Getting started: OVERVIEW

Slippy maps on the web have two parts:

• One or more collections of image tiles that form the map. The bulk of this wiki is devoted to making your own tiles.
• An API framework that stitches tiles together and handles interactive panning and zooming.

Here are some good JavaScript libraries for developing interactive web maps:

• Modest Maps is a no-frills mapping and interaction library built and maintained by Michal Migurski, Tom Carden, Tom MacWright, and Shawn Allen.
  • HTMAPL magically transforms HTML into interactive maps with jQuery and Modest Maps.
• Polymaps is an SVG-powered library by Mike Bostock and Stamen with lots of tricks up its sleeves.
• Leaflet does most of what OpenLayers does, but with a drastically simpler API.
• Wax provides a suite of useful tools for working with Modest Maps, Google Maps, OpenLayers, Leaflet, and Polymaps.

And some more random links which need to be organized:

• UTFGrid is a technique designed and implemented by Development Seed that provides map interactivity with low-bandwidth text files.