It makes nice use of the Multimap marker de-cluttering and info boxes.  Using very simple and small marker icons (like these red houses) is always a good idea.

I also like the way users can easily modify their search:

I particularly like all the different methods of sharing the resulting map search:

Allowing users to IM a map to each other is a great idea!

Of course it also benefits form all the great Multimap local UK Mapping (e.g. Ordnance Survey maps). 

Taken in the Quantocks here.

To do this I used the Multimap.com embedded map functionality (which I blogged about earlier).  This time I have hacked the HTML provided to customise the embedded map and make sure it fits neatly on the sidebar.

To start with I went to multimap.com and found the relevant location I wanted for my embedded map (in this case Innsbruck):

I then used the "customize and preview map" link in the "link to this map" dialogue box to customise the map to my needs.  This brings up this page:

This page provides a simple GUI to customise your embedded map.  I chose a custom pixel size of 200 x 400 (i.e. thin and long) so it would fit nicely in my sidebar.  The resulting HTML for my embedded map is provided in the "HTML" text box in the bottom.  In this case I do not have much room on my sidebar so I wanted to remove the extra links at the bottom to different multimap.com maps, Birds Eye and directions.To do this, I need to hack the HTML returned.  So firstly I copied the HTML out of the bottom text box, which gives me this when I paste it into UltraEdit (a great programmers text editor): 

<div id="MMEmbeddedMap" style="padding:8px"><iframe width="200" height="400"
frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0"
src="http://www.multimap.com/client/embed/?width=200&height=400&lat=47.26525
&lon=11.39771&zoomFactor=13&emid=Q3zd58nstiQM4o37TGjfm9hDXl4MelqK
&mapType=hybrid&moveMap=0,0">
</iframe><div>
<a href="http://www.multimap.com/maps/?lat=47.26525&lon=11.39771
&zoomFactor=13&mapType=hybrid">#]
View Aerial Image of Innsbruck, Tirol (Tyrol), Austria</a> on Multimap.com
<br /><a href="http://www.multimap.com/maps/?lat=47.26525&lon=11.39771
&zoomFactor=13&mapType=oblique">Bird's Eye view of Innsbruck, Tirol (Tyrol),
Austria</a><br />Get directions <a href="http://www.multimap.com/directions/?
lat_2=47.26525&lon_2=11.39771&countryCode_2=AT&displayName_2=Innsbruck, Tirol
(Tyrol)&qs_2=Innsbruck, Tirol (Tyrol)">to</a> or
<a href="http://www.multimap.com/directions/?lat_1=47.26525&lon_1=11.39771
&countryCode_1=AT&displayName_1=Innsbruck, Tirol (Tyrol)&qs_1=Innsbruck,
Tirol (Tyrol)">from</a> Innsbruck, Tirol (Tyrol), Austria
</div></div>

The I edited the HTML in UltraEdit to remove the extra links, change the wording and modify the layout:

<div id="MMEmbeddedMap" style="padding:8px">
<iframe width="200" height="400" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0"
marginwidth="0"
src="http://www.multimap.com/client/embed/?width=200&height=400&lat=47.26525
&lon=11.39771&zoomFactor=13&emid=Q3zd58nstiQM4o37TGjfm9hDXl4MelqK
&mapType=hybrid&moveMap=0,0">
</iframe><div><a href="http://www.multimap.com/maps/?lat=47.26525&lon=11.39771
&zoomFactor=13&mapType=hybrid">Innsbruck</a> on Multimap.com<br />
</div></div>

I use WordPress for my blog, so I have added the embedded map onto my sidebar as a simple text widget.  In this text widget, all I need to do is paste in my edited HTML for the embedded map:

Then I saved the changes and checked the appearance on my sidebar.  You can see the results for yourself….

So I hope I have shown that not only is it really easy to create embedded maps on multimap.com, but you can also easily hack the resulting HTML to suit your specific needs.

Happy hacking and embedding!

Microsoft now does softwear…

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

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!

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!

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. 

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. 

At last the Location Strategy for the UK has been published here.  It was started in 2005. I have not waded through it all yet….

An initial skim suggests the main recommendation is more integration of public sector data through common references (DNF is mentioned).  There do not seem to be any radical “Free our data” type statements, but they do say dataset owners should:

…simplify their licensing
arrangements so as to facilitate the sharing
of data to realise greater overall value

Oh, and we would get a new government “Location Council” to deliver the new Location Strategy.