PlaceBase
Tim and I met with a large mapping company the week after Where 2.0 last year, and this was one of the ideas I threw out then about where there might be money in the mashups. The idea is that Google does your advertising for you, creating this huge interest in maps and by their licensing terms creating a demand for differently-branded reliable versions of the embeddable map component. Then you come along and meet that need. This company, like other established players in the mapping field, already offers enterprise-level APIs, so it'd just be a matter of offering a clone of the Google gizmos. They didn't take us up on the idea, but now I see someone else had the same idea: PlaceBase is a GIS and mapping company offering an API based on the Google Maps API, but with enterprise-grade Service Level Agreements. (Via Programmable Web)
tags:
| comments: 2
| Sphere It
submit: 
Subscribe to Comments on this Entry:
0 TrackBacks
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://blogs.oreilly.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-t.cgi/4596
Comments: 2
I recently spoke with some European mapping agencies (as distinct from 'large mapping companies'). It seems they've idenified the opportunity to generate additional revenue by providing their content as a service.
Although an existing client has licensed the base static content and does the integration each quarterly update. They hope the client will pay an additional fee to recieve the content, constantly updated, as a web service (e.g. OGC WFS). Their buyers, often other Government agencies, are encouraged by the INSPIRE initiative.
I suppose the provision of content as a service would sit well with the OpenSource GIS providers.
Hi,
Could you point me out to some of these European mapping agencies you are referring to?
I am trying to create a city map and adding some places of interest with icons and stuff.
The map will be loaded on my website so people can see it and click on any place they would like to see more details on. I might be selling print outs of that map
The image is mostly going to be static and users won't be able to go beyond the borders of the map.
For that, I thought of various options:
- Buy nice maps from companies who make them (like you are describing above).
- Take images out of my Streets and Trips or MS Mappoint software for that city and stitch them into a big image. The problem is that I am not sure if that constitutes a EULA Infringement!
If I wanted to change colors on the map and do a couple of design changes to make it look nicer/different, what would be my best option in your opinion (knowing that I have access to a graphic designer who can work on an image and make changes to it!)
Thank you,
Sam
