ThinkGeo and Map Suite ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

November 2012 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:29:49 GMT

This month, check out our new Map Suite 7.0 beta features including improved Oracle support, new WMTS overlays and more.

Click here to view this month's Map Suite newsletter.

September 2012 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:11:23 GMT

This month, check out our new Map Suite 7.0 beta features including topology validation, ESRI FileGeodatabase support and more.

Click here to view this month's Map Suite newsletter.

July 2012 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:05:17 GMT

New Map Suite 7.0 Beta Features Roundup

Subscribe to This Topic to Stay Up To Date

Development of Map Suite 7.0 continues! We're adding lots of new beta features to the daily builds each month, so watch this space in our newsletter for regular updates. If you give the daily builds a try, don't forget to post your feedback in our forums, as your experiences will help us polish and perfect these features before the full 7.0 release next spring.

Raster Reprojection Support

Available in Map Suite 6.0.71.0 and higher

Many of you have requested it, and it's finally here: raster reprojection support! We now support the same projections for raster layers as we do for vector layers, and it works on any layer that inherits from RasterLayer, such as EcwRasterLayer, MrSidRasterLayer, and so on.

We've prepared a demonstration video to give you an overview of what you can do with raster reprojection and how to use it. There's also a sample application with source code, new dependencies and a list of new APIs to help you pull it all together.

Full details on the new raster reprojection feature »

WPF Editing Speed Enhancements

Available in Map Suite 6.0.59.0 and higher

Based on user feedback, we have been focusing on improving the speed and memory usage of our TrackInteractiveOverlay and our EditInteractiveOverlay. To those ends we have made some great performance enhancements that are now available in the latest daily builds of Map Suite WPF Desktop Edition.

You will be amazed at the performance difference when editing, reshaping, dragging, rotating or resizing shapes -- even complex ones -- in WPF Desktop Edition. Take a look at our demonstration video to see the changes at a glance. And stay tuned, because there are more editing system improvements to come!

Full details on the new WPF editing improvements »

Enhanced Feature Validation & Correction

Available in Map Suite 6.0.65.0 and higher

We've introduced some new ways to validate (and possibly repair) features. By calling the new IsValid method, we will return if the geometry is valid or not, and you can subsequently call GetInvalidReason to see a textual description of why it isn't.

Better yet, if you're using the new geometry library we introduced in the daily builds last month, you can attempt to have us fix the invalid geometry by calling the MakeValid method. (Because this isn't possible when using Map Suite's original managed geometry library, we've included a method you can use to test whether MakeValid is supported before calling it.)

Full details on the enhanced feature validation & correction methods »

Where To Get the Daily Builds

To access the Daily Development Builds, all you'll need to do is login to the ThinkGeo Customer Portal and then do one of the following:

To download an evaluation daily build, click the "Evaluation Daily Builds" link at the top of the screen, then select the product you want to download.
To download a full daily build for a product you have purchased, click the "My Product Downloads" link at the top of the screen, then click on the "Daily Development Builds" tab and select the product you want to download. (You'll need a current Software Assurance Plan.)

Many More Beta Features Coming Soon!

Subscribe to our 7.0 beta features post to be notified instantly by email whenever we announce a new beta feature! Simply visit the link above and check the box labeled "Check this box to subscribe to this topic" at the top right of the page.

You can also follow us on your favorite social network -- we post news of new beta features as soon as we release them. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

Wherever you follow us, don't forget to offer us your feedback on the new beta features and plans for Map Suite 7.0. Map Suite continues to grow and evolve based on your needs and requests, so don't hesitate to let us know what you'd like to see.

Free Product Downloads

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

Now you can download free evaluation demos of our most popular products. They are fully-functional and contain no locked or inaccessible features. Try Map Suite free for 60 days and see how easy GIS development can be.

In This Issue

New Map Suite 7.0 Beta Features Roundup
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

With years of experience, ThinkGeo's certified developers will work with you to create the perfect GIS solution that fits your needs and your budget. Get in touch with us today and let us do the heavy lifting. Tell us about your project here or call 1-866-847-7510.

Get $100 off your next ThinkGeo order for both you and a friend when they complete their first purchase from us. It pays to spread the word about Map Suite!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

June 2012 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 06:07:54 GMT

Map Suite 7.0 Beta Features Now Available via the Daily Builds

Subscribe to This Topic to Stay Up To Date

As part of Map Suite's new annual release cycle, we will be incrementally unveiling new features and enhancements that are targeted for the next major version via our Daily Development Builds. This will give you a chance to get the newest features before next year's release of Map Suite 7.0, and also allow us to collect feedback on these new features as we work to polish and perfect them.

New Beta Feature: Enhanced Geometry Functions

Available in Map Suite 6.0.36.0 and higher

We are pleased to announce that we have enhanced Map Suite's geometric functions in an effort to increase their speed, accuracy and reliability. What we have introduced is an unmanaged geometry piece to our solution which can, in many cases, dramatically increase the speed of geometry operations. You'll need some new dependencies to make this work; instructions are included with each daily build package.

See our Map Suite 7.0 beta features announcement for details on the new geometry functions.

Preview: Upcoming Features & Shapes Overhaul

Although we originally designed the Feature structure in Map Suite to be small and sleek, thereby offering high performance, it has numerous drawbacks that have begun to surface. In addition to being one of the least understood and hardest to use objects in Map Suite, the performance advantages that its architecture once offered are being eroded as we have added more and more functionality.

With Map Suite 7.0, therefore, we intend to convert the Feature structure into a class and add the core geometric functions to it, making it easier to work with and offering a high-speed way to perform unions, buffers, difference operations and more. From there, we will inherit from the Feature to create a series of Features that mimic the Shapes that we have now, making Shape creation and editing a much easier and more high-performance affair.

Although this work is still in the planning stages, we have posted details of these upcoming enhancements in our 7.0 beta features announcement thread.

Where To Get the Daily Builds

To access the Daily Development Builds, all you'll need to do is login to the ThinkGeo Customer Portal and then do one of the following:

To download an evaluation daily build, click the "Evaluation Daily Builds" link at the top of the screen, then select the product you want to download.
To download a full daily build for a product you have purchased, click the "My Product Downloads" link at the top of the screen, then click on the "Daily Development Builds" tab and select the product you want to download. (You'll need a current Software Assurance Plan.)

Many More Beta Features Coming Soon!

