Bing Blogs

Bing Blogs

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Maps Blog

Feb

19

20 13

Attend the Bing Maps and SharePoint Solutions...

You are invited to attend this webcast to learn how solutions that integrate Bing Maps and SharePoint help organizations gain greater insight from their business data to make smarter business decisions. We will also explore new native geospatial support for SharePoint 2013 and Office 365 (SharePoint in the cloud) which makes it much easier to geocode address data and display with Bing Maps. We’ll explore solution scenarios and tools that illustrate the value of geospatial support in SharePoint when combined with Bing Maps, and look at examples of customers extending their investment in the SharePoint platform by leveraging location and Bing Maps. You’ll learn what’s included in the Bing Maps platform, and how to take advantage of the data services & imagery and incorporate them into line of business solutions within your organization. We will explore the development options with the platform, and how to get started with Bing Maps and SharePoint 2013/Office 365 development. Webcast Details Bing Maps and SharePoint Solutions for the Enterprise (EPG382CAL) Date/Time: Tue Feb 26, 2013, 9:00 AM, USA Pacific Duration: 1 Hour Presenters: Mark Merchant, Bing Maps Technical Solution... Read More You are invited to attend this webcast to learn how solutions that integrate Bing Maps and SharePoint help organizations gain greater insight from their business data to make smarter business decisions. We will also explore new native geospatial support for SharePoint 2013 and Office 365 (SharePoint in the cloud) which makes it much easier to geocode address data and display with Bing Maps. We’ll explore solution scenarios and tools that illustrate the value of geospatial support in SharePoint when combined with Bing Maps, and look at examples of customers extending their investment in the... Read More
Feb

14

20 13

Bing Maps REST Service Tips & Tricks

I’ve been a big fan of the Bing Maps REST services since they were first released several years ago and highly recommend trying them out if you haven’t already. The REST services are much newer than the SOAP services, have more features, are faster and can be consumed by non .NET languages with greater ease. If you have the Bing Maps REST services return JSON the response size of a request is significantly smaller than the response size from the same request using the Bing Maps SOAP services. This blog post will go through and highlight some tips for getting the most out of the Bing Maps REST services. Using the REST services in managed code I want to take the time to provide a useful resource for those who have had issues consuming the Bing Maps REST Services APIs using .NET. The documentation on how to consume the JSON responses from the Bing Maps REST services can be found on MSDN here . If you are using Java then take a look at how the REST services are handled in the Bing Maps Android SDK . Geocoding · Unless you are geocoding English addresses in the US you should specify a culture parameter to help ensure you get the most relevant... Read More I’ve been a big fan of the Bing Maps REST services since they were first released several years ago and highly recommend trying them out if you haven’t already. The REST services are much newer than the SOAP services, have more features, are faster and can be consumed by non .NET languages with greater ease. If you have the Bing Maps REST services return JSON the response size of a request is significantly smaller than the response size from the same request using the Bing Maps SOAP services. This blog post will go through and highlight some tips for getting the most out of the Bing Maps REST services... Read More
Feb

12

20 13

3D Elevation Models with Bing Maps WPF

With the release of the Bing Maps REST Elevations service I started looking into cool and interesting things that can be done with the service. While doing some searching around, I stumbled across an interesting blog post titled Examining 3D Terrain of Bing Maps Tiles with SQL Server 2008 and WPF by one of our Bing Maps MVP’s which inspired me to see if I could make something similar using this new Elevations service. So with that, I’ve put together this blog posts which demonstrates how to create a tool for generating a 3D model of elevation data and then overlay static imagery over the top. As a teaser, here is a screenshot of a 3D model of Niagara Falls created using this code. Setting up the Visual Studio Project To start, we will create a WPF Application project in Visual Studios called BingMaps3DModel_WPF. Once this is done we will want to add references to the following libraries: System.Runtime.Serialization Microsoft.Maps.MapControl.WPF Adding support for the REST based Elevation service Since we will be accessing the Bing Maps REST Elevation service from .NET code we will need to add in a library to parse the responses from the service. Rather than writing these from scratch... Read More With the release of the Bing Maps REST Elevations service I started looking into cool and interesting things that can be done with the service. While doing some searching around, I stumbled across an interesting blog post titled Examining 3D Terrain of Bing Maps Tiles with SQL Server 2008 and WPF by one of our Bing Maps MVP’s which inspired me to see if I could make something similar using this new Elevations service. So with that, I’ve put together this blog posts which demonstrates how to create a tool for generating a 3D model of elevation data and then overlay static imagery over the top. As... Read More
Feb

06

20 13

Geocoding and Routing in Bing Maps Windows...

