Monday - November 30, 2009

MapPoint 2010 Europe Released, MapPoint Tips, Bing Maps Articles From Geoweb Guru

Welcome to another issue of the MP2K Magazine Update. Microsoft has now released both the North American and European versions of MapPoint 2010. Microsoft's release of MapPoint 2010 includes a new Map Settings pane which gives fine control over the various cartographic layers in MapPoint. MapPoint 2010 also brings back the Pushpins that had been replaced in MapPoint 2009, and introduces a number of programming enhancements.

Please see our previous issue (October 2nd, 2009) for an article by Richard Marsden about the new features in MapPoint 2010, another article by Richard Marsden on programming the new MapFeatures Collection and MapFeature Objects introduced in MapPoint 2010, and a complete list of the API changes.We have also assembled a number of links and resources for MapPoint 2010 on this page on MapForums - MapPoint 2010 Information.

In this issue, in lieu of another installment of an MapPoint / Excel programming tutorial, we are starting a new section on MapForums to share tips and tricks on using MapPoint for non-programmers. In future newsletters, we plan to alternate between the programming tutorials and the new MapPoint Tips & Tricks section.

Also in this issue, we share a MapPoint 2010 review by Marvin Hlavac at LaptopGPSWorld (currently running a software / GPS device give-away promotion) and Bing Maps news and articles from Geoweb Guru.

MP2K Magazine is your source for independent news and information about MapPoint and Bing Maps technologies and we also host the popular web forum for MapPoint users and developers (www.MapForums.com).

This Issue's Contents at a Glance
- Replacing Your Default MapPoint Template
- Performing Forward/Back with MapPoint 2006/2009/2010
- Taking Advantage of the Map Settings Pane (MapPoint 2010 Only)
- MapPoint Consultants and Products Directories
- MP2K Magazine / MapForums Twitter Channel
- Get Published in MP2K Magazine
- Review: Microsoft MapPoint 2010
- Bing Maps News and Articles from Geoweb Guru

Happy Mapping and please forward this newsletter to anyone who would be interested!

MapPoint Tips & Tricks

Replacing Your Default MapPoint Template

"When MapPoint is launched, it opens a default *.ptt or template file which by default is blank and is centered on the continental United States (North American version) or Europe."

"There are many reasons you may want to have a custom default template opened whenever MapPoint is launched or the New Map button or menu option is selected in MapPoint."

"Some reasons that come to mind include --

• Centering on a specific country or area. For the North American version that might be Canada, for the European version, perhaps the UK, or in either case it might be a specific state/provice or area you are always working with such as a city."

Continue Reading This Tip Discuss this tip on MapForums

Performing Forward/Back With MapPoint 2006/2009/2010

"In versions of MapPoint 2006 and prior, there had been some little-user forward/back buttons to go back to previous views and go forward. They worked fairly analogously to the forward/back buttons in a browser."

"While rarely used, they could sometimes be useful in certain scenarios. In particular, when I was mapping several different variables and making screenshots of maps for a particular area, whenever I would import a new dataset, the map would automatically zoom to a "Best View" for the new data, and if I wanted to get a screenshot of exactly the same area as the previous map, it would be nearly impossible and certainly tedious to pan/zoom to get exactly the same map area to appear again in MapPoint without using the Back button."

Continue Reading This Tip  Discuss this tip on MapForums

Taking Advantage of the Map Settings Pane (MapPoint 2010 Only)

"MapPoint 2010 introduced a phenomenal new feature with MapPoint 2010 - the Map Settings Pane and corresponding API MapFeatures Collection and MapFeatures object. (For information on programming with MapFeatures and MapFeature, see Using the New MapFeatures Collection and MapFeature Objects in MapPoint 2010)."

"It is now possible to fine-tune the map layers by controlling whether or not various layers and their corresponding labels show up, and the amount detail labels (more detail or default setting)."

Continue Reading This Tip  Discuss this tip on MapForums

MapPoint Consultants and Products Directories

Find developers and experienced MapPoint consultants who can help you with your next project or program costum solutions helping to integrate MapPoint with your business processes.