You can also follow us on your favorite social network -- we post news of new beta features as soon as we release them. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

Introducing the Map Suite Tile Cache Generator

Details, Downloads and an Introductory Video

ThinkGeo is pleased to announce the release of the Map Suite Tile Cache Generator project and accompanying source code. Pre-generating tiles based on your data allows you to display the data faster than rending it from vector graphics files, and lets you protect your vector data by providing just the raster tiles for display purposes.

We've made the Tile Cache Generator available as a code sample on our wiki. This gives you access to the complete source code, so you can not only see how the utility works, but also make adjustments to tailor it to your own uses.

Additionally, Map Suite Chief Architect David Rehagen has recorded an introductory video that walks you through all of the utility's options and which also takes a look at the source code behind them.

Highlights of the Map Suite Tile Cache Generator utility include:

Generate Tiles for Certain Zoom Level Only
Save time by generating only the tiles you need at specific zoom levels
Estimate the Number of Tiles per Zoom Level
See the approximate size of a job before kicking it off
Restrict Tile Generation Based on a ShapeFile
Use polygons to define the areas in which tiles will be generated
Fast Multithreaded Tile Generation
Use multiple CPU threads for the fastest possible generation*

For more in-depth detail and links to all the resources you'll need to start generating tiles, see our Tile Cache Generator announcement post. If you have comments or questions, feel free to post them on that topic and we'll be happy to answer them for you!

* Note that the typical bottleneck with tile generation is disk I/O, so while multithreading helps, you will see even greater benefit from utilizing RAM drives or SSDs.

Wiki Code Samples Update: View Source

See All of the Map Suite Wiki Code Samples

Do you love our wiki sample applications but dislike having to download them to just see a few key lines of code? If so, then you'll be pleased to know we have added a new "View Source" feature to all of our wiki code samples! You can now simply view the C# source files without downloading them.

As you might imagine, this is especially helpful when you're browsing through the samples looking for the one key insight that helps you complete your task with Map Suite. Of course, you still have the ability to download the full project to run and debug on your computer locally.

Here's how to access the new View Source feature:

Access the Wiki Code Samples and choose a product from the list.
On each code sample, you'll see a new link: View Source.
Click on one of these links, and the source code for each of the files in the selected project will be displayed.

Feel free to let us know if there are any other ways we can help streamline your development with Map Suite!

Free Product Downloads

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Map Suite 7.0 Beta Features Now Available via the Daily Builds
Introducing the Map Suite Tile Cache Generator
Wiki Code Samples Update: View Source
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Get $100 off your next ThinkGeo order for both you and a friend when they complete their first purchase from us. It pays to spread the word about Map Suite!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

May 2012 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Wed, 23 May 2012 10:35:28 GMT

Map Suite 6.0 Now Available!

See What's New in Map Suite 6.0

Map Suite 6.0 represents a leap forward for developers, with many improvements over previous versions of Map Suite. We've fully integrated the new features that have been available in our daily builds and brought other enhancements and bug fixes to the table. Version 6.0 represents a must-have upgrade for all .NET developers of Map Suite!

What's New in Map Suite 6.0

Here are some of the standout new features in every edition of Map Suite 6.0:

Improved drawing performance
In addition to the new Direct2D drawing mode (via our WicBitmap extension), we've also applied some very significant speed optimizations to the ShapeFileFeatureLayer that improves rendering of dense or complex geometries.
The new Map Suite Code Generator
The all-new Code Generator allows you to generate source code from objects that you have created in your project.
Enhanced XML serialization of the map object
New events for more versatile label formatting
Layer transparency
Support for WMS 1.3.0
Support for the latest version of MrSid and ECW raster images
And more

And there's lots more besides, including these great features from individual product editions:

Out-Of-Browser support in Silverlight Edition
Google Street View integration in Web and MVC Editions
Google Traffic integration in Web Edition
TinyGeo (.tgeo) format support in Desktop Edition
And more

For a complete list of changes and enhancements in Map Suite 6.0, see our official announcement or browse the full change logs on the ThinkGeo Wiki. To find the change logs, first click on the product that interests you and then scroll down to the "Change Logs" section. For example, here are the change logs for Map Suite Desktop Edition.

Updating Your Copy of Map Suite

Upgrading to Map Suite 6.0 is free for customers with a current Software Assurance Plan! Those of you who are still evaluating Map Suite can also get a free upgrade to version 6.0 of your evaluation edition.

To update your evaluation edition, simply download and install a new copy from our Evaluation Downloads page.
If you've purchased Map Suite, login to the Customer Portal and choose "My Product Downloads" to access an updated full version.

If you're already using Map Suite, don't forget that you can install Map Suite 6.0 alongside your previous version and associate your projects with either one.

Not sure if you qualify for a free upgrade? Give us a call toll-free at 1-866-847-7510 (outside North America, dial +1-785-727-4133) and we'll be happy to assist you.

You Can Help Direct Development of Map Suite 7.0

Beginning with today's release, Map Suite moves to an annual release cycle. Whereas previously we had issued a major new release in May and a largely stability-focused release in November, we have eliminated the November release and will instead be focusing on delivering continuous bug fixes and updates throughout the year via the daily builds.

Our next major release of Map Suite is due in May of 2013 and will bring with it a host of new and oft-requested improvements, some of which we're hard at work on right now -- and which you will soon get a taste of in the daily builds.

You can visit our Enhancement Tracker to vote for or tell us about the features you want to see in Map Suite 7.0. Did the feature you wanted not make it into Map Suite 6.0? Don't worry -- we may yet include it in a future release! Let us know how important a feature is to you by adding your voice to its discussion topic in the Map Suite Enhancement Discussion forum.

Have Questions or Feedback?

Many thanks to the developers in our Map Suite community forums who have helped us test, debug and improve Map Suite for the 6.0 release. Our recent focus on deploying new beta features through the daily builds has been very successful and we intend to continue this practice going forward. Should you have any questions or suggestions for future improvements, let our developers know by posting your comments on this blog entry, or in the support forum for your particular Map Suite product.

We're already hard at work on Map Suite 7.0, the next major refresh of Map Suite that's scheduled for release in the spring. In the meantime, please enjoy working with Map Suite 6.0 and feel free to post your comments, questions and remarks on this topic, or send them to us directly at support@thinkgeo.com.

Thanks for choosing Map Suite for your GIS development needs!

