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The last several years have brought crucial changes to technologies used in Internet applications. It seems that gone are the times when websites were based exclusively on HTML and the more complex applications, mainly on Java. New languages and technologies have started to gain popularity, and traditional websites based on page hierarchy have started to give way to the so called RIAs (Rich Internet Applications). Such applications can function in a web version (that is one that requires a browser environment) as well as a desktop version. They also make interaction with a user far easier, and, thanks to asynchronous communication, help make more efficient use of both the server and clients' computer. This paper presents RIAs applications and their presentation capabilities of geodata. The focus is on three market leaders: Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight, and JavaFX by Sun/Oracle. Special emphasis is put on methods of data servicing and visualization and the focus here is mainly on geodata. Additionally, a Flash Builder 4-based RIA application has been written, which makes use of Google Maps and the augmented reality technique – combination of real-world and virtual images. The topic seems relevant since RIA solutions have attracted the interest of important companies focused on the geodata market, such as ESRI, a company offering the special ArcGIS API.
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