HTML 5 is the next step in capabilities for web browsers and it will have a large impact on GIS web sites. HTML 5 includes a new tag called "canvas" that allows the browsers, for the first time, to render vector data. This means we can transfer vector data into the browser and the user can interact with it. We will also be able to change the style of vector data. It will take time for the software to catch up with this new standard but it will eventually open up a new world of web-based applications for GIS.
Open Graphics Language (OpenGL) is a standard for displaying renderings of 3 dimensional data on 2 dimensional devices. While OpenGL has been available for some time, it has not been heavily used by the GIS world yet.
Three.js: A very fast and relatively each library for putting 3D renderings on the web (CanvasMap uses this).
Scalable vector graphics is another standard that allows vector graphics (which means they are scalable without jaggies) on the web. This is another area where there has been some work putting maps on the web but much more to come in the future.
D3: A fast and incredibly hard to use library for putting data, including spatial data, on the web.
It's really easy to lose site of the goal of a GIS web site and end up with something that just does not work for your users. Remember to:
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