[gsoc25] Added improve general map blog post

content/blog/gsoc-25-improve-openwisp-general-map-indoor-mobile-linkable-urls.rst

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+GSoC 2025: Improve OpenWISP General Map: Indoor, Mobile, Linkable URLs
+======================================================================
+
+:date: 2025-09-14
+:author: Deepanshu Sahu
+:tags: gsoc, netjsongraph.js, monitoring, new-feature
+:category: gsoc
+:lang: en
+:image_url: https://openwisp.org/images/blog/gsoc25/improve-openwisp-general-map-indoor-mobile-linkable-urls/gsoc-25-improve-openwisp-general-map-indoor-mobile-linkable-urls.png
+:image_width: 713
+:image_height: 297
+
+.. image:: {static}/images/blog/gsoc25/improve-openwisp-general-map-indoor-mobile-linkable-urls/gsoc-25-improve-openwisp-general-map-indoor-mobile-linkable-urls.png
+    :alt: Google Summer of Code, Improve OpenWISP General Map: Indoor, Mobile, Linkable URLs
+    :align: center
+
+Participating in Google Summer of Code has been a transformative
+experience. Over the past three months, I worked on my Google Summer of
+Code project with OpenWISP, where I had the opportunity to enhance the
+platform by improving its general map functionalities. With the constant
+guidance, encouragement, and expertise of my mentors `Federico Capoano
+(nemesifier) <https://github.com/nemesifier>`_ and `Gagan Deep (pandafy)
+<https://github.com/pandafy>`_. I was able to explore new technologies,
+tackle complex problems, and deliver features that significantly improve
+usability, navigation, and accessibility in network visualization tools.
+Their insightful feedback, patience, and supportive mentorship played a
+crucial role in helping me grow as a developer and a contributor to
+open-source projects.
+
+About the Project
+-----------------
+
+The project focused on improving the OpenWISP general map by adding new
+features such as indoor floor plan integration, and linkable map URLs and
+real-time mobile device tracking. These enhancements are aimed at making
+the platform more accessible and useful for network administrators,
+helping them navigate complex networks, monitor devices, and troubleshoot
+issues more efficiently.
+
+While the journey presented deep technical challenges and learning
+opportunities, it also allowed me to collaborate with a vibrant community
+and contribute to an open-source project that impacts users globally.
+
+Building the General Map Enhancements
+-------------------------------------
+
+My work revolved around improving the map UI to make it more usable by
+enabling features such as searching for devices, adding filters based on
+device status, opening indoor maps directly from the general map view, and
+viewing a device’s location within an indoor map. Additionally, the
+improvements support sharing URLs for specific views and implementing
+real-time location updates for mobile devices to enhance monitoring and
+navigation.
+
+.. image:: {static}/images/blog/gsoc25/improve-openwisp-general-map-indoor-mobile-linkable-urls/before-after-ui-view.png
+    :alt: Improve DashBoard Map UI in OpenWISP
+
+Features Implemented
+--------------------
+
+Indoor Map View
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. image:: {static}/images/blog/gsoc25/improve-openwisp-general-map-indoor-mobile-linkable-urls/improved-general-map-view.gif
+    :alt: Indoor Map view in OpenWISP
+
+For the Indoor map view, I improved the UI of the dashboard map to make it
+more user-friendly and efficient. The updated interface allows users to
+search for devices by name and filter devices by their labels. If a device
+has an associated floor plan, a button is displayed that opens the floor
+plan overlay, allowing users to switch between floors and toggle
+fullscreen mode for a better visualization experience. The data for the
+indoor map is provided through a newly created API endpoint, which loads
+the least positive floor by default and supports filtering based on the
+selected floor. To optimize performance, I implemented separate instances
+of netjsongraph in dedicated div elements, allowing the map to be shown or
+hidden efficiently without unnecessary reloads.
+
+Shareable URLs
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+.. image:: {static}/images/blog/gsoc25/improve-openwisp-general-map-indoor-mobile-linkable-urls/share-url.gif
+    :alt: Shareable URLs Feature in OpenWISP
+
+I added a new feature in netjsongraph.js called urlFragments, which is
+disabled by default and can be enabled when needed. With this feature,
+every time a user clicks on a node or link in the map, the URL is updated
+with parameters like graph ID, node ID, and zoom level. This makes it easy
+to create shareable URLs that anyone can use to open the map directly to
+the selected node or view. The logic is designed to be standardized and
+extendable, so it can be applied across multiple maps, such as the
+geographic and indoor maps. In the future, this could become a default
+option, but for now, it’s available as an opt-in feature.