Map Suite MVC Edition Now in Full Release

Download Your Free Trial of MVC Edition 6.0

The beta has ended: Map Suite MVC Edition is now in full release! Those of you who have been waiting for the conclusion of the public beta period can now dive straight in and start working with next-generation web development techniques in your GIS applications. Free evaluations of MVC Edition 6.0 are available now from our website.

Since the beta version, Map Suite MVC Edition has gained Google Maps' Street View integration, as well as the full list of changes to the Map Suite core that were introduced in version 6.0. This means you'll enjoy WMS 1.3.0 support, improved drawing performance and memory usage, layer transparency, improved XML serialization, the exciting new Code Generator and much more.

For a complete list of what's new in Map Suite MVC Edition 6.0, take a look at the official features change log. You may also be interested in the list of API changes since the beta version.

Give MVC Edition a try today by downloading your free trial from our website, or visit our online store to purchase the full version. If you previously purchased a full licensed copy during the beta, feel free to login to your Customer Portal account and download your complimentary upgrade to MVC Edition 6.0.

If you have any questions about Map Suite 6.0 or how upgrades and licensing work, please contact your ThinkGeo account representative by email or by phone at 1-866-847-7510 (outside North America, dial 1-785-727-4133).

Get Rewarded with our Customer Referral Program

Save $100 on your next ThinkGeo purchase! When you refer a friend or colleague to ThinkGeo, he or she will receive $100 off their order when they mention your name — and so will you, in the form of a $100 discount good toward your next order with ThinkGeo. It pays to spread the word about Map Suite!

Free Product Downloads

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Map Suite 6.0 Now Available!
Map Suite MVC Edition Now in Full Release
Get Rewarded with our Customer Referral Program
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Get $100 off your next ThinkGeo order for both you and a friend when they complete their first purchase from us. It pays to spread the word about Map Suite!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

April 2012 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:41:36 GMT

Introducing Map Suite GPS Tracking Server

Discover Map Suite GPS Tracking Server

If you're a .NET developer in search of a customizable GPS tracking platform, we'd like to introduce you to the new Map Suite GPS Tracking Server. This web-based solution is designed to be hosted on your own servers, provides access to numerous development APIs for management, and is available with full source code to provide all the customization you'll need.

If you've previously looked at our Vehicle Tracking Starter Kit for Map Suite and found it too simple for your needs, you'll want to take a look at the Map Suite GPS Tracking Server. This is an enterprise-grade tracking platform that's not only ready to go out of the box, but also provides developers with numerous avenues to extend, modify and enhance its capabilities.

Key features include:

Easily develop support for nearly any type of GPS tracking device
APIs that allow you to manipulate the system programmatically
Use SQL Reporting Services to create tailored reports
Hosted in your own datacenter or in the cloud for full control
Full C# source code available, allowing ultimate customization
Free development tools and sample device listeners with purchase

If you need a custom web application that can track anything from vehicles to cargo containers, or perform other types of location intelligence, give the Map Suite GPS Tracking Server a look. Ready to go as-is, or customize to suit your exact needs with the source code option: the choice is yours.

Request a demo today and our GPS tracking experts will be in touch to take you on a personal tour of the system and demonstrate what it can do.

If you have further questions about the Map Suite GPS Tracking Server and the solutions it provides for developers, feel free to email us or give us a call at 1-866-847-7510 (outside North America, dial 1-785-727-4133).

Map Suite 6.0 Releasing in 2 Weeks

Get a Sneak Peek at the Upcoming 6.0 Feature Set

Are you ready for the release of Map Suite 6.0? The next major evolution of Map Suite is just two weeks away, with a tentative release date of May 14th. Every .NET control in the suite will be updated with a raft of new features, many of which we've made available in beta via our daily builds. We're confident that this will be one of our best releases yet!

Get a sneak peek at some of the upcoming features and enhancements in Map Suite 6.0 by taking a look at our list of pre-release beta features, including:

Silverlight out-of-browser support
XML serialization
Improved memory usage and drawing speeds
Layer transparency
Support for TinyGeo (.tgeo) file format
Improved label formatting
Many more

Please note that we will temporarily suspend production of the Map Suite daily builds beginning on May 1st, while we perform a rigorous final round of testing during the two weeks leading up Map Suite 6.0's release.

If you're a current Map Suite licensee and your Software Assurance Plan is up to date, you'll be able to download a free upgrade to version 6.0 of your Map Suite product on the day of release! Users who are evaluating Map Suite can also get an upgrade to 6.0 by visiting our website on release day and downloading a new evaluation package.

Check Out Our New Map Suite MVC Edition Video Series

Watch the MVC Videos Now | See the Playlist

Looking for a little more insight into our recently-released Map Suite MVC Edition GIS control? Then you'll want to watch our new video walkthrough series!

Step through each of the Map Suite MVC Edition's bundled sample applications with our insightful video demos, and you'll see what each portion of the source code does and how it all comes together. These videos are great for .NET developers who are using (or interested in using) Map Suite MVC Edition.

You can find all of the MVC Edition videos in one place on our YouTube playlist, but there's also another great way to watch them. While you are browsing the MVC Edition online demos, simply click the "Video Walkthrough" button next to any sample that interests you.

More MVC walkthrough videos are in the works, so stay tuned. We announce new video releases on our Twitter, Facebook and Google+ channels the moment they arrive.

Get Rewarded with our Customer Referral Program

Free Product Downloads

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Introducing Map Suite GPS Tracking Server
Map Suite 6.0 Releasing in 2 Weeks
Check Out Our New Map Suite MVC Edition Video Series
Get Rewarded with our Customer Referral Program
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Get $100 off your next ThinkGeo order for both you and a friend when they complete their first purchase from us. It pays to spread the word about Map Suite!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

March 2012 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:08:55 GMT

Google Traffic and Street View Added to Map Suite Web and MVC Editions

Download the Free Code Sample

Today we're introducing another frequently-requested feature for Map Suite: support for real-time traffic information and Street View when using the Google Overlay. This new functionality is available in the Map Suite Web Edition and MVC Edition daily development builds from version 5.5.138.0 and up, so head over to the Customer Portal to get them. (For more information about our daily builds system, see this article.)

We've prepared a Web Edition code sample demonstrating this new functionality, which you can download from our wiki. It shows how easy it is to display real-time traffic information and in-line Street View controls right there on top of your map. You can choose to enable this new functionality either on the server side or with client-side controls via JavaScript.

In order to run the new code sample, you must download the latest Map Suite Web Edition daily development build and add it to the project reference!

