Multimap adds Javascript API

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Oct 4
2006

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Multimap adds Javascript API

Multimap, one of the leading commercial online LBS provider for UK and Europe, has finally offered a Javascript API. It has draggable maps, geocoding to street level, and the backend even emits JSON as well as XML. If only I'd had this two weeks ago for EuroOSCON: Google Maps didn't grok Brussels addresses--I just couldn't get the hotel to show up, whereas Multimap's geocoder is spot on. The fact that Multimap seems to cover more locations in Europe than Google does might make mashup life pretty interesting over the Atlantic. Multimap are offering full customer support and they're aggregating a ton of data sources beyond just NavTeq, TeleAtlas, and Ordnance Survey. They've got API demos and a simple demo app. I suspect their business model is to drive traffic and interest to their commercial geocoding and other pay-to-play services.

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Comments: 7

Justin Mason [10.04.06 03:42 AM]

Well, neither Google nor Yahoo have really been bothering with their European geocoders, as far as I can tell, at least going by their coverage of Ireland. Sadly, Multimap haven't bothered with Ireland either. :(

I moved from the US to Ireland earlier this year and found this pretty frustrating, after the joys of using the US mapping sites to get driving directions etc. -- but another contender has emerged recently -- http://www.map24.com/ .

They have a *great* geocoder for Ireland, at least, and very reliable directions. The look and feel is a little clunky in Firefox -- not as smooth as Google's -- but it has some nice AJAXy touches now and seems to be heading in the right direction.

They now offer a public API for third-party mashups, and even offer an API for their geocoder, which is a new one on me -- so someone preferring the Google look and feel could mash that up, using Map24 to find the coordinates and Google to display an area map!

Mikel [10.06.06 08:19 AM]

Note that MultiMap has a great API, but is not offering it for free .. they charge per request.

Jason Kester [10.06.06 09:31 AM]

That's pretty impressive, though I hope they'll be bringing more servers online to speed up the image downloads. The imagery is a lot more pleasant to look at than Google Maps. Good enough to consider switching the mapping provider for my travel blogging site. It's a shame that it's not free though.

Really, it's amazing that nobody came out with this technology sooner. I remember prototyping a system for the now defunct Trailworks.com back in 1998 that was eerily similar to what Google Maps ended up coming out with. I guess the fact that a half dozen companies have cloned GMaps in a little over a year shows that it was never really that hard to do.

Tom [10.10.06 04:02 AM]

Tried the map24 API. Pretty cool and the geocoder really works great and very reliable. But as they say in their terms (http://devnet.map24.com/index2.php?c=ajax_free_register) the usage is restricted to applications built with the map24 ajax api. Mash ups as Justin suggests above are probably not compliant to the terms. At least that's how I understand the terms.
But anyhow the api is cool too and the maps are fast.