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Eric Frost | 4 Apr 03:14

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	Click here to read this issue online - http://www.mp2kmag.com/update/mappoint.newsletter/2006-04-04/

Tuesday - April 4, 2005

What's New at MP2K Magazine

Welcome to another edition of the MP2Kmag Update. Since the last issue, quite a lot has happened. The MapPoint Business Unit was renamed to the Microsoft Virtual Earth Business Unit and just yesterday the team launched a new web site at http://www.microsoft.com/virtualearth. Microsoft is reportedly in the process of acquiring Vexcel, a remote sensing company that supplies cameras, software, and services. Windows Live Local has started to show a preview of "Street-side" photos. MWS 4.1 was released, and more.

MP2K Magazine is your source for independent news and information about MapPoint technologies and products and is home to the popular web forum for MapPoint users and developers. In this issue we feature new articles from Wilfried Mestdagh and Richard Marsden. We also have an interview with Fresh Logic Studios regarding their Atlas application. There are several screenshots from the latest Global Gaming Almanac which produces a MapPoint .ptm file to accompany the report. We also have a photo of Marvin Hlavac's new Maltese puppy with the Large MapPoint mug.

There are a LOT of news items and links, you could spend some hours reading all the articles to catch up with things. I would especially encourage you to check out the Virtual Earth news section.

This Issue's Contents at a Glance
- features: Interview with Fresh Logic Studios, Global Gaming Almanac Screenshots
- articles: Snap to a Road, Using MapPoint with Python, Part I
- news: Virtual Earth Business Unit, TourSolver, Vexcel Acquisition, New Bird's Eye Imagery, Geoweb 2006, Where 2.0, Pushpin Tool Author Solicits Feature Requests
- forum: Forum Highlights, Over 13,000 posts and more than 2,600 Registered Users

Happy Mapping and please forward this newsletter to anyone who would be interested!

Eric Frost, Editor

MapPoint 2006

Pre-Order MapPoint 2006 Now and Get Free Priority Shipping

MP2Kmag is pleased to offer MapPoint 2006 along with our Routing and Programming Tools Spreadsheet ($95 value) for just $289.

There are again two versions, North America and Europe and the maps are updated with the most recent digital map databases. Other new features include:

- integration with Windows Live Local and the Locate Me feature

- a new Night-time map style and other driver guidance features

- Navteq streets and a TON more data for the European version

Update your MapPoint maps to the latest digital map databases!

Order Your Licenses Today - Free Priority Shipping!

Features

MP2Kmag Talks with Fresh Logic Studios

A few weeks ago we conducted an e-mail interview with the folks at Fresh Logic Studios. We talk about their Atlas application and plans for future development.

What is the purpose of your Atlas application?

When we set out to develop Atlas, our goal was to create a web-based mapping platform that we could easily extend to encorporate a wide variety of geospatial data.

There's lots of people doing similar things. The buzzword out there right now for this Web 2.0 phenomenon is the term "mashup". The problem we've found with most mashups is that they're too limited in scope. Someone sets out to integrate Google Maps with Flickr, and that's great, but it's implemented with a weak architecture underneath. All that application will ever be capable of is tying together Google Maps and Flickr. Nothing else.

We're trying to build a platform where we can tie together a few geospatial pieces that we're currently interested in into one integrated experience and still leave room for other things that are out there and some that aren't even available yet. We guess you could say we're trying to build the "ultimate mashup".

What features does it have and how does it compare to Windows Live Local?

Think of Atlas as Windows Local Live with a user interface overhaul plus some added goodies.

Atlas has all the main features of Windows Local Live. Local search, driving directions, and the scratchpad are all in there. Obviously we have the fluid AJAX map that allows you to pan and zoom with the road, aerial, hybrid, and bird's eye imagery. Our Bird's Eye user interface isn't quite as nice as the Windows Local Live interface. We have some work to do in that area.

Sign up for a free account and gain access to the added features that allow you to search and plot lowest gas prices, latest traffic conditions, movies and showtimes, and blogs in your area. We'll send you email when we release new features and encourage feedback as to what we should tackle next.

Continue reading interview on MP2Kmag.

