Preface

Where. Whether it refers to where you have been, where you are, or where you are going, the concept of where is important. Where links data to the physical world. A shopping list can be a very useful collection of data on its own, but that data can be even more useful with more context. If you map the location of the stores needed for each item on the shopping list, then you can create an efficient route to acquire the items on the list. Driving directions, traffic information, and weather can impact the route. All of this data can be fetched based on the location data added to the simple shopping list.

Location can add a new filter or layer of insight into existing data. It makes all kinds of new applications possible. In the past, using location or geographic data meant using complex or at times expensive software. Datasets could be costly or hard to find. Developing using open source tools such as Node.js and CouchDB has recently made working with location data simple and fast.

Conventions Used in This Book

The following typographical conventions are used in this book:

Italic: Indicates new terms, URLs, email addresses, filenames, and file extensions.
Constant width: Used for program listings, as well as within paragraphs to refer to program elements such as variable or function names, databases, data types, environment variables, statements, and keywords.
Constant width bold: Shows commands or other text that should be typed literally by the user.
Constant width italic: Shows text that should be replaced with user-supplied values or by values determined by context.

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