Implementation of a system WebGIS open-source for the protection and sustainable management of rural heritage

The Local Action Group (GAL), within the framework of the LEADER + Community Initiative Program, takes action to bring together all potential actors in the definition of a “concerted” policy for local rural area promotion and development. In this context, the aim of the work was to develop a WebGIS platform for the management and as supporting tool in the planning and development processes, through a territory representation. The “web-mapping” tool has been designed according to a client/server architecture and has been made entirely with open-source Quantum GIS desktop software, by adopting solutions that facilitate interoperability between different systems that need to communicate with each other on the Web. In this context, the project adopts OGC standards (Open GIS Consortium) for data transmission over the network, allowing an easy interface between clients and servers, overcoming obstacles due to the different nature of the data and for heterogeneous software that manages them. According to a landscape approach, the topographic database integrates different types of information layers (regional maps, orthophotos, rural architectures within Crispiano’s Cento Masserie area, the Regional Territorial Landscape Plan, etc.) to serve as a support to all public and private subjects who, in various ways, intervene in the territory government.