MapQuest Developer Network Blog

In recent weeks we've had a string of updates talking about new services and features we've been working on. Today we've got two new Web Services we're releasing into beta and a feature update for the Beta Directions Web Service.

Geocoding Web Service

We're jazzed to release the Geocoding Web Service into beta. You can now make a simple request containing an address and the service will return a latitude and longitude.

http://platform.beta.mapquest.com/geocode/v1/address
?location=lancaster%20pa
&key=YOUR_KEY_HERE


You can also make a request containing the Latitude and longitude and we'll tell you the address of that location.

http://platform.beta.mapquest.com/geocode/v1/reverse
?lat=40.0378
&lng=-76.305801
&key=YOUR_KEY_HERE


Static Map Web Service

While interactive and draggable maps are useful for many things, sometimes a good ol' single map image is what's needed for your application. While we've made these maps available for well over a decade, you can now build them using our new Static Map Web Service. This allows you to easily create, configure, and return a map image. this includes adding POI icons, traffic data, or shapes to you maps.

This also means you can easily embed a map into any web page without writing or embedding any code. Just insert the map like any other image.

http://platform.beta.mapquest.com/staticmap/v3/getmap
?type=map
&size=400,200
&zoom=7
&center=40.054600,-76.313100
&key=YOUR_KEY_HERE


Directions Web Service

Powered by our new Static Map Web Service, you can now return a static map image for each maneuver of a route narrative. Like on MapQuest.com, this will allow you to show your users a map containing additional detail of the transition to their route.

More information is available on our Developer Network Beta page and included in the MapQuest Platform: Web Services Documentation.

So we have a bonanza of beta and preview updates to share with you. We've been busy making a number of updates to the MapQuest Platform and we've been creating new Web Services and revising our client-side SDKs.

Here's what we've got to show you today:

AS3 SDK 6.0 - NEW!

We're happy to introduce the preview release of our AS3 SDKs, Version 6.0. This rewrite makes the SDK more modular, create smaller final .swfs, and add and improve a number of new features like:

• POI Decluttering Refactored
• Our popular Globe View has been refactored and made a separate component. We've even added a handy feature to let the globe reorient itself when you've turned your world upside-down.
• New Control Component style (Ocean Breeze) to match the ones available on MapQuest.com
• Raster images are now remotely loaded. So your application only pulls in what's needed
• Overview map control added
• Mouse-wheel zoom controls and keyboard controls added
• We've added a vector-based POI star. It's scalable and color-customizable too.

Download and check out samples from our Beta page.

JavaScript SDKs 6.0 - UPDATED!

In this update, we've added:

• Route Options for tailoring your route
• Toggle Route Dragging on and off
• Basic mouse wheel support for zooming

Check out the updated documentation and samples here.

Long URL Web Service - NEW!

Today also marks the introduction of a new service which will allow you to manage large GET requests in Internet Explorer, which can't handle them. While we've put a lot of effort into making our URLs smaller and sane to the human eye, there are still scenarios where a complex request can get pretty beefy. Our new Long URL Web Service will automatically chunk-up the request and still be able to use a JSONP callback in the response.

Directions Web Service - UPDATED!

In our fourth feature release, we've now added draggable routes to the service. You now have the option of adding draggable routes through the Directions Web Service or our JavaScript SDK 6.0.

We've also added a Route Shape feature. This will allow you to return a route shape from a previous request without have to re-run the route.

Even more features and updates are in the works. Stay Tuned.

Last week we pushed out Optimized Routing to our Directions Web Service beta. The week before that we introduced our new Directions Web Service. Today we're making the Route Matrix feature available.

A Route Matrix request in the Directions Web Service will return a quick and easy calculation of the distances and drive times between a bunch of points.

In the table below, we want to compare the times and distances between:

• York, PA
• Lancaster, PA
• Boalsburg, PA
• and Sunbury, PA

You'd ask the Directions Web Service something like this:

    REQUEST URL:
 http://platform.beta.mapquest.com/directions/v1/routematrix?key=YOUR_KEY_HERE

    REQUEST BODY:
    {
       locations: [
          "York, PA",
          "Lancaster, PA",
          "Boalsburg, PA",
          "Sunbury, PA"
       ],
       options: {
          allToAll: true
       }
    }    
  

And with the results, you could display something like this:

Driving distance (in miles)

Driving times (in seconds)

Check out the complete documentation for Route Matrix and the rest of the Directions Web Service Beta and please continue to send us your feedback.

We recently announced the beta of our new Directions Web Service for the MapQuest Platform; today we want to tell you that the team just added Optimized Routing functionality to the code.

If you're not familiar with Optimized Routing, it basically works like this:

Say the users of the app you've built using the Directions Web Service plug in a bunch of places they need to go. They have the addresses, but aren't really familiar with how far away all of these stops are from each other. With Optimized Routing, all of the stops between the first and last are reordered for the shortest overall distance or drive time.

Now it is still a work in progress, so keep in mind that Optimized Routing is designed for use on locations that are relatively nearby to each other (e.g.: delivery or repair services, planning a tour of open houses, etc.) It will attempt to optimize longer distances, but to meet performance limits, it may estimate the drive time calculation. This could lead to a less than optimally optimized route.

If you haven't yet checked out the Developer's Guide to the beta Web Directions Service, please do so and give us your thoughts and feedback.

