From WebGIS to Digital Sovereignty: Building a Full Online GIS with MapView and Open-Source Technologies

Digital sovereignty is becoming an increasingly strategic requirement for public administrations and is closely tied to the responsible use of public funds. Ensuring long-term control over data, technological autonomy, and independence from proprietary platforms allows public investments to generate sustainable value over time, avoiding vendor lock-in and reducing structural dependency on closed solutions. MapView, the new geospatial platform of the Autonomous Province of Bozen/Bolzano, has been designed with these principles at its core, following the idea that software developed with public resources should remain a public, reusable asset.
MapView goes well beyond the limitations of a traditional WebGIS. By integrating a Geobrowser and Geobrowser into a single environment and relying on open standards and open-source libraries, the platform enables public institutions to retain full control over authoritative geospatial data and services. Interoperability is ensured through open OGC services, allowing seamless data reuse across systems while avoiding vendor lock-in and preserving long-term platform independence.
In line with these principles, a large portion of MapView’s datasets and services—whenever they can be considered public—is openly accessible not only to public administrations but also to citizens, professionals, and the private sector. For professional users and private organisations, access to non-public or restricted datasets can additionally be granted through explicit consent from the respective data owners, within a controlled and transparent governance framework.
Within this open and modular architecture, the new 3D component, based on Cesium, plays a fundamental role. The 3D viewer is tightly integrated into the overall system and enables real-time, interactive exploration of the territory in three dimensions using a fully open-source stack. More importantly, it establishes the foundational layer for the evolution of MapView towards the first Digital Twin of South Tyrol. By combining authoritative geospatial data, open services, and 3D representations in a shared environment, MapView lays the groundwork for future simulations, scenario analysis, and data-driven planning—extending its scope far beyond simple visualisation.
MapView has been conceived as an evolving online GIS platform, already deployed and actively used in production—not as a prototype or experimental solution. At both municipal and provincial levels in South Tyrol, it supports operational territory management and a wide range of everyday administrative activities, acting as a shared and reliable geospatial infrastructure for public administrations. The platform provides a rich and continuously expanding set of functionalities, including the integration of external datasets and services, advanced querying and analytical capabilities, and a modular architecture designed for continuous growth. The introduction of a mobile-first client application further enhances operational autonomy, enabling effective field usage while ensuring that data ownership and control remain firmly within the public domain.
With its open-by-design architecture and strong focus on autonomy, independence, and data control, MapView demonstrates how digital sovereignty and responsible public investment can reinforce each other in practice. This talk presents the architectural choices behind MapView, the role of open 3D technologies within the platform, and the long-term vision of a truly independent, extensible, and production-grade online GIS—capable of evolving into a shared Digital Twin and moving decisively beyond “yet another WebGIS”.