GeoMEAN

The goal of the GeoMEAN project is to seamlessly integrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with the MEAN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, Angular, and Node.js) to create a modern, efficient platform for delivering geospatial data. By leveraging the agility of the MEAN stack alongside the spatial analysis capabilities of GIS, GeoMEAN aims to serve basemaps as dynamic features that can be rapidly queried using geographical parameters.

This fusion enables users to interact with maps and spatial datasets in real time, offering faster performance, increased scalability, and a more intuitive user experience. Whether it’s urban planning, environmental monitoring, or location-based services, GeoMEAN’s architecture is designed to handle complex spatial queries swiftly—empowering developers and analysts alike to build smarter, location-aware applications.

🧱 GeoMEAN Architecture Overview

1. Data Layer: MongoDB (with GeoJSON Support) Stores spatial and non-spatial data as GeoJSON documents. Enables powerful geospatial indexing and query support (e.g., $geoWithin, $near). Can include basemap vector tiles or references to raster tiles stored externally (e.g., in object storage).

2. Backend Layer: Acts as the API server, exposing RESTful endpoints for geospatial queries. Communicates with MongoDB to execute spatial queries. Integrates GIS libraries (e.g. Grass, for spatial analysis, or PostGIS if you expand beyond NoSQL). May include caching strategies (e.g., Redis) for faster tile or feature serving.

3. Map Tile Server / Middleware Serves basemaps as tiles (e.g., vector tiles via native API). Can also pre-process and style basemaps for delivery.

4. Frontend Layer: Angular (Web Client) Interactive UI for users to explore maps, apply filters, and run spatial queries. Uses for rendering dynamic map interfaces. Communicates with the Express backend for data fetching and layer updates in real time.