+
+Real Time Device Location
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The real-time mobile device tracking feature is still under development
+and will be implemented in the future. It aims to provide dynamic updates
+to device locations, ensuring that network administrators can monitor
+moving devices in real time and respond to changes instantly.
+
+Current state
+-------------
+
+We are maintaining the ``gsoc25-map`` branch as parent branch for all the
+General map features. Once all the PRs are merged and features are tested
+and validated, we can proceed with releasing these along with OpenWISP 26.
+
+You can follow the development process and explore the implementation
+details in the following pull requests:
+
+- `Indoor Floor Plan Integration
+  <https://github.com/openwisp/openwisp-monitoring/pull/688>`_
+- `Linkable Map URLs
+  <https://github.com/openwisp/openwisp-monitoring/pull/703>`_
+- `Real-Time Mobile Device Tracking
+  <https://github.com/openwisp/openwisp-monitoring/issues/563>`_
+
+My Experience
+-------------
+
+My GSoC journey with OpenWISP has been an incredibly rewarding experience.
+Working under the mentorship of Federico Capoano and Gagan Deep, I had the
+chance to grow both technically and personally. Their guidance, patience,
+and insightful feedback helped me navigate the challenges of developing
+complex features while staying aligned with OpenWISP’s architecture and
+community standards.
+
+Throughout the summer, I focused on improving the map UI by adding new
+functionalities that enhance usability, navigation, and accessibility.
+Implementing the indoor map view in particular allowed me to dive deep
+into front-end optimization, API design, and user experience improvements.
+I learned how to efficiently manage data flow, create scalable components,
+and handle dynamic visualization using netjsongraph. The process of
+creating API endpoints, refining interactions, and integrating feedback
+helped me better understand best practices in software development.
+
+Some of the toughest challenges I faced were managing conflicts between
+overlapping Coordinate Reference Systems (CRS) and designing the
+bookmarkable URL feature. These problems pushed me to explore and
+understand the inner workings of libraries like Leaflet.js and
+netjsongraph.js more deeply, expanding my knowledge of mapping tools and
+data handling.
+
+Although the shareable URLs feature has been implemented and works well,
+refining its performance and ensuring smooth integration across multiple
+views presented new learning opportunities. The real-time mobile device
+tracking feature, while still under development, has further motivated me
+to explore advanced data synchronization and event-driven architectures.
+
+Beyond coding, I had the opportunity to engage with the OpenWISP
+community, review code, collaborate on discussions, and contribute to
+improving documentation and testing workflows. This experience has
+strengthened my problem-solving skills, communication, and confidence in
+contributing to open-source projects. I am grateful for the support I
+received and the chance to grow as a developer.
+
+The push we needed towards the end of the program to complete the project
+was especially helpful. It gave me the motivation and structure to focus
+my efforts, prioritize tasks, and deliver as much as possible within the
+timeline. The final weeks taught me the importance of discipline, time
+management, and perseverance when working on open-source projects.
+
+What's Next?
+------------
+
+As my GSoC journey comes to an end, I am excited to continue contributing
+to OpenWISP. In the near term, I will focus on refining the shareable URLs
+feature to ensure that it performs reliably across different maps and user
+interactions. I also plan to complete the real-time mobile device tracking
+functionality by implementing efficient data handling and synchronization
+methods.
+
+Looking ahead, I hope to further improve the map UI, explore additional
+optimizations, and expand the set of features that make network monitoring
+easier and more intuitive. User feedback will be essential in identifying
+areas that need enhancement, and I plan to actively engage with the
+community to gather insights and iterate on solutions.
+
+I am committed to maintaining and supporting the features I’ve developed,
+addressing bugs, and helping other contributors onboard smoothly.
+Open-source development has been a transformative experience for me, and I
+look forward to being an active member of the OpenWISP community, learning
+continuously, and contributing to projects that have real-world impact.