April 20, 2012 -- Getmapping has launched its own ‘Maps API’ which enables customers to introduce interactive maps to their websites, or web-based applications. The ‘Maps API’ provides access to Getmapping’s own hi-resolution aerial photography and high quality Ordnance Survey OpenData mapping, together with a comprehensive reverse geocoding service. With fast UK based servers and very competitive pricing the Getmapping ‘Maps API’ provides a really attractive alternative to Google and Microsoft.
The Getmapping ‘Maps API’ is fully featured with a familiar pan and zoom interface and simple on screen buttons to choose between Ordnance Survey mapping at multiple scales, high quality high resolution aerial photography or a hybrid view. The ‘Maps API’ also boasts a comprehensive set of tools for creating map markers, for points of interest for example, plus line and polygon features. Add precise Latitude and Longitude map location and you also have the possibility for reverse geocoding to an address or place name and opportunities for geo-fencing, useful for setting predefined boundaries for neighbourhoods, catchments or designated routes.
The Getmapping ‘Maps API’ is expected to be of interest to any business or organisation where location is important, from those who simply wish to embed maps in their websites for facilities like find nearest branch, to those that wish to build fully featured web applications that track people, vehicles or assets. The increasing popularity of mobile location based applications suggests that there will be considerable interest from the burgeoning mobile app development community focused on the iOS and Android platforms.
The benefits of the Getmapping ‘Maps API’ over others include fast UK based servers, updated high resolution aerial photography for the whole of the UK, high quality Ordnance Survey mapping and a highly accurate geocoding service. Finally the Getmapping ‘Maps API’ is aggressively priced to provide a real alternative to industry incumbents such as Google and Microsoft. There are various pricing models to suit any business including annual fixed subscription, per-unit pricing and bandwidth-linked pricing.
“We have been hosting our own aerial photography and Ordnance Survey mapping data for some time and made it available to customers via WMS, so developing our own API was a logical next step,” said Dave Horner, Managing Director of Getmapping. “This is a really competitive offering and we have high hopes that it will prove popular with website, web and mobile application developers, especially when we launch the international version later this year. There’s real interest here for specialists such as tracking companies too and public sector organisations such as local authorities and the blue light services,” continued Horner.