# Review of Web Mapping: Eras, Trends and Directions
## 4 Trends and Directions in Web Mapping
### Directions in Web Mapping: Data, Users and Functionality
#### 4.2.3 Directions for Web Mapping Functionality  
In addition to the closer integration currently taking place between desktop and cloud environments, for example ArcGIS Pro (Section 4.1.3), there is an increasing transition towards the cloud with greater functionality being delivered online. In fact, the distinction between desktop and online will disappear as all software, data and devices, including sensors, will essentially be online with decisions made about what gets stored permanently or temporarily in the cloud and on local (fixed or mobile) devices. Hence, there will be more Web GIS, and extended offerings using the cloud for both data and functionality to be delivered to a range of applications on fixed and mobile devices. To be able to support the increased functionality and analytics, as with data (refer to Section 4.2.1), the GeoWeb and underlying network infrastructure will need to expand and be further developed. Developments will need to accommodate such aspects as the increasing parallel processing capacity in cloud environments, big spatial data analytics, and online collaborative workflows. Some of these issues are currently being researched, for example, for query driven visual exploration environments [145] and global land use cover integration, quality verification and production workflows [146]. However, such functionality will not only be based on what we currently perceive as GIS capability, but also being online, which will need to be integrated directly into applications workflows and business processes. In essence, such functionality needs to bridge the gap between the technology and end users, between information manipulation and business processes, between data and knowledge. Issues such as interoperability of geospatial models through web services, security and privacy, integration into workflows, automated service composition etc., will need to be addressed. Interfaces for a diverse range of users (e.g., developers, professionals, decision-makers) will need to be explored and developed. This will need to enhance the user experience by being embedded in their views, activities, workflows, etc., in a manner that is relevant, adaptive, personalized and not disruptive, inconsistent or overbearing. Users want to maintain control and have information filtered to their specific needs. Further developments will need to occur in such areas as virtual reality, augmented reality, wearable devices and the linking of multiple devices with users and activities. An example is the development of smart watches with GPS and heart rate sensors, for monitoring a person's fitness activities and movements and linked to their smart phone to provide analytics and health advice on-the-fly. With the proliferation of captured data comes the challenge to extract information and knowledge that is useful to users and applications for tasks and decision making. This will require further development in data mining, knowledge discovery and extraction, machine learning and geocomputational techniques and modeling. The Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information outlines some of these directions in a white paper outlining a spatial knowledge infrastructure [147]. They particularly identify the need for research into the sharing, versatility, process and usability of data, information and knowledge. This information and knowledge must be further manipulated, filtered and contextualized according to user and application requirements and contexts. An increasing effort will need to be put into constructing, representing and manipulating semantics in the form of ontologies that add meaning to data and information. Computing software needs to automate ontology construction and maintain user and application profiles (also represented as ontologies). The resulting knowledge will be fed by big data analytics, modeling outcomes and combined with other knowledge to produce intelligence.