In this blog post we are going to look at how implement Geocoding and Routing using the Bing Maps Windows Store App JavaScript SDK. If you are new to JavaScript development with the Bing Maps Windows Store App SDK I recommend reading the Getting started with Bing Maps Windows Store Apps blog post first. We will also be making use of Bing Maps Modules. If you are unfamiliar with modules, I recommend reading the blog post: Modules in Bing Maps Windows Store Apps . Geocoding is one of the most common tasks done by users of online maps. Geocoding is the process of taking an address or query and returning its equivalent coordinate on the map. Routing is the task of calculating the directions between two or more locations. In Bing Maps there are a lot of different options around routing such as routing by different modes of transportation; driving, walking, or transit. In Bing Maps there are several ways to carry out these tasks. The most common method is to use the Bing Maps REST services which are very easy to use from just about any programming language. In the JavaScript version of Bing Maps there a modules which wraps the REST services and exposes it as an easy to use JavaScript library... Read More In this blog post we are going to look at how implement Geocoding and Routing using the Bing Maps Windows Store App JavaScript SDK. If you are new to JavaScript development with the Bing Maps Windows Store App SDK I recommend reading the Getting started with Bing Maps Windows Store Apps blog post first. We will also be making use of Bing Maps Modules. If you are unfamiliar with modules, I recommend reading the blog post: Modules in Bing Maps Windows Store Apps . Geocoding is one of the most common tasks done by users of online maps. Geocoding is the process of taking an address or query and returning... Read More
Jan

31

20 13

Venue Maps in Windows Store Apps (JavaScript...

Within Bing Maps you have the ability to view Venue Maps. Venue Maps are often thought of as maps of indoor structures such as malls and airports; however, venue maps can be opened up to so much more. A few examples of other types of venue maps include: the layout of shopping districts, stadiums, race courses, and universities. Using Venue Maps in Bing Maps requires loading in the Venue Map module. If you are not familiar with modules in Bing Maps take a look at the blog post on Bing Maps Modules in Windows Store Apps . In this blog post, we are going to create a simple application that when zoomed in, will load in nearby venues into Bing Maps in your Windows Store App as you pan the map around. Setting up the project To set up the project, open Visual Studios 2012 and create a new project. In the window that opens select JavaScript -> Windows Store . Select the Blank App template, and call the application VenueMaps_JS and press OK. To keep things clean we are going to create a separate JavaScript file for our application. Right click on the js folder and select Add -> New Item . Create a new JavaScript file called VenueMaps.js . At this point your Solution should look something... Read More Within Bing Maps you have the ability to view Venue Maps. Venue Maps are often thought of as maps of indoor structures such as malls and airports; however, venue maps can be opened up to so much more. A few examples of other types of venue maps include: the layout of shopping districts, stadiums, race courses, and universities. Using Venue Maps in Bing Maps requires loading in the Venue Map module. If you are not familiar with modules in Bing Maps take a look at the blog post on Bing Maps Modules in Windows Store Apps . In this blog post, we are going to create a simple application that when zoomed... Read More
Jan

24

20 13

Spatial Data Services: Job History &...

New job history! Have you ever wanted to check status of your geocode and data source jobs and see what jobs you’ve run recently? Bing Spatial Data Services now makes it easy to view your job history . With the new ListJobs API , you can return a list of all geocode jobs and jobs that made changes to data sources in the last 15 days for any Bing Maps Account. Pending jobs are listed first. All you need to do is provide a Bing Maps Key from your Bing Maps Account with the following URL. http://spatial.virtualearth.net/REST/v1/dataflows/listjobs?key= Insert_Your_Bing_Maps_Key_Here A JSON response is returned by default. Add “output(o)=xml” to return XML. Jobs that download data source data do not make changes to your data source and therefore are not part of this list. More __Distance query parameter options . Want to simply get all your entity data plus the distance to each entity? Bing Spatial Data Services now accepts the wildcard character with the __Distance property when you Query by Area . Just specify $select=*,__Distance in your request. The distance option has also been expanded to support bounding box (rectangular region) queries . For bounding box queries, the distance returned... Read More New job history! Have you ever wanted to check status of your geocode and data source jobs and see what jobs you’ve run recently? Bing Spatial Data Services now makes it easy to view your job history . With the new ListJobs API , you can return a list of all geocode jobs and jobs that made changes to data sources in the last 15 days for any Bing Maps Account. Pending jobs are listed first. All you need to do is provide a Bing Maps Key from your Bing Maps Account with the following URL. http://spatial.virtualearth.net/REST/v1/dataflows/listjobs?key= Insert_Your_Bing_Maps_Key_Here A JSON response... Read More
Jan

22

20 13

Bing Maps for Windows Store Apps Training...

