Branch analysis and consolidation recommendations

BRANCH_ANALYSIS_README.md

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+# Branch Analysis Documentation - Start Here
+
+This PR contains a comprehensive analysis of all branches in the mapping-project repository.
+
+## 📚 Documentation Index
+
+Choose the document that best fits your needs:
+
+### 🎯 Quick Start (Recommended for most readers)
+**[BRANCH_VISUAL_SUMMARY.md](./BRANCH_VISUAL_SUMMARY.md)**
+- Visual charts and diagrams
+- Quick comparison tables
+- Decision matrix
+- FAQ section
+- **Best for:** Team leads, decision makers, visual learners
+
+### 📋 Action Items & Timeline
+**[BRANCH_RECOMMENDATIONS.md](./BRANCH_RECOMMENDATIONS.md)**
+- TL;DR summary
+- Implementation timeline
+- Risk assessment
+- Approval checklist
+- **Best for:** Project managers, those executing the plan
+
+### 📖 Deep Dive Analysis
+**[BRANCH_COMPARISON_ANALYSIS.md](./BRANCH_COMPARISON_ANALYSIS.md)**
+- Detailed branch-by-branch analysis
+- Technical implementation details
+- Merge conflict predictions
+- Feature matrix
+- **Best for:** Developers, technical reviewers, thorough examination
+
+## 🎯 Executive Summary
+
+We analyzed **5 branches** and found:
+
+### ✅ Actions Recommended
+
+| Action | Branch | Reason | Priority |
+|--------|--------|--------|----------|
+| **MERGE** | poc-2 → main | Most complete, tested, documented vanilla JS implementation | ⭐⭐⭐ HIGH |
+| **DELETE** | docs | No unique content (already in main) | ⭐⭐ MEDIUM |
+| **DELETE** | poc | Superseded by poc-2 | ⭐⭐ MEDIUM |
+| **KEEP** | poc-and | Alternative SvelteKit implementation for future evaluation | ⭐ LOW |
+| **KEEP** | main | Protected production branch | N/A |
+
+### 📊 Key Metrics
+
+- **Total branches analyzed:** 5
+- **Branches to merge:** 1 (poc-2)
+- **Branches to delete:** 2 (docs, poc)
+- **Branches to keep:** 2 (main, poc-and)
+- **Estimated implementation time:** 5-7 hours
+
+### 🏆 Winner: poc-2
+
+**Score: 94/100**
+
+- ✅ Complete feature set (map, POIs, admin, multiple tile layers)
+- ✅ Comprehensive test suite (6 test files)
+- ✅ Extensive documentation (7 doc files)
+- ✅ Production-ready code quality (ESLint, Prettier, JSDoc)
+- ✅ Vanilla JavaScript (no framework lock-in)
+- ✅ Beginner-friendly for new contributors
+
+## 🚀 Quick Action Plan
+
+### Phase 1: Review (This Week)
+1. ✅ Analysis complete
+2. ⬜ Team reviews documents
+3. ⬜ Discussion and approval
+
+### Phase 2: Execute (Next Week)
+4. ⬜ Merge poc-2 → main
+5. ⬜ Delete docs branch
+6. ⬜ Archive and delete poc branch
+
+### Phase 3: Follow-up (Following Week)
+7. ⬜ Update open PRs
+8. ⬜ Update documentation
+9. ⬜ Evaluate poc-and for future direction
+
+## ❓ Common Questions
+
+**Q: Which document should I read first?**  
+A: Start with [BRANCH_VISUAL_SUMMARY.md](./BRANCH_VISUAL_SUMMARY.md) for a quick overview with charts.
+
+**Q: Why merge poc-2 instead of poc-and?**  
+A: poc-2 is more complete, better tested, better documented, and more accessible to new contributors. poc-and (SvelteKit) remains available as a strategic alternative.
+
+**Q: What happens to existing work?**  
+A: After merging poc-2 to main, existing PRs will need to be rebased. We'll help coordinate this.
+
+**Q: How long will this take?**  
+A: Approximately 5-7 hours total to implement all recommendations.
+
+## 📞 Need Help?
+
+- **Questions about the analysis?** Comment on PR #26
+- **Technical questions?** Review the detailed analysis document
+- **Process questions?** Check the recommendations document
+
+## 📝 Document Statistics
+
+| Document | Lines | Size | Purpose |
+|----------|-------|------|---------|
+| BRANCH_COMPARISON_ANALYSIS.md | 332 | 12KB | Detailed technical analysis |
+| BRANCH_RECOMMENDATIONS.md | 153 | 4.4KB | Quick reference & action items |
+| BRANCH_VISUAL_SUMMARY.md | 221 | 9.6KB | Visual charts & diagrams |
+| **TOTAL** | **706** | **26KB** | **Complete analysis package** |
+
+---
+
+**Analysis Date:** January 4, 2026  
+**Analyst:** GitHub Copilot  
+**PR:** #26  
+**Status:** ✅ Complete - Ready for Team Review