Methods and systems for facilitating online collaboration and distribution of geospatial data

摘要

Improved methods, systems, and software for facilitating online collaboration and distribution of geospatial data are provided. Geospatial data available over a network can be updated in real-time and provided to one or more clients. User-accessible views of the geospatial data can be dynamically built by the clients and presented to users of the clients. Various methods of online collaboration between users of the clients can also be supported. The geospatial data can be provided in an XML format, thereby providing for efficient communication of data over the network. In various embodiments, the geospatial data can be an annotation prepared by a user of a second client, thereby allowing the user of the second client to collaborate with a user of the first client. Functionality can also be provided for converting geospatial data between flat and spherical formats.