Global Gaming Almanac Screenshots

Casino City Press submitted these maps developed using MapPoint. Andrea Mullaney writes, "I have attached the ptm file from our Global Gaming Almanac CD, which displays more than 3,500 world gaming properties - including casinos, card rooms, racinos, horse tracks, dog tracks, casino cruises and cruise ships (and even Jai-alai frontons) using color-coded icons to designate different property types and ownership (Indian gaming vs. non-Indian gaming in the U.S. and Canada, for instance). The balloon pop-ups will give viewers access to property profile data.

"This map is included on Casino City's Global Gaming Almanac CD, which is sold to gaming industry analysts, investment banks, casino executives, gaming associations and commissions, and gaming business professionals both in the U.S. and abroad."

Click on each of the thumbnails below to view the full screenshots.

Get Published in MP2K Magazine

If you have a MapPoint presentation, neat programming technique, or would simply like to share the ways in which you are using MapPoint technology or any other ideas, contact us to discuss how we can turn your knowledge into an article and share your experience with the rest of the MapPoint community of users and developers.

Writers often plug their consulting service or other business interest through their bio which appears at the bottom of the article. Others do it for the Large MapPoint Mug (see right!). Whatever the reason, it is rewarding to share and take credit for the knowledge you share with the rest of the community.

Thanks to Marvin Hlavac who recently wrote What's New in Streets and Trips 2006 for allowing us to use the picture on the right of his new Maltese puppy eating from the MapPoint mug.

Make MapPoint Work Harder for You

Extend MapPoint’s functionality. Add new data layers and menu items. Get expert technical assistance and training. Develop more robust applications. SpatialPoint is staffed with MapPoint and spatial technology experts. We’ve built our business helping customers make the most of MapPoint platforms. From MapPoint 2004 to MapPoint Web Service, from locator applications to decision-support, we’re your source for all matters MapPoint.

Visit www.spatialpoint.com or call toll-free 866.846.5900.

Articles

Snap to a Road

Wilfried Mestdagh's article shows how to take a lat/lon and find the nearest road relative to that point. The technique, written entirely in Delphi, employs reverse geocoding and determines the lat/lon using a CalcXY routine.

"This article will show how to snap a position to a road. Many times a GPS receiver's calculated position is not as accurate as we should like it to be, and when you project the position in MapPoint by means of a pushpin the vehicle is not on the road.

Also a vehicle might be not on any (digitized) road at all, for example it can be on a field or a parking lot. In that case you don't want to snap it to a road but you maybe want information like: 'The vehicle is 20 meters south-east from streetname, streetnumber'. And this is exacly what the code given in this article will produce."

Full article text Discuss this story

Using Python to Control MapPoint, Part 1

First of two articles by Richard Marsden on scripting MapPoint using Python. This article demonstrates how to get started with PythonWin and MapPoint.

"Python is an easy to use but powerful scripting language. Python is ideal for processing data and text. This sounds a bit like Perl, but unlike Perl, I find Python much easier to read and maintain. A wide range of available extensions make Python an ideal tool for scripting MapPoint. Part 1 of this series shows you the basics of controlling MapPoint with Python. Part 2 will use some basic Python text processing to read a file of summary US Census data and plot the filtered results in MapPoint.

These examples use Python 2.4. This can be downloaded from http://www.python.org. I have installed it into the installer’s suggested directory of c:\Python24. If you use a different directory, you will need to modify the following instructions accordingly."

Full article text Discuss this story

Submit an article for publication and receive a Large MapPoint Mug!

The Virtual Earth platform represents an integrated set of services that combines unique bird's-eye, aerial, and satellite imagery with best-of-breed mapping, location and search functionality. It enables companies to deliver innovative solutions and breakthrough customer experiences. The Virtual Earth platform powers a variety of consumer, enterprise and government applications.

Take your websites and applications to the next level by creating an immersive online mapping and search experience. Consumers can easily search, discover and visualize company location data and relevant local information. If your app is stuck with flat, boring maps, click here and we'll help you migrate.

Locate. Integrate. Innovate. Are you ready?

MapPoint News

The MapPoint Business Unit Gets a New Name
From MapPoint B2B - "The Microsoft MapPoint Business Unit has officially changed it's name to the Microsoft Virtual Earth Business Unit. We'll maintain the MapPoint branding for our products, but moving forward our online platform will be called Virtual Earth, as well as, our BU."

