Shortest Path Routing with PostGIS - PGRouting - Network Analysis - Complete Web Project - Part 6

In this final part of our GIS routing series, we bring everything together into a fully functional Web GIS application. Using Leaflet.js for frontend, GeoServer for WMS rendering, and PostGIS + pgRouting for backend logic — we build a real-time, interactive shortest path routing system.

Users can now click on a map to select start and end points, and see the shortest route instantly displayed on the map — all powered by your custom-built routing engine.

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✅ What’s Covered in this Video:

• Connect GeoServer to your PostGIS database
  Publish the road network (grid_lines), nodes, and shortest path (mv_short_path) as WMS/WFS layers.

• Design an interactive map with Leaflet.js
  Load base layers + WMS layers, and use custom icons for start/end points.

• Capture user clicks to set start & end locations
  Store them in the points table using AJAX or PHP.

• Trigger shortest path calculation dynamically
  After user input, the backend refreshes the materialized view and updates the route layer in real-time.

• Display shortest path line on the map
  Use WMS + Leaflet to render the calculated path clearly between selected points.

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🧠 Why This Final Step is Important:

This step shows how to go beyond backend processing and build a complete solution — making your routing engine available via an intuitive and lightweight web app.

Whether you're building a tool for urban transport, emergency routing, or tourist navigation, this method provides a strong, open-source foundation.

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📦 Tech Stack Summary:

• PostgreSQL + PostGIS → Routing Logic & Spatial Data

• pgRouting → Dijkstra Shortest Path Engine

• GeoServer → Map Services (WMS/WFS)

• Leaflet.js → Lightweight, responsive web map

• PHP/AJAX → For dynamic point updates (optional)