Have questions about the new traffic and Street View functionality? Feel free to ask them in our support forums. Depending on which edition of Map Suite you're using, post your questions in either the Web Edition or MVC Edition forum.

Map Suite Integrates with Amazon's New DynamoDB Cloud Database

Learn More & Download the Extension | Watch a Video Intro

We have an exciting announcement for you this month. ThinkGeo's research and development group has released a limited technology preview successfully leveraging Amazon's new DynamoDB cloud database for storing and serving GIS spatial data.

Traditionally, in order to offer spatial data over the web, or even internally on a network, you had to engage in a complicated process of planning and deployment that would require a large upfront investment. Amazon's DynamoDB "NoSQL" cloud database, together with ThinkGeo's new Map Suite DynamoDB Extension, allow you to bypass the traditional problems of scaling, software licensing, and up-front hardware cost with a linearly scalable system that works as well with one user as it does with one thousand users.

To start working with DynamoDB in your Map Suite projects, you'll want to utilize the resources below:

Technology Overview - A brief article describing the features and functionality of the Map Suite DynamoDB extension.
Video Introduction - Watch on YouTube as Map Suite Chief Architect David Rehagen walks you through the new DynamoDB extension and the technology behind it.
Sample Application (requires Visual Studio) - Get a preview of our DynamoDB extension with this functional sample application.

As the Map Suite DynamoDB extension is a technology preview, there are some known issues with the technology that we describe in this article. There is a clear path to solving all of the issues; however, they will take time and resources. If you or your organization are interested in working with DynamoDB, please contact your ThinkGeo representative to discuss options beyond the limited technology preview. The future of this new technology rests in the interest we see from our customers.

Please give the new DynamoDB extension a try and let us know what you think -- and what you would do to change or improve it. As we continue to evolve this technology, we want to do so based on the needs and recommendations of our customers. In order to do this, your feedback is essential.

Leave us your feedback on our announcement post, drop us a line at sales@thinkgeo.com, or give us a call toll-free at 1-866-847-7510. (Outside North America, please dial 1-785-727-4133.)

Map Suite Performance Tuning 101: Gridding Complex Polygons

Download the Free Gridding Utility | Watch a Video Overview

This month we're introducing the first in a new series of performance tuning guides for Map Suite. In this edition, we'll discuss the process of "gridding" detailed polygons, thereby transforming them into a drawing-optimized state that can significantly improve Map Suite's average render times.

What is "gridding"? In short, it's the process of taking a polygon-based Shapefile and splitting its features into squares using a grid whose size is based on a specified target scale. This provides significantly improved rendering speeds in certain scenarios. To illustrate:

Here, the large polygons of the world have been divided into smaller square polygons by using a grid. When you zoom into the highlighted area, only the squares that fall within that extent need to be loaded and drawn, rather than the entire national polygon beneath. This can result in a significant performance improvement.

You can dive into this enhancement and start applying it to your own projects today. Check out the resources below:

Video Overview - Watch how the polygon gridding enhancement works and walk through a real-world example.
Gridding Utility and Sample Code - A simple tool to quickly grid your own polygon-based Shapefiles. C# source code is included.

If you have any questions about this idea or the gridding utility, or want to share with us how this idea improved your project's rendering performance, feel free to post your comments here!

Code Sample: Customizing the Pan/Zoom Bar

Download the Pan/Zoom Bar Code Sample

In this WPF project, we look at a way to customize the Pan/Zoom Bar for navigation. By default, when clicking on the Globe button, the map will zoom out to its full extent. If you want a different behavior, you can use the GlobeButtonClick event to have the map zoom to a specific extent. Also, notice how the zoom level slider bar gets automatically adjusted based on any custom zoom levels set to the map.

Connect With Us on LinkedIn and Recommend
Map Suite

Have you checked out ThinkGeo's profile on LinkedIn yet? Start following us and get updates on Map Suite, Cygnus Track and other emerging news at ThinkGeo! And if you're a Map Suite user, we'd love for you to write us a recommendation on LinkedIn to help spread the word about Map Suite. Connect with us today!

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

February 2012 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:34:50 GMT

Map Suite MVC Edition Beta Available Today

Download Your Free Trial of the MVC Edition Beta

Today we are excited to announce the immediate release of Map Suite MVC Edition Beta, the first Map Suite GIS control designed especially for ASP.NET MVC! The Model/View/Controller architecture gives you total control over your presentation, enabling you to target mobile and touch-based devices like the iPhone® and iPad® with platform-agnostic web apps.

Map Suite MVC Edition takes your web-based GIS applications to the next level by providing total control and a truly layered client-side development approach. What does this mean to you? Here are some advantages of Map Suite MVC Edition:

Full Control
Map Suite MVC Edition gives you full control over your HTML, JavaScript and CSS. Traditional ASP.NET Webforms applications require you to hack in your client side changes, but the new MVC model allows you to elegantly construct your client side pages independently from the C# server side concerns. This approach puts you squarely in control to create beautiful and high-performance client application using tools and techniques natural to veteran web designers.
Faster than Webforms
What happens when you remove ViewState, Postbacks and a bunch of hacked-in Microsoft Webforms JavaScript? Things get faster, in some cases much faster. Map Suite MVC Edition provides you with a fast, client-optimized development experience that removes much of the overhead associated with the traditional ASP.NET Webforms model used by Map Suite Web Edition.
Native Support for Touchscreen Devices
Deliver easy-to-use mapping apps on touchscreen and mobile devices like the Apple iPhone and iPad with features like touch panning, pinch zooming, tap-and-drag interaction and more. Deliver mobile-friendly apps with support for HTML5 and CSS3 technologies.
Automated Testing
Map Suite MVC Edition, in conjunction with your MVC project, enables automated testing like never before. By placing clear boundaries between functional parts of the MVC operation flow, you benefit from being able to write unit tests at each boundary independently.
Easier Team Development
By separating the Model, View and Controllers for each page, Map Suite MVC Edition makes it easy for multiple teams to work on the same page. Allowing each developer to work on a separate piece of the puzzle lets you get more done faster in a multi-developer environment.

And of course, Map Suite MVC Edition has all of the professional GIS features that our Map Suite product line is known for, including spatial queries, geoprocessing, projections, robust styling, user-drawn shapes and many more.

Give MVC Edition a try today by downloading your free trial from our website. If you like what you see, purchase the beta version and receive a free upgrade to the final release — as well as emerging features via our daily builds, free of charge, thanks to the included one-year Software Assurance Plan.