Where the Heck Are We?
From Redmondmag.com - "Microsoft's MapPoint is a solid business-savvy mapping tool, but it needs more frequent updates... Easy to customize, MapPoint offers stellar mapping and labeling tools, unparalleled zoom and an easy-to-navigate interface that simplifies finding places and working with maps. In many cases, however, the maps it generates are anywhere from three to seven years out of date."

Pushpin Tool - Wish List Wanted for Next Version
An "updated version of Pushpin Tool in the planning stages... the Pushpin Tool has not been upgraded in a few years but there are a few new items I plan on adding and a few minor fixes to be made. I would like to hear from you what you think could be included in Pushpin Tool to make it better or fix something that’s already in it."

TourSolver added to Mapping-Tools.com Product Line-up
"TourSolver is a powerful route planning and optimization tool. TourSolver is capable of optimizing hundreds of customers amongst multiple routes. A wide variety of constraints can be applied, including times, vehicle capacities, and legal restrictions."

Casino City Press Releases Global Gaming Almanac
"The CD also includes the entire contents of the print edition in PDF format along with 200 annual reports of international gaming property owners and a MapPoint file displaying world gaming properties geographically on a map."

New Expert Page added to GPS Magic
"This page allows you to start GPS Magic Automatically when MapPoint Starts. And you can now also cause GPS Magic to skip chosen none essential Instructions."

Mattys Consulting Large Format Map of Manhattan
Mattys Consulting prepared this 36 x 42 pdf map of Manhattan using MapPoint.

AirMagnet First to Integrate Spectrum Analysis
"AirMagnet Survey 3.0 integrates Microsoft MapPoint® and the ability to map to GPS coordinates, which gives companies a literal blueprint to build reliable outdoor wireless networks. This capability is essential for accurate surveys of mesh networks and other outdoor Wi-Fi implementations, built in growing numbers by cities and municipalities across the U.S. to provide public Wi-Fi access to residents and businesses."

Now Taking Orders for MapPoint 2006
"MP2Kmag is now accepting pre-orders for MapPoint 2006 in tandem with our new Routing and Programming Tools spreadsheet. This suite of tools will be included for free with all orders. For more information and to order go to our secure MapPoint 2006 ordering form."

Central and Eastern Europe are Back!
A post earlier this month on Chris Pendleton's web site suggested MapPoint 2006 EU will include "A TON OF MORE DATA FOR EUROPE". Hopefully that is a good sign that Central and Eastern Europe will be making it back into the CD product (they were in the 2002 version but not 2004).

Mapping-Tools.com releases pre-computed US mileage charts
"When you purchase our charts, you will receive 51 individual data files:
- Individual tables for each of the 50 States in the Union.
- A large pan-USA table with the 250 largest cities included. (includes DC but excludes HI and PR)."

Where 2.0 Conference

The O’Reilly Where 2.0 conference brings together the people, projects, and issues leading the charge into the location-based technology frontier. Location-aware technologies combined with mapping and other data are poised to create a whole new class of web apps and services. Where 2.0 will explore what's viable now, and what's lurking just below the radar. Meet the people behind the mash-ups and the platforms, and the people looking ahead to the future of geospatial. Where 2.0 will be held June 13-14, 2006 at the Fairmont Hotel San Jose, California. Early Registration has been extended to May 1. Register now using code whr06mp2k for an additional 10% off.

For more information visit http://conferences.oreilly.com/where.

Virtual Earth and Windows Live Local News

Boulder-based Vexcel Acquired by Microsoft
Vexcel specializes in remote sending and data acquisition and processing. This may seem like a step away from Microsoft's core competency which is selling software. Vexcel is more of a hardware, services, and data (imagery) company. However, the acquisition should help Microsoft compete in providing the freshest and most detailed imagery for Windows Live Local and Virtual Earth.

MapPoint Web Service 4.1 Released
From Telematics Update - "Microsoft has announced the launch of Microsoft® MapPoint® Web Service 4.1 with expanded map coverage, worldwide city-to-city routing and improved frequency of ZIP code updates."

Virtual Earth Madness Starts - Grand Prize XBOX 360
The contest runs from February 28 – April 1(Midnight). You must register at ViaVirtualEarth. All questions and discussion for the contest is through the Virtual Earth Madness Forum.

