Providing an extensible lightweight single page application for web browsers

A map centred design forms the foundation of this software component. The aim is to provide a lightweight single page application for modern web browsers. The application is written on top of the Angular framework and its UI counterpart Angular Material. This makes it easily extensible due to its component-based architecture.

Under the hood, the application uses the 52°North wps-js library, which is responsible for the interaction with the WPS backend. A clear separation of concern is guaranteed and the application can focus on the UI/UX aspects and the visualization of input and output data. The wizard-style execution of WPS processes guides the user through all relevant steps and provides convenient functions (e.g. auto-fill parameters withdefault values) that creates an intuitive user experience.

The wps-ng-client architecture catalyzes the creation of individual web applications for specific use cases or scenarios. As a central UI element, the map enables developers to easily create context and associate the user with a scenario’s relevant information and explain how to use the process.

Recent developments focused on increased support of input formats (e.g. different geometry types) as well as the improvement of the process result visualizations. The client has been tested elaborately with different WPS implementations (e.g. 52°North WPS, 52°North javaPS and PyWPS) to ensure its robust function.