To help you get started using Map Suite MVC Edition, check out these resources:

Installation Guide - Everything you'll need to install MVC Edition
QuickStart Guide - A step-by-step introduction to your first MVC project
Code Samples - See how to implement a wide variety of functionality
Discussion Forum - ThinkGeo's official MVC Edition support forum

Have questions about Map Suite MVC Edition? Call our friendly staff toll-free at 1-866-847-7510 (outside North America, dial +1-785-727-4133) and we'll be happy to assist you.

Code Samples Roundup: February 2012

Visit the ThinkGeo Wiki for all Code Samples

In this web-based project, we show you how to do a two-way interaction between the features in an InMemoryFeatureLayer and their information in GridView. If you click on a point on the map, you will see the corresponding item highlighted in the GridView. Or vice-versa; you can click on an item in the GridView and you will see its feature highlighted on the map.

Highlight at Mouse Hover

In this WPF project, we show you how to highlight a feature when the user hovers the mouse pointer over it. This effect can be realized in Map Suite by using a timer and doing some spatial querying based on the location of the mouse pointer.

Styles with InMemoryFeatureLayer

In this WPF project, we show how to build an InMemoryFeatureLayer from a text file. You'll notice how the columns are set up so that styles can be used as if the InMemoryFeatureLayer were a static layer such as a Shapefile.

Image Style

With the new ImageAreaStyle, you can display a polygon feature that uses an image as its fill. You can see how an image for forest and water is used in the sample project. And with the new ImageLineStyle, you can do the same thing with line features.

Get Feature Clicked On With Projection

This WPF project shows a technique for finding the feature of a point, line or polygon-based layer that the user clicked on. With the new function GetFeaturesWithinDistanceOf, you can loop through the features within a specified tolerance and get their exact distance.

Large Scale Map Printing

This WPF project is the second in our series of samples on printing. Using all of the printing tools we introduced in the first sample, here we will demonstrate a real-world print scenario at a large scale with data for parcels at a county level.

A note about licensing: All code samples posted to the ThinkGeo Wiki are offered under the Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL), an open source initiative that gives you the flexibility to re-use the code in your own packages, including commercial projects.

Connect With Us on LinkedIn and Recommend Map Suite

Connect With Us on LinkedIn

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Map Suite MVC Edition Beta Available Today
Map Suite Code Samples Roundup: February 2012
Connect With Us on LinkedIn and Recommend Map Suite
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

January 2012 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:15:08 GMT

The Cutting Edge of GIS: New Map Suite 6.0 Beta Features

Development continues at full speed on the next generation of Map Suite, due this spring -- and you can test each new feature as we introduce it by downloading a Daily Build! If you missed our last issue, catch up now and see all of the new Map Suite 6.0 beta features that we introduced in December. Then, read on to see what we've introduced in this month's newsletter.

New Web Request Events and Methods

Learn more about this feature »

We have had many requests over the last year for the ability to customize various HTTP-based layers and overlays. In many cases, users want to do things such as redirect the request, modify the query string, modify the request header, etc. As the requests would typically target a product, we enhanced that layer or overlay to handle the new requirements. After many of these requests we feel it is time to unify the work we have been doing and apply the enhancements across all of our HTTP-based layers and overlays.

To that end, we have added new events and some new protected virtual core methods to give you access to the web request as it happens on all of our applicable layers and overlays. The two new events allow you to catch before and after the web request happens, enabling you to modify the request in ways such as using a custom URI, using a local server, etc. We have also added a new SendWebRequestCore method that allows you to override the web request call, giving you ultimate control in inherited classes.

As we mentioned previously, we had been adding these events in a one-off fashion for the last year. To clean up the API we are going to deprecate the old APIs. Now, when using the old methods, you will get an obsolete message that points you to the new methods. We will continue to support the old events until November of 2012, two official public releases away.

For a complete list of the new Concrete and Core Methods, Events and EventArgs, see this post in our announcements forum.

LegendPrinterLayer Now Using Vector Graphics

Learn more about this feature »

As many of you have experienced, the previous LegendPrinterLayer, when printed, did not appear as crisp as other graphics on the printed page. This was due to the LegendPrinterLayer being drawn as a raster image instead of using the vector drawing system. We originally released it this way to save time and to get the legend out in the printing system.

Now, beginning with the Map Suite 5.5.63.0 daily build, we use vector graphics to draw the legend so that it is crisp and also scales well to all paper sizes. There is no need to change anything in your code; the effect should take place automatically.

Simply upgrade to the latest Map Suite daily build to take advantage of the new vector-based legends. For more information, see this forum post.

Label Formatting Enhancements

Learn more about this feature »

We have added a powerful new way to format the value on your TextStyle. In the past you had to set the TextStyle's TextFormat, NumericFormat, or DateFormat property to apply a format which used the built-in .NET Format API. The problem was that it was tough to do advanced formatting such as using your own text manipulating functions to change the values.

What we have introduced are two new events that allow you to get the labels before and after they have been formatted the traditional ways and programmatically change them. This puts you right before the label placement algorithm, so any changes you make to a label's length will be honored by the labeling placement system. If you prefer to enhance formatting using inheritance, we have also added the FormatCore protected virtual method that you can override in your new class.

Code Sample Available

To help demonstrate the new label formatting enhancements, we've prepared a code sample. In it, we set up a layer to label as per usual, and then we hook to one of the new events. In the hooked method we change the road label text from the real value to "Hello Streets". In the event, we have the original label and the shape that goes with it, enabling us to write any sort of custom logic in the event to change the label itself. This is great for taking column data that might be simply "Y" or "N" and format it as "Yes" or "No". With the shape passed in, you can also label the data by area, location, etc.

Here's how our sample looks. Click here for the source code.

For full details on the new labeling enhancements, including the new events, event arguments and inheritable methods, see this post in our announcements forum.

How To Try These Features

To download an evaluation daily build, click the "Evaluation Daily Builds" link at the top of the screen, then select the product you want to download.
To download a full daily build for a product you have purchased, click the "My Product Downloads" link at the top of the screen, then click on the "Daily Development Builds" tab and select the product you want to download.

Read more about our daily build strategy at the ThinkGeo Wiki.

Have Questions or Comments?

Post your feedback about the daily builds in the Map Suite Discussion Forums, either on our announcement thread or in the support forum that's relevant to the Map Suite product you use.