Also, thanks for all the Directions Web Service mentions on the blogs and on Twitter. We are paying attention to your feedback and comments and appreciate the support. We also dig that you enjoy the phrase "sane and modern web service" as much as we do.

More features are on the way. Stay tuned.

With the 5.3 release of the MapQuest Platform, we've now deactivated the beta versions (until the next version is ready for beta of course). If you were using the 5.3 beta versions, here's some quick tips to keep your application running smoothly:

• You need to change "&v=5.3.0_RCx" to "&v=5.3.0," "x" being the Release Candidate number you were using
• If you were pointing to the beta servers "http://btilelog.beta.mapquest.com," you need to point back to the production servers: "http://btilelog.access.mapquest.com"

These simple steps will help keep your development from grinding to a halt -- like in a traffic jam. Since real-time traffic is also one of the new features in 5.3, you can help keep your users from actually winding up in a real traffic jam.

As we get closer to the final release of version 5.3 of the MapQuest Platform, we've just added Release Candidate 5 of our JavaScript and FUJAX APIs to the Beta page.

The highlight in this release is the ability to define specific packages to be included in the code. With all of the new features we've been adding to the Platform, we recognized the need to optimize the size of your download with only the code necessary for your application.

From the RC5 notes:

If you want your application to have a traffic control, you can specify to include this package via the '&ipkg=controls1,traffic' URL name/value pair. However, if your application does not need the traffic control, simply use '&ipkg=controls1' and you'll save about 12k of download. This concept will be used going forward in order to optimize download sizes/speed.

NOTE: We have separated out the map controls as a modular package - if you are using our default controls (Zoom Control, View Control, etc), you will want '&ipkg=controls1' on the string. If you are using fully customized map controls, you can now eliminate ours from the script download.

The "ipkg" parameter

controls1 - will bring down all 4 controls (largezoom, zoom, pan, and view).
traffic - will bring down the traffic package. For example:

• &ipkg=controls1 - will bring down just the controls package
• &ipkg=traffic - will bring down just the traffic package
• &ipkg=controls1,traffic - will bring down both the controls and traffic packages
• &ipkg=controls1,traffic,package1,etc. - will bring down all packages listed by commas

Also a reminder: If your a Free Edition developer, you will also need to sign-up for a Developer License for developing with MapQuest Platform Beta code.

This morning we released an update to the MapQuest JavaScript API. Version 5.3, Release Candidate 3 contains the following new functionality:

• Drop Shadow setting for the map: We've added a visual drop-shadow graphic to the map, that you can turn on by calling map.setMapShadowState(boolean). This shadow is off by default.
• Remote Collections: KML and GeoRSS support built into the API! Create a RemoteCollection, tell it the location of the feed and its format, and watch it get automagically sucked onto the map! If you have another format, feel free to extend the feed loading classes to create your own loadable formats.
• Min/Max Zoom levels on POIs: You can now set minimum and maximum zoom levels on POIs. The POI would then only be visible on the map between the set zoom levels.
  poi.setValue('minZoomLevel', x) poi.setValue('maxZoomLevel', x)
• Show Traffic Flow on the Map: You can now add traffic flow to your map. This is the first step of adding traffic functionality into the API - more will follow.
• Show Traffic/Incident POIs on the Map: You can now add traffic incident POIs to your map. This is the second step of adding traffic functionality into the API - more will follow.

Are you starting to see a pattern here?

To use this version, change the version parameter in the API request to "v=5.3.0_RC3":
<script src="http://btilelog.access.mapquest.com/tilelog/ transaction?
transaction=script&key=YOUR_KEY_HERE&ipr=true&itk=true
&v=5.3.0_RC3" type="text/javascript"></script>

Turn Your World Upside Down

Let's talk briefly about globes. You know, those ones that sit in libraries in period piece movies where some old guy in a leather chair sits next to it, smoking a pipe and calling Shakespeare a hack? Those globes. The ones where when you see them, you can't help but spin it as hard as you can in the slim hope the momentum will send it rolling across the room.

Well you can now create and spin your own virtual globe. We fixed a bug in the new full-axis globe view so you should now see improved performance when trying to spin it off your web page.

KML and GeoRSS Support: We got it.

Create a RemoteCollection, tell it the location of the feed and its format, and watch it get automagically sucked onto the map! And if you have another format, feel free to extend the feed loading classes to create your own loadable formats. Sorry, LOLcode support is still a no-go.

But wait, there's more!

Here's the list of other major updates in the just released 5.3rc2 Beta update of the MapQuest Platform:

• Beta Issues Forum now available - A forum for posting about Beta has been created in the Technical Resource Center.
• Old POI & Overlay Getters/Setters restored (JavaScript) - We've added back in the 5.2 getters and Setters for POIs and Overlays.
• POI & Overlay getValue & setValue methods added (JS and FUJAX) - The new getValue and setValue functions have been added to the POI and Overlay objects in FUJAX so that both the old, and the new methods of setting properties on these objects are now available in both JavaScript and FUJAX.
• Multiple Collections (JS, AS3, FUJAX) - Building on our efforts last month to combine POICollections and OverlayCollections into a single ShapeCollection, you can now add multiple ShapeCollections to a map.

Check out more information and samples on the MapQuest Developer Network Beta page.