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The State of Mapping APIs, 5 Years On
macslocum writes "Map APIs took off in 2005, and during the ensuing years the whole notion of maps has changed. Where once they were slick add-ons, map functionality is now a necessary — and expected — tool. In this piece, Adam DuVander looks at the current state of mapping and he explains how mobile devices, third-party services and ease of use are shaping the map development world."
"Google had the first mapping API and continues to keep its lead by adding useful new features. "
I suspect the government and the various contractors and outside programmers who worked with them or with their data had the first mapping API. It was used for the TigerLINE data that all the rest of this data is originally based off of. It wasnt some internal govt only project, but something anyone could either download (free) or purchase and use. There are a variety of such tools (various with their own APIs), numerous ancient (Win95/98 era) which far predates Google's tools and APIs.
StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
I've always been fascinated by maps and the curious space they occupy in the construction of personal and societal identities. What we map, how we illustrate it, how it's presented, where it's placed, each reveals an aspect of something culturally significant. I wonder if the shifting nature of mapping, as influenced by the demands of mobile devices and almost limitless storage capacity, will have as profound a cultural effect as other mapping technological shifts.
For those interested in mapping - Strange Maps has some awesome examples.
I did a post grad degree in GIS finishing 2003 haveing done IS degree before then. We used professional map tools for analytical work and presentation.
Two things stood out in the culture of GIS:
- A non importance of solid data handling and storage. Flat files were the order of the day.
- Antialiasing was not prevalent. While not required for anayltical work, in presentation it was, but many big name tools did not make the jump. 8 bit was common.
- Presentation was done by govt depts and were fairly snazzy for the day, in 8bit alisaed glory
Now we see were we are today, and its all to do with the fact non mapping companies have got involved without the hangups of the old GIS attitudes from govt depts, universities, and the big name tool vendors influencing them. Companies like MS, Google, have presented maps and GIS so superior to the traditional industry, that even Depts Lands, Mapping and Survey(or whatever called in your country) are resorting to Google maps.
We now have depts of GIS professionals along with proprietry vendor tools being trounced by private enterprise.
In post Patriot Act America, the library books scan you.
What I want is a blog post that actually explains all the various mapping licenses. Preferably in a simple table format. I don't like to read.
Waltz, nymph, for quick jigs vex Bud.
I think the thing that was most impressive, at the time, was how they got JavaScript to do all that in a browser. Now, that was impressive.
Is it my impression or did AJAX really take off after people saw Google Maps?
Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
why cant they take all this map data and have racing or GTA type games where you can drive in places you're familiar with?
No mention of the University of Minnesota Mapserver program. It can render GIS data with antialiasing, auto-placing labels, etc. With some work on a configuration file, you can have it produce images that are nearly identical to Google Maps, but can be arbitrarily scaled (ie, not based on tilesets). Support for WMS makes images from Mapserver available to external programs via a simple HTTP-based RPC. You can also query for features using WFS. I use it to generate maps for use with a weather radar display.
Why is there no way to add/update POI on apps like Google Maps?
So many of the existing POI are out of date, and many are missing... why can't I just edit the information myself directly from my Android phone or Maps on the PC? Of course, the changes would need to be approved before they're actually integrated into Maps, but I feel like they're leaving a lot of potential untapped here.
OSM supports this, of course, but the Android apps are absolute crap... not to mention the maps of Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe. :(