Thanks for using Map Suite, and we look forward to propelling your GIS development to the next level this coming spring! In the meantime, stay tuned for next month's newsletter for the latest Map Suite 6.0 beta features.

Map Suite Web Edition Code Sample: Interact with Map Points

Download the Web Edition Sample Project

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

The Cutting Edge of GIS: New Map Suite 6.0 Beta Features:

New Web Request Events and Methods
LegendPrinterLayer Now Using Vector Graphics
Label Formatting Enhancements

Web Edition Code Sample: Interact with Map Points

Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

December 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:12:06 GMT

Map Suite 6.0 Beta Features Now Available via the Daily Builds

Stay Up to Date as New Features Are Released

As we recently revealed, there were some features that didn't have a chance to be thoroughly tested enough to make it into last month's Map Suite 5.5 release. While those features have been rescheduled for the Map Suite 6.0 release due next spring, we're excited to announce that you can begin testing them today by downloading a Map Suite daily build!

Downloading a daily development build of Map Suite today will give you access to a large and growing number of exciting new features that we have planned for Map Suite 6.0, including many that have often been requested by our customers.

To download a Daily Development Build, login to the ThinkGeo Customer Portal and then do one of the following:

To download an evaluation daily build, click the "Evaluation Daily Builds" link at the top of the screen, then select the product you want to download.
To download a full daily build for a product you have purchased, click the "My Product Downloads" link at the top of the screen, then click on the "Daily Development Builds" tab and select the product you want to download.

About the New Map Suite 6.0 Beta Features

Here are the features and enhancements that you'll be able to use when you download today's Map Suite daily builds.

Silverlight Out of Browser Support

We have extended the reach of our Silverlight client to utilize the Out-Of-Browser (OOB) feature. This allows you to launch Silverlight applications either disconnected or connected without the browser as the container.

November 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:11:05 GMT

Map Suite 5.5 Released and Available For Immediate Download

Download a Free Evaluation of Map Suite 5.5

Map Suite's November 2011 release has arrived! Today, you can get version 5.5 of our Map Suite .NET GIS controls, which focus on stability and reliability with numerous bug fixes included. We've also completed our testing on the new printing functionality and contour line support, and you'll find both of these exciting features baked into every edition of Map Suite.

Highlights of Map Suite 5.5

Here are some of the biggest new features and fixes that we've baked into Map Suite 5.5, many of which are in the Map Suite Core and therefore apply to every Map Suite product. Others, where noted, apply only to specific editions of Map Suite.

New, robust map printing system.
Map Suite 5.5 now supports robust printing and page layout capabilities. Using the new PrinterLayer APIs, you can assemble (in code) a layout for printing maps that includes titles, images, scale bars and more, and you can export those layouts to a bitmap, a PDF file or your printer.
Interactive page layout and printing interface.
Additional to the new PrinterLayer APIs, Map Suite Desktop and WPF Desktop Editions also include additional APIs which give your users the ability to interactively design their own page layouts with a graphical user interface before going to print. To show you exactly how this works, we've put together a code sample for WPF and WinForms that you can download from the ThinkGeo Wiki. There's also a video walkthrough to show you how the code sample interacts with new printing APIs.
Isoline (contour line) support.
Isolines are a way to visualize breaks between different groups of data such as elevation levels, soil properties, or just about anything else you can imagine. We've put together a code sample that demonstrates everything you need to know -- grab it from the ThinkGeo Wiki here. For help walking through the code sample, you'll also want to watch our isoline introductory video to see how it works.
Added MultiPoint track mode to the TrackInteractiveOverlay in WPF Desktop Edition.
This gives you the ability to create multi-point shapes.
Overhauled Bing™ Maps layer in Web Edition.
The native Bing Maps layer in Web Edition has been rewritten for much improved performance. Additionally, you can now use your Bing Maps Account Enterprise Key.
Overhauled routing API in the Map Suite Routing Extension.
Some of the Map Suite Routing Extension APIs have been significantly reworked in order to give you improved performance when generating routes.
Updated Map Suite Geocoder to the latest dataset.
We've revised our Geocoder with the latest TIGER® data from the U.S. Census Bureau, resulting in more accurate geocodes.

For a complete list of additions and changes in any Map Suite 5.5 product edition, please review the official product change logs in the ThinkGeo Wiki. To find the change logs, first click on the product that interests you and then scroll down to the "Change Logs" section. For example, here are the change logs for Map Suite Desktop Edition.

Additional New Features Still in Beta

There were a few features that were planned for version 5.5 that we thought were not thoroughly tested enough to make it into the final release. These features had to be temporarily removed from version 5.5 but will be added back to the daily builds in the coming weeks, so you will have an opportunity to try them soon. For more information about these features and how you'll be able to try them, please see this month's daily builds article.

Updating Your Copy of Map Suite

Interested in checking out Map Suite 5.5? Upgrading is free for customers with a current Software Assurance Plan! Those of you who are still evaluating Map Suite can also get a free upgrade to version 5.5 of your evaluation edition.

To update your evaluation edition, simply download and install a new copy from our Evaluation Downloads page.
If you've purchased Map Suite, login to the Customer Portal to download an updated full version.

If you're already using Map Suite, don't forget that you can install Map Suite 5.5 alongside your previous version and associate your projects with either one.

Not sure if you qualify for a free upgrade? Give us a call toll-free at 1-866-847-7510 (outside North America, dial +1-785-727-4133) and we'll be happy to assist you.

You Can Help Direct Development of Map Suite 6.0

Our next major release of Map Suite is due in May of 2012 and will bring with it a host of new and oft-requested improvements, some of which we're hard at work on right now -- and which you will soon get a taste of in the daily builds.

You can visit our Enhancement Tracker to vote for or tell us about the features you want to see in Map Suite 6.0. Did the feature you wanted not make it into Map Suite 5.5? Don't worry -- we may yet include it in a future release! Let us know how important a feature is to you by adding your voice to its discussion topic in the Map Suite Enhancement Discussion forum.

Have Questions or Feedback?

Many thanks to the developers in our Map Suite community forums who have helped us test, debug and improve Map Suite for the 5.5 release, particularly in regards to the printing and isoline features. Should you have any questions or suggestions for future improvements, let our developers know by posting your comments on this blog entry, or in the support forum for your particular Map Suite product.