Maps.MSN.Com Gets A New Destination
Microsoft has switched over the public site for Microsoft's main map delivery url address to Windows Live Local. The anticipated move is the culmination of more than a year's worth of high profile and high priority work within MS to keep up with rival technologies.

Partner Readiness Briefing for Virtual Earth
"This briefing will include an overview of the functionality of the Virtual Earth Commercial Control, a pricing and licensing review, and will explore the kinds of new opportunities Virtual Earth provides for partners."

New Bird's Eye Imagery

From MapPoint B2B - "We just loaded some new Bird's Eye imagery into the Virtual Earth platform, and thus into the Windows Live Local application. We now have imagery for the following counties:· Benton, AR· Broomfield, CO

· Orange, FL · Catoosa, GA · Marion, KS · Lafourche, LA · Lincoln, LA · Dakota, MN · Olmstead, MN · Mercer, NJ · Montgomery, PA · Rutherford, TN · Tarrant, TX."

Virtual Earth Workshop at Location Intelligence Conference
"In this session you'll learn how to use the VE platform to add maps, geocoding, state-of-the-art imagery, and other location functionality into your business applications."

Microsoft Selects Group 1's Geocoding Software
"GeoStan provides a more comprehensive set of parcel and address-level geocodes by combining USPS® and CPC postal data with spatial data files from the world's leading data providers. Precisely defining the location of an address with latitude and longitude coordinates, the location is then displayed on the MapPoint Web Service map or Windows Live Local photo."

Preview Street-side Photos for Live.com
From MSN Search's Weblog - "The Virtual Earth team is pleased to launch a preview of a new feature we have been working on – interactive Street-side browsing. You can try it out at http://preview.local.live.com Street-side imagery allows you to drive around a city looking at the world around you as if you were in a car."

New Site Highlights Windows Live Local Bird's Eye Imagery

From MapPoint B2B - "Check out this site: http://www.birdseyetourist.com. It's a great reference for finding unique eye candy available in Windows Live Local. Plus, I found some imagery where I didn't know we actually had imagery!"

Two Part Article on Working With Version 2 of the VE Control

ViaVirtualEarth has published a new articles entitled "Creating Your First Virtual Earth v2 Page" in two parts. The first part helps "you understand how to get started using version 2 of the Virtual Earth Map Control. The map control used in Virtual Earth is a JScript control and a cascading style sheet. Together these can be used to present a great user experience for online map content."

EarthData Delivers Products To Windows Live Local

"Under the 5-year agreement, EarthData will supply Microsoft with new imagery, lidar, and radar data acquisition and map production support to keep Windows Live Local populated with current, accurate, high-resolution geospatial information. Microsoft will also have access to EarthData's own data archives."

GeoWeb 2006 Conference Welcomes Microsoft as a New Sponsor
"We are pleased to sponsor GeoWeb 2006 and to help bring location standards to the forefront of the search and mapping industry,” said Stephen Lawler, general manager of the Virtual Earth Business Unit at Microsoft. “Microsoft continues to make significant investments in location-based services and local search, and is excited to share this vision with our industry partners and customers.”

Programming MapPoint in .NET - Sample code is now online
From Chandu Thota's Weblog - As you know, my new book Programming MapPoint in .NET comes with C# samples that can be downloaded form O'Reilly site. Now you can also see the samples online at book's support site. This source code comes with updated sample for Virtual Earth (Chapter 11 - Programming with Virtual Earth).

ViaVirtualEarth Superbowl Mashup
Check out this year's Super Bowl stadium and surrounding attractions on WLL. Also browse your way around previous years stadiums and results.

Vote for features in the next release of Virtual Earth
From the Windows Live Local / Virtual Earth Blog - "Work is well underway for the third major release of Virtual Earth/Windows Live Local. We want to hear what you want added to the site. When we did a similar poll back in October the feedback you provided was hugely valuable in shaping release 2."

Masternaut Keeps Track of D Morgan's Tippers
From Transport News Network - "Masternaut uniquely identifies each vehicle and calculates its position by GPS, transmits this information via GPRS to a central server that can then be accessed in real time by any web enabled PC. The record of the vehicles position is displayed using Microsoft MapPoint® online street mapping in order to place the information into a real world context."

