About Global Ski Atlas
Learn about Global Ski Atlas, the technology behind it, and the team.
Technology
GeoParquet, Sedona/Iceberg, MapLibre, AWS
OpenStreetMap is the primary data source. QGIS and ESRI ArcGIS Pro run inside Kubernetes for processing and editing. Docker stations load data into GeoParquet files stored in S3; Apache Sedona and Apache Iceberg handle lakehouse-style processing. Code lives in GitHub with CI/CD via GitHub Actions. Route 53 hosts the domain; CloudFront serves the site; API Gateway and Lambda connect the app to DynamoDB for the wiki and editorial content. MapLibre loads GeoParquet in the browser for maps. Vector Scope uses Global Ski Atlas as a case study for combining ESRI and open-source tools with Sedona and Iceberg.
Jonathan Witcoski
Solo creator of Global Ski Atlas
Global Ski Atlas is a solo project by Jonathan Witcoski. To learn more about me and my other projects, visit witcoskitech.com or connect on LinkedIn.
Why This Was Started
Standardized resort information for skiers
The inspiration came from Storm Skiing, skimap.org, and openskimap.org. I started this due to the lack of standardized resort information—custom maps make it hard to compare. The atlas compiles statistics using OpenStreetMap and QGIS so skiers can compare resorts fairly.
Built with React & MapLibre
Modern, interactive maps and UIs
Maps are powered by MapLibre, loading GeoParquet data for fast, client-side rendering. Several parts of the site use React for responsive UIs—including the resort comparison tool and other data-rich views—so you get component-based interfaces that work well across devices.
Vector Scope
ESRI and open-source geospatial integration
Vector Scope uses Global Ski Atlas as a case study for integrating ESRI and open-source geospatial—Sedona, Iceberg, and GeoParquet—with modern web mapping. Whether you need web apps, data pipelines, or lakehouse-style GIS, get in touch to discuss your project.
Visit Vector Scope