I have been researching the best practices with tile servers and how to integrate real cartographic analysis into tile based RIA applications. The results are very interesting with respect to several limitations and also quality.
Tile based RIA applications are becoming more prevalent in the web community because of their responsiveness and flexibility. The current implementations are based on simple APIs, this is excellent for rapid prototyping and creating a site quickly. But it also limits the application when it comes to real data analysis.
In the February MapXtreme Users Group (MUG) we discuss how PBBI products can act as a tile provider and data analysis engine for tile base RIA applications. The talk goes into some of the details and limitations of the current MashUp type RIA application and describes a more complete architecture that allows complex data analysis and how to produce better cartographic maps. Check out the recorded session as well as other MapXtreme recorded sessions and slides at:
http://www.mapinfo.com/mug
The code and description of the basic architecture are available for download at the PBBI Code Exchange:
http://www.mapinfo.com/for-developers/code-exchange
Coming in the May MapXtreme Online User Group we’ll have a sneak peak at what Engineering has been working on.
We hope to see you there.
We are really excited about the upcoming release of MapInfo Professional version 10.0. It is expected to ship in June, which is right around the corner. We are planning on revealing 10.0 publicly for the first time at our annual users’ conference, Insights ‘09, which is June 3rd in Orlando, Florida. Feel free to join us!
In the mean time, we plan on releasing information on key features from time to time, so check back at this blog often between now and June. We expect to be sharing a lot of exciting information.
The first enhancement we want to share relates to improvements in MapInfo Professional’s data access capability. MapInfo Professional 10.0 will have comprehensive read and write access to PostGIS spatial data. PostGIS is an open-source software program that adds spatial capability to the open-source PostgreSQL database. We have applied our many years of experience in working with spatial database systems (including our own SpatialWare technology) to extend MapInfo Professional to include support for PostGIS.
- MI Pro v10 will offer direct native access to PostGIS without the need for any middleware.
- Support for PostGIS is also being added to our MapInfo EasyLoader tool. EasyLoader is a freely downloadable tool for managing bulk uploads of MapInfo tables into a database system.
- Support for PostGIS represents our continued commitment to allowing our users to access as much of their data as possible “where it lives”.
There is more to come in MapInfo Professional v10.0 with respect to data access and other major work areas. Remember to check back here, or follow us on twitter to get more updates on MapInfo Professional 10.0!
Here’s something cool.
One of our colleagues decided recently to build a proof of concept showing how Pitney Bowes Business Insight’s mapping software can be used with an Apple iPhone.
In this case, the maps are being accessed via the web and returned to the iPhone, which has a simple client to catch the data.
Among the benefits to this is the fact that the mapping data that are returned are not limited. Because Pitney Bowes Business Insight’s Location Intelligence software lets companies build and organize their own data, the information that is streamed across the internet is not limited to just streets, as is the case with most iPhone applications. The data that are streamed to the iPhone can be sales territories, infrastructure data related to pipes or power lines, or crime data, such as the latest reports of crime by type sorted and pinned to a map.
I also liked the way we used the creation of drive-time polygons to show off some of the spatial analytics that can be integrated into a map to add real value.
The iPhone might not be the best device for a complex business application, but because Pitney Bowes Business Insight’s software is open and standards based, it can usually be accessed via any client. It is great to see our technology being shown off in such a good light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2QFBBKrscU
Internally here at Pitney Bowes Business Insight, formerly MapInfo Corporation & Group 1 Software, we have been talking a lot about how important the next 100 days are for us.
This spring and summer we are coming to market with several major enhancements to our GIS / Location-Intelligence portfolio, as well as an important new product that will have a major place in our portfolio for years to come. In the next 100 days, more or less, you will see a major update to MapInfo Professional® – version 10.0 – you’ll see a new releases of our MapXtreme® software developer kits for Java and .NET, and you’ll see major enhancements released to one of our brand new products, Stratus®.
We know the major enhancements we are making are going to have a direct and positive impact on our existing customers, and that they are going to be important, game changers for new clients. For that reason, we decided we couldn’t sit on our hands any longer. We just had to start talking about the big things that are coming down the pipe.
This blog is one way we’re doing that. We figured we would do some more informal marketing now, in the form of blogging and social networking, before we hit the streets with all of the traditional marketing materials down the road.
So over the next 100 days, please stop back here often. We plan to load this site with all sorts of valuable content related to our traditional MapInfo software – now referred to as our Pitney Bowes Business Insight Location Intelligence Portfolio.
You can also follow us on Twitter, if you are game to do some cutting edge social networking.
We are looking forward to talking with you more about these big changes!
