript files, serving two distinct purposes. Generic JavaScript files contain widely-used functions and utilities that enhance the platform’s capabilities. Customized JavaScript files cater to specific requirements, adding features such as interactive buttons or complex geospatial visualizations.

Plugin and API Services

geoDashboard incorporates a custom plugin that serves as an API, providing essential database functions such as SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, CREATE, and DELETE. The plugin offers various data manipulation functions and supports PHP libraries for generating PDFs, Excel files, and integrating with Twitter APIs.

SEO Optimization and Analytics Integration

HTML templates within geoDashboard include metadata and rich snippets optimized for search engine optimization (SEO). The platform integrates with Google Analytics, enabling comprehensive tracking of page views, sub-page activity, and sub-item interactions. Through Google Tag Manager, specific events can be tracked and analyzed in custom reports.

Key Features and Benefits

geoDashboard offers a wide range of capabilities and benefits for organizations managing spatial data.

Key Features

Data Visualization: Powerful tools for visualizing spatial data in maps, charts, and graphs. Spatial Analysis: Complex spatial analyses including buffering, distance, and clustering. User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive web-based interface accessible from any device. Customizable Modules: Can be used as a backend to create custom modules and applications. Open Source: Users can access and modify the code to suit their own requirements. Real-Time Data: Configurable to display real-time data. Collaboration: Supports collaboration between users for sharing data and insights.

Benefits

Improved Data Visualization: Helps users better understand data and make informed decisions. Spatial Analysis: Identifies patterns and relationships in data. Real-time Data Monitoring: Useful for situations requiring quick action. Customization: Highly customizable to suit specific needs. Collaboration: Improves communication and facilitates better decision-making. Accessibility: Web-based platform accessible from anywhere.

Geospatial Analysis Capabilities

The platform integrates advanced tools for server-side and client-side geospatial processing.

PostGIS

PostGIS is a powerful extension for PostgreSQL that adds support for advanced geospatial capabilities. It enables the storage, indexing, and querying of geospatial data within a relational database. It provides a rich set of geospatial functions and operators for performing spatial operations such as distance calculations, intersection, and buffering.

TurfJS

TurfJS is a popular open-source JavaScript library that provides a wide range of geospatial functions and algorithms. It is designed to run in web browsers, enabling client-side geospatial processing. It offers a comprehensive set of spatial analysis functions that can be used for tasks like buffering, intersecting, measuring distances, and finding nearest points.

Common Use Cases

Site selection analysis: Identify optimal locations based on proximity factors. Asset tracking: Track location and status of assets in real time. Customer segmentation: Segment customer base by geographic area. Emergency response: Track first responders and identify high-risk areas. Environmental analysis: Monitor changes in land use or vegetation cover. Urban planning: Assess impact of developments on traffic and environment. Risk assessment: Identify areas of high risk from natural hazards.

Getting Started

Guide to system requirements and installation of geoDashboard.

System Requirements

Apache, Php, Postgres, PostGIS, pgRouting, Mysql, Geoserver.

Installation

In order to use this app you can either: 1. Install Wordpress 2. Overwrite wp-content folder with this repository /trunk/wp-content 3. Rename original wp-config.php file in wp-config-original.php 4. Copy in root the files in /trunk/: env-h3.php, wp-config-extends.php, wp-config.php

Custom Development and Extensibility

geoDashboard is a powerful backend system built on WordPress that enables users to manage access levels and store geographic data in a PostGIS database. The platform provides a range of capabilities, including responding to POST requests and providing geojson output.

It is particularly well-suited for users who need to work with spatial data and want a powerful, user-friendly solution that can be customized to meet their specific needs. Users can create new modules using Javascript, jQuery, or React, leveraging the platform's API to access data and functionality.

Creating a New Module

1. Determine the requirements: Identify data, functionality, and design needs. 2. Understand the geoDashboard API: Familiarize with endpoints and responses. 3. Choose a front-end framework: JavaScript, jQuery, or React. 4. Develop the module: Integrate with the API and implement functionality. 5. Test and debug: Ensure it functions as expected. 6. Integrate with geoDashboard: Make it accessible through the platform.

Building a Thematic Map Module

1. Determine the data you want to display. 2. Create a basic web page with a map container. 3. Load the map using Leaflet or OpenLayers. 4. Load the data using AJAX from geoDashboard (GeoJSON). 5. Style the data using libraries like Leaflet.Choropleth. 6. Add interactivity (popups, legends). 7. Customize and deploy the module.