Mini-Tutorial on Ajax and Virtual Earth in Three Parts
From the Windows Live Local / Virtual Earth Blog - "In part 2 of this tutorial we got the AJAX stuff working, but all the app did was echo back it's input - not terribly exciting. Today we’ll add some simple code to the server component to make a call to the MapPoint Web Service (MWS) to reverse-geocode the coordinate passed in."

Other Mapping and Technology News

O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference: The Future of Mapping and Local Search
"O'Reilly Media is planning the second Where 2.0 Conference, happening June 13-14 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California. Presentations will be made by the likes of Mike Liebhold (Institute for the Future), Perry Evans (LocalMatters), Felix Peterson (Plazes), Stewart Butterfield (Yahoo! Inc.), Steve Lombardi (Microsoft), Di-Ann Eisnor (Platial), and Schuyler Erle (MetaCarta), among many others."

Industry Experts to Keynote at GeoWeb 2006
"Michael Jones, CTO of Google Earth; Stephen Lawler, general manager of Microsoft’s Virtual Earth; and Kurt Cagle, author and technology architect for Mercurial Communications, will be featured keynote speakers. Conference organizer, Galdos Systems Inc., and conference supporter, the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA), expect to add at least one other keynote speaker as the conference gets closer."

Google Maps vs. the Rest
"Appearing late in the game, Microsoft's Virtual Earth, still in Beta, has some interesting features that may compete with Google Earth and World Wind. Utilizing NAVTEQ technology and USGS images, users can view road maps, aerial maps, and a bird's eye view of available locations."

Next Five Years of European LBS Market
"Highlights from the report: Overview of LBS offerings, market strategies and equipment in 27 European markets. Case studies of the LBS strategies of 10 leading mobile operators. Complete update on location-based regulatory and standards in Europe..."

Microsoft Product Delays Stir Unrest
From EETimes.com - "Microsoft employees writing to an anonymous blog are calling for the heads of high-level company executives -- including Steve Ballmer and Jim Allchin -- after the double delay debacle this week when the Redmond, Wash. developer shoved its two most profitable products into 2007."

Location Intelligence Conference 2006 - "Profiting from Location Intelligence"
"Since we first launched this conference two years ago, we are seeing an explosion in the interest for location technology. The 2006 conference will look to accelerate the understanding about how to profit from location technology to turn the plethora of business data into location intelligence."

Windows Live ID Replacing Passport
"Sources familiar with the situation say Windows Live ID is part of up to three-dozen Live services currently in development."

GeoWeb Call for Papers Issued
"GeoWeb 2006 is a landmark event about unleashing the economic potential associated with the convergence of XML, Web services and geographic information systems. Hosted by Galdos Systems Inc. in conjunction with the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA), GeoWeb 2006 welcomes both public and private organizations to meet, discuss and learn about today’s most innovative geospatial technologies. The conference will include dedicated workshops on Geography Markup Language (GML), KML, MapPoint, LandXML and OGC Web Services for GIS."

Programming MapPoint in .NET

Chandu Thota's New Book from O'Reilly Press
Free USPS Priority Shipping - $48

The first and only book in print on programming MapPoint technologies. The book includes sections on MapPoint 2004, the MapPoint Web Service, MapPoint Location Server, and Virtual Earth. The books is 354 pages chock full of programming examples and map screenshots. For example, the book spends 40 pages discussing in depth the various Data Map styles in MapPoint 2004, dissects the DisplayDataMap method in detail, and has a number of examples of importing data from various sources. There are over 100 pages on the MapPoint Web Service including sections on the Find, Route, and Render API's. Inquire about international shipping and multiple copy discounts.

Take your MapPoint programming to the next level!

Order Your Copy Today - Free Shipping!

Forum Highlights

Some notable posts and solutions from the forum over the past few months are listed below. Keep up with the latest news and information about MapPoint by bookmarking the forum and visiting regularly. There are now over 13,000 posts and in the forum and over 2,600 registered users.

Active forum participants are encouraged to claim your free copy of MP2Kmag's Guide to What's New in MapPoint 2004. Also, stay tuned as as plan another edition of the popular What's New Guide for the next version of MapPoint.

Additional posts and topics since the last newsletter summary can be found in the MapPoint user area. Search by using the forum's search functionality or the google search link at the bottom of each forum page.

Previous issues of the MP2Kmag Update are available in the newsletter archive.

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Eric Frost | 4 Apr 22:11