We're already hard at work on Map Suite 6.0, the next major refresh of Map Suite that's scheduled for release in the spring. In the meantime, please enjoy working with Map Suite 5.5 and feel free to post your comments, questions and remarks on this topic, or send them to us directly at support@thinkgeo.com.

Thanks for choosing Map Suite for your GIS development needs!

New Features Coming Shortly to the Map Suite
Daily Builds

There were a few features that were planned for Map Suite 5.5 that did not get enough testing to make it into the final release. Although these features had to be temporarily removed, we'll be introducing them to you shortly via the Daily Builds system. Daily builds are up-to-the-day versions of Map Suite that contain the latest new features, allowing you to try cutting-edge capabilities while they are still in beta.

Here's a short list of what you can look forward to seeing in the Map Suite daily builds within just a few weeks:

Serialization
We have implemented XML serialization into the Map Suite framework. The serialization will allow you to serialize and deserialize Map Suite classes to and from XML. This gives you a great way to store layers, styles, etc. for long periods, even across Map Suite versions. The serialization scheme is flexible and should work with user created classes as long as they follow some simple guidelines, which will be published shortly.
Memory Usage Improvements
For Shapefiles, we now chunk groups of records to draw, which has the effect of keeping the memory usage low and constant regardless of the size of the data you are rendering. In the past we would read the features we needed to render at a given extent into memory and pass them through to be drawn. This caused the memory to spike when you drew dense areas and in 32-bit environments it could also cause out-of-memory exceptions.
MrSid & ECW Upgrade
We have updated the MrSid and ECW decoder libraries to their latest versions. This will allow you to open the latest file versions for each of the libraries. You will also get lower memory utilization and added stability coming from bug fixes in these third-party libraries.
Drawing Speed Improvements
We have replaced GDI+ as the core drawing system across many of our products and now use Microsoft's Direct 2D. The new drawing system, along with other enhancements, can improve drawing times by fifty percent or more, depending on the scenario.

Watch for announcements on our Developer Blog, Twitter feed and Facebook page when you can download new Map Suite daily builds that contain these beta features and try them out for yourself! We expect to make these features available within the next few weeks, and we'd love to get your feedback on how they work so we can continue to make final improvements to them.

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Map Suite 5.5 Released and Available For Immediate Download
New Features Coming Shortly to the Map Suite Daily Builds
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

October 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:17:38 GMT

Map Suite 5.5: Coming in November

Are you ready for Map Suite 5.5? The new milestone release is due in November, and this month's newsletter has your first taste of what you can expect from the new version. Map Suite 5.5 follows our twice-annual release cycle and brings with it a number of improvements, final releases for some beta features introduced recently, and a variety of bug fixes and enhancements.

What's New in Map Suite 5.5?

Here are some of the feature highlights that you can expect to see.

Printing Support (Full Release)

Map Suite's robust printing support, including the new printing API across all editions and interactive page layout support for Desktop and WPF Desktop Editions, has left the realm of daily builds and is now incorporated directly into each Map Suite 5.5 GIS control. Check out our Developer Blog for further details about all the great things you can do with the new printing system, including an introductory video.

Isoline Support (Full Release)

Also graduating from the daily development builds is the new isoline (contour line) support, which will be fully baked into all Map Suite controls beginning with version 5.5. Isolines are a great way to visualize breaks between different groups of data such as elevation levels, soil properties, or just about anything else. Check out our Developer Blog for further details about how isolines work, including an introductory video.

Overhauled Routing API in Map Suite Routing Extension

The Map Suite Routing extension's GetRoute API has been significantly overhauled for improved performance.

Overhauled Bing™ Maps Layer

Map Suite's native Bing Maps layer has been overhauled for much improved performance, as well as support for the use of your Bing Maps Account's Enterprise Key. Additionally, issues with Bing logo watermarks have been resolved.

Updated Map Suite Geocoder with Latest Dataset

The Map Suite Geocoder has been revised with the latest TIGER® data from the U.S. Census Bureau, resulting in more accurate geocodes.

Bugfixes, Performance Improvements and More

We'll be releasing more details about the specific changes in Map Suite 5.5 in the days leading up to the release. Keep an eye on our official Developer Blog, Twitter feed or Facebook page for all of the latest information.

When Will Map Suite 5.5 Be Available?

We expect to officially release Map Suite 5.5 in mid-November. At that time we'll be refreshing all of the evaluation downloads on our website, and customers who have purchased Map Suite (and who have an active Software Assurance Plan) can download updates to their licensed products at no charge.

Daily Builds "Paused" Until November Release

Some of you may be familiar with the daily builds of Map Suite that we offer through our Customer Portal. Beginning next week, we will be implementing a code freeze in preparation for the November release of Map Suite 5.5. During this time, new daily builds will not be generated.

Daily build production will resume after November's release of Map Suite 5.5. Thanks for your patience and understanding during this time.

Pre-Register Here to Try the Map Suite GIS Editor

Development continues on the Map Suite GIS Editor, our interactive Windows application that's designed for creating and visualizing maps. Don't forget that you can be amongst the first to try the GIS Editor by pre-registering at our website. When you do, we'll send you an email as soon as the GIS Editor becomes available for download.

If you haven't yet heard about the GIS Editor, it's an exciting new application that will open the door to powerful visualization, data editing, map creation and the like. It's packed full of powerful drawing and editing tools, geoprocessing features, batch reprojection and geocoding wizards, integration with OpenStreetMap, Bing™ Maps and other online map services, and tons more.

For a full sneak peek at the upcoming GIS Editor, take a look at the lead article in last month's Map Suite Newsletter.

We hope to release the GIS Editor as an initial public beta toward the end of this calendar year. Sign up here and receive instant email notification when you can give it a try.

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

Now you can download free evaluation demos of our most popular products, including the recently released Map Suite 5.0. Our evaluations are fully-functional and contain no locked or inaccessible features. Try Map Suite free for 60 days and see how easy GIS development can be.

In This Issue

Map Suite 5.5: Coming in November
Daily Builds "Paused" Until November Release
Sign Up for GIS Editor Release Notification
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

September 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:59:56 GMT

Coming Soon: Map Suite GIS Editor

Discover our Upcoming GIS Editor Application

Today we're excited to give you a sneak peek at the exciting new GIS tool that we'll be launching soon. It's called the Map Suite GIS Editor, and it's a Windows application that's designed for creating and visualizing maps. With it, you can display, analyze and edit geographic data in exciting ways, perform geospatial analysis and more, all without writing any code!