If you are a consultant who know MapPoint or Bing Maps, this is a terrific way to read our audience and share information about your capabilities, services, describe past projects, and communicate your availability. You are welcome to post your resume and keep your thread or profile updated periodically with references, new offerings, and contant information. Get started today by posting "New Thread" in the MapPoint Consultant Directory. Listings are free, but there is also an opportunity to become a sponsor for a more prominent listing and a link from the home page.


Similarly, about nine months ago, we also started a new Products Directory for MapPoint Add-ins, Bing Maps tools, and related products. If you have a MapPoint/Bing Maps Add-in or tool, list it in here to get some great visibility and exposure for your product. To keep your product near the front of the directory, you can post periodically updates, tutorials, case studies, or other new information about your product.

MP2K Magazine Twitter Channel

Interesting news items and updates for MapElves, MapForums, and MP2K Magazine are posted to our twitter channel at http://twitter.com/mp2kmag. Here's the original announcement on MapForums regarding the launch of our twitter channel.

Get Published in MP2K Magazine

If you have a MapPoint presentation, neat programming technique, or would simply like to share the ways in which you are using MapPoint technology or any other ideas, contact us to discuss how we can turn your knowledge into an article and share your experience with the rest of the MapPoint community of users and developers.

Thanks to Marvin Hlavac for allowing us to use the picture on the right of his Maltese puppy eating from the MapPoint mug.

"Microsoft MapPoint 2010 is the business version of Microsoft Streets and Trips 2010, just like Microsoft MapPoint 2010 Europe is the "big brother" of the consumer oriented Microsoft AutoRoute 2010."

"MapPoint has the same user interface as the less expensive consumer version of the product. It can do everything Streets & Trips / AutoRoute can do, and more. MapPoint can do business mapping (statistics, analysis), comes with demographics data included (or add you own), and is programmable (you can write programs for MapPoint or use add-ons, unlike for the consumer version)."

"What's new in MapPoint 2010: The new MapPoint 2010 contains some very significant improvements. It has incorporated several user-suggested features. The following is a brief look at some of the differences between the new MapPoint 2010 (NA & EU) and the previous MapPoint 2009."

Full article text Discuss this story

Bing Maps Silverlight Control v1.0 Released
"Microsoft has just announced a major new release of the Bing Maps Platform. The most significant change is the official release of the Silverlight Control. This allows rich multimedia and embedded video..."

Publishing Desktop Maps Online with Bing Maps
"This article shows you how to plot any MapPoint map, including shaded area maps, in a Bing Maps application."

Display MapPoint overlays on Bing Maps
"What is probably of greatest interest to Geoweb Guru readers, is the "MapCruncher map tile" option. This can be used to draw MapPoint maps as tile layers on a Bing Maps map."

Bing Maps to be in SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services
"Today, Microsoft announced that SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services will include a Bing Maps based option to display geospatial data stored in the database."

Simplovation release v3 of the Web.Maps.VE ASP.Net Control
"...(Content Delivery Network) to increase Bing Maps delivery speed by up to 82%, and various JavaScript Performance Optimizations. Perhaps more signficantly, v3 adds a new 'free' license for non-commercial..."

Microsoft Drops the Virtual Earth ASP .Net Control
"Simplovation sells a Bing Maps ASP .Net Control (Web.Maps.VE v2.0). A free trial is also available for download. Secondly, John O'Brien at Soul Solutions wrote the original VE ASP .NET control for Microsoft."

Microsoft Interoperability Group release PHP Kit for Virtual Earth
"The Interoperability Group at Microsoft have released a "Virtual Earth Integration Kit" for PHP. This works with the Virtual Earth Web Service (aka "Bing Maps Web Service" - the Microsoft branding marketeers..."

ESRI launch MapIt for Enterprise Web Mapping
"Earlier today at the ESRI User Conference, ESRI announce MapIt. MapIt enables you to create simple online maps from enterprise data. MapIt supplies base mapping fr"m Bing Maps with the addition of ESRI-supplied..."

Virtual Earth rebranded as "Bing Maps for Enterprise"
"Well I returned late last night from the EcoMap Costa Rica 2009 Field Season and the big news in the past week was Microsoft's rebanding of their Live search products as "Bing"!