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Microsoft goes all trendy!

Microsoft now does softwear…

So how about a T-Shirt with Bird’s Eye?

OS Grid References and the Multimap API (2)

var locations = new Array();

var xy1 = new MMPoint(523000,212324);  // OSTN97 OS National Grid
var xy2 = new MMPoint(323000,212324);
var xy3 = new MMPoint(423000,212324);

locations.push(xy1);
locations.push(xy2);
locations.push(xy3);

var funcRef = convertResultsLoaded;
var converter = new MMConverter( funcRef );
converter.convert(locations, 'osng');

function convertResultsLoaded() {
    console.log(converter.result_set);
};

A while ago I blogged about using OS Grid References in the Multimap API.  Web mapping developers in the UK often grew up with Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, are used to using the associated OS grid references (rather than lat/lon) to specifiy location and want to use them in mapping APIs.

Previously Multimap released a new feature in the API to allow developers to convert grid references to lat/lon for use in the API.  Multimap have a fantastic technical writing team and they have just released documentation on this feature (which is called Coordinate Transformation). 

The documentation on how to use the features in the Multimap JavaScript API is here and the documentation on how to use the features with the Multimap Web Services is here.

Thanks to Manu Gaur for this great documentation.

Happy coordinate transforming!

Multimap API – New Route ‘Actions’

Web applications using Multimap API Routing often include custom ‘travel direction icons’ in the route instructions for clarity and a richer user experience.  For example Ford use icons to indicate the direction of turn in their Irish Ford Dealer Locator routing:

The RAC has followed a similar approach with their route planner instructions:

Previously developers who are created their own travel directions icons needed to know what all the possible text instructions were, so that they could assemble a full set of images, and then parse the route instructions for the descriptions so that the correct icon could be used for each step.  This got worse if you were implementing applications with several languages, as you would have to look for a different set of instructions with each language!

Thankfully Multimap has been working hard to produce  language independent symbol/step_type tokens that can be used by developers to create their own strings or display their own icons.   So now developers do not have to parse variable instruction strings, but just use the new tokens instead.

This new feature involves step attribute called ‘actions’ which can be used by to build step icons. So, for example, you can make your own turn_left.gif and roundabout_1.gif etc and don’t have to parse the instruction to extract the information on which steps should be given these icons, but just check for the relevant actions (“turn_left” and “roundabout”). We expose these actions as an array called ‘actions’ which can have one or more action values

The full documentation on how to use this new feature is here

Happy routing!

A map for World AIDS Day

Today (1st December) is world AIDS day. 

The AidsInAfrica.net site has an interesting animated map here which shows an interesting time animation of the increase in HIV infections.  It is sobering stuff and a nice example of the power of simple maps.