Bing Maps for Windows Store apps combine the power of Windows 8 and Bing Maps to provide an enhanced mapping experience for Windows Store apps. Developers can use this Bing Maps control to incorporate the latest road maps, aerial views, and low-angle high-resolution images into a Windows Store app. Today we are happy to announce the release of the Bing Maps for Windows Store Apps Training Kit. This training kit is made up of a PowerPoint slide deck which serves as an overview to create a Windows Store App using Bing Maps. The slide deck also includes information on existing applications which use Bing Maps that are in the Windows Store. In addition to the training deck there are 2 labs. The first has been designed for the JavaScript developer and the second, for the Native code developer. Each lab is made up of multiple exercises and should take around 90 minutes to complete. JavaScript Lab: * Exercise 1: Creating a Bing Maps Account and Key * Exercise 2: Loading the Bing Maps control * Exercise 3: Integrating Location Services * Exercise 4: Implement Bing Maps Modules * Exercise 5: Implementing Geocoding and Routing * Exercise 6: Access the Bing Maps REST Services Native Lab: * Exercise... Read More Bing Maps for Windows Store apps combine the power of Windows 8 and Bing Maps to provide an enhanced mapping experience for Windows Store apps. Developers can use this Bing Maps control to incorporate the latest road maps, aerial views, and low-angle high-resolution images into a Windows Store app. Today we are happy to announce the release of the Bing Maps for Windows Store Apps Training Kit. This training kit is made up of a PowerPoint slide deck which serves as an overview to create a Windows Store App using Bing Maps. The slide deck also includes information on existing applications which use... Read More
Jan

15

20 13

New to REST Services: Elevations API

We are happy to announce the release of Elevations API as the latest addition to the Bing Maps REST Services offerings. The Elevations API will enable you to query for elevation information for a set of points, polyline or a region on the Earth described by latitude and longitude pairs. Here are some example use cases for this API. Let’s say you have a sports GPS tracking device that tracks your distance, speed and elevation while you are on a hike. In this scenario, the Elevations API can be used to provide you with elevation information at specific points during the hike. In another scenario, you can visualize the elevation profile along a pre-determined route. And, of course, if you want to get fancy with 3D, you now have the opportunity to develop 3D elevation models for an area on the Earth. Currently elevation information is available with the following resolutions: Global Coverage (including poles): 900m resolution (Globe), Global Coverage (56⁰S to 60⁰N):90m resolution (SRTM).US coverage: 10m resolution (NED). One of the interesting features of this API is the ability to provide elevation data for a region on the Earth or bounding box. With this feature, you can fine-tune the... Read More We are happy to announce the release of Elevations API as the latest addition to the Bing Maps REST Services offerings. The Elevations API will enable you to query for elevation information for a set of points, polyline or a region on the Earth described by latitude and longitude pairs. Here are some example use cases for this API. Let’s say you have a sports GPS tracking device that tracks your distance, speed and elevation while you are on a hike. In this scenario, the Elevations API can be used to provide you with elevation information at specific points during the hike. In another scenario... Read More
Dec

20

20 12

Geocoding Dynamics CRM Data with Bing Maps

The majority of data in the enterprise today has a location component, and this includes much of the entity data in Dynamics CRM. We can leverage the location attributes of our CRM data to provide a wide variety of location-based functionality, including geospatial visualization, finding nearest service agents to jobs, optimizing routes for mobile sales people, analyzing our data in heat maps and thematic maps, and much more. One of the fundamentals required to be able to leverage this location data is the “geocoding” of our location data. Geocoding is the process of taking text-based location data such as addresses or place names, and turning them into geographic coordinates. With accurate geographic coordinates (or latitudes and longitudes) for our entities, we can visualize them on a map, and analyze them spatially. In this blog post, we will review options available for geocoding Dynamics CRM data, including: ● Batch geocoding with Spatial Data Services ● Geocoding via Dynamics CRM Plug-ins We will be working with: ● Dynamics CRM Online ● Excel 2013 ● Visual Studio 2010 ● The Developer Toolkit for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online ● The Plug-in Registration... Read More The majority of data in the enterprise today has a location component, and this includes much of the entity data in Dynamics CRM. We can leverage the location attributes of our CRM data to provide a wide variety of location-based functionality, including geospatial visualization, finding nearest service agents to jobs, optimizing routes for mobile sales people, analyzing our data in heat maps and thematic maps, and much more. One of the fundamentals required to be able to leverage this location data is the “geocoding” of our location data. Geocoding is the process of taking text-based location... Read More
Dec

12

20 12

Overview of Bing Maps SDK for Windows Store...

Check out the new One dev minute video and tutorial that takes you through all the steps you need to display your location on a map in a C# Windows Store app using the Bing Maps for Windows Store apps SDK . Simple clear instructions take you from signing up for a Trial or Basic Windows Store app Bing Maps key [also see http://www.microsoft.com/maps for more details about key types] to creating the project and adding the map – it’s all there and you can rewind and review as much as you need as well as check out the detailed written tutorial steps. And if you want to go straight to the code, you can get it here . -The Bing Maps Team Read More Check out the new One dev minute video and tutorial that takes you through all the steps you need to display your location on a map in a C# Windows Store app using the Bing Maps for Windows Store apps SDK . Simple clear instructions take you from signing up for a Trial or Basic Windows Store app Bing Maps key [also see http://www.microsoft.com/maps for more details about key types] to creating the project and adding the map – it’s all there and you can rewind and review as much as you need as well as check out the detailed written tutorial steps. And if you want to go straight to the code, you... Read More