What does the Map Suite GIS Editor do?

The Map Suite GIS Editor helps you design maps and visualize data geographically. It's a Windows desktop application designed for GIS technicians, cartographers and data analysts, and it's capable of displaying, styling and printing a wide variety of data types.

Use the GIS Editor to discover trends and links that basic spreadsheets and reports don't easily reveal. Map out new developments, utility lines, environmental impact areas or nearly anything else you can imagine. Display background maps from Web Map Services, add aerial photography and much more.

You can use the GIS Editor to do things like:

Visualize data, statistics and trends geographically
Design, style and label rich and detailed maps
Draw right on the map, edit and create feature data
Reproject, geoprocess, measure, annotate and more
Make your maps publication-ready and go to print

How does the GIS Editor work?

The GIS Editor utilizes the familiar ribbon bar interface that's standard amongst Microsoft applications. It's designed to place the tools you need within easy reach while organizing them in a logical way, so you won't have to dig through cryptic menus or peck at tiny toolbar icons. Our Map Element List lets you visualize all of your layers, styles and labels in an instant, and the IDE-like dockable interface allows you to put the information you care about exactly where you want it.

We've also made complex GIS tasks easy with powerful wizards that let you reproject, clip, blend, combine, geocode and perform many other actions on as little or as much data as you require, simultaneously.

A wide variety of GIS Editor screenshots are now available on our website, if you'd like to get a better idea of how the application will look and feel.

That sounds great! When can I start using it?

The GIS Editor is currently still in development, nearing an initial beta release. We expect to make the software initially available to the public for download in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Once the GIS Editor launches later this year, you'll be able to start using it for free. After a free evaluation period of 14 days, you'll be able to purchase a license under one of our new and incredibly affordable subscription programs. Rather than outlay thousands of dollars up-front, like you would for other GIS visualization tools on the market today, you'll be able to get started with your GIS project right away -- instead of next fiscal year!

Available subscription programs will include a $49.95 per month option and a $495.00 annual option. These flexible options give small businesses and individual users the ability to pay for the software only as they need it, and enterprises the ability to save money by prepaying for usage that they know they'll require.

Where can I get more info about the GIS Editor?

We've just launched a comprehensive new product area on our website that includes some preliminary info about the Map Suite GIS Editor, including:

Additionally, we've already opened the GIS Editor Support Forum so you can ask questions about the upcoming application and find out if it will meet your requirements. Feel free to let us know how you plan to use the Editor, as your requirements can help shape development of the application as we prepare for release!

Lastly, if you'd like to be notified by email as soon as the GIS Editor becomes available for you to try, please sign up at our website and we'll be happy to keep you informed.

Map Suite Enhancements Update

See what's in the Map Suite Enhancement Pipeline

Our Map Suite development staff has been hard at work this past month, adding the enhancements and improvements that you've requested at the Enhancement Tracker. For our new readers, the Enhancement Tracker allows you to suggest and vote on the new Map Suite features that you want to see most. It's a great way to help direct the future of Map Suite!

Currently we are focusing on improving performance of Map Suite in every possible avenue. This was guided by your Enhancement Tracker votes, which indicated that speeding up Map Suite is at the top of many of your wish lists. We're also working on some comprehensive new serialization functionality that will make your Map Suite projects easier to upgrade.

If you'd like to vote for the features you think our developers should focus on next, simply visit the Enhancement Tracker and click the "Vote up" button next to those features you want to see implemented.

If the feature you want isn't listed in the Enhancement Tracker, use the form on the right side of the screen to submit your own ideas!

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Coming Soon: Map Suite GIS Editor
Map Suite Enhancements Update
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

August 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:46:59 GMT

Available Now: Map Suite Windows Phone Edition Beta

Details and Downloads for Windows Phone Edition

We've officially launched the initial public beta of Map Suite Windows Phone Edition! Starting now, you can download a free evaluation of this all-new .NET control for Windows Phone 7, and start developing your own interactive mapping applications for WP7 mobile handsets. It's full-featured GIS for Windows Phone 7.

Much like our other editions of Map Suite, the Windows Phone Edition is a professional GIS control. It's designed for development with Visual Studio 2010 and the Windows Phone SDK, and can be used like any other control in your toolbox. At its core is the same professional GIS engine that powers every other Map Suite control, making it easy to port your applications developed with other editions of Map Suite.

Map Suite Windows Phone Edition allows you to take your GIS applications on the road, and with a vast array of features present and accounted for, you won't have to strip out functionality to get there. Available features include:

Base maps (Bing, Google, etc.)
WCF querying
Data reprojection
Drawing and editing shapes
Popup info balloons

Thematic rendering & heat maps
Spatial queries
ZedGraph charts
Raster imagery
Lots more

We've provided a complete set of reference materials that will help bring you up to speed on developing apps with Windows Phone Edition. Check out the product's new section on the ThinkGeo Wiki for articles like:

We also have a new support forum where you can ask questions and find answers if you get stuck. The forum is monitored by ThinkGeo's development team and they'll be happy to assist you with any queries.

Although Map Suite Windows Phone Edition is currently in beta, you can use it today to develop full applications for public distribution. Purchase the full version of Windows Phone Edition during the beta period and get up to $1,000 off during our introductory pricing offer. Plus, you'll be entitled to a free upgrade to the final release as soon as it arrives. For more information, check our pricing page.

Isolines and Robust Printing Support Just Released

Get the New Daily Builds from our Customer Portal

The latest daily builds of our most popular Map Suite controls now contain two hotly-anticipated features: Isolines and Robust Printing Support. To celebrate the arrival of these new capabilities, we've posted code samples and learning videos to help bring you up to speed as quickly as possible. Let's dive in and see what each of these new features can bring to the table.

Isolines (also called Contour Lines)

Isolines are a way to visualize breaks between different groups of data such as elevation levels, soil properties, or just about anything else you can imagine. You can use them to better visualize depth, concentration and much more.

To help you understand how to use isolines, we're offering for download a new code sample that will demonstrate everything you need to know. The sample shows the various steps in creating isolines, including the gathering of point data, creating a grid using interpolation, and finally, picking your isoline break levels. We also quickly explore some more advanced options like generating isolines on the fly. The sample is presented in a video introduction by Map Suite Chief Architect David Rehagen.

Robust Printing Support

Map Suite's new printing system opens up a world of options for professional page layouts in which your maps are the star. Maps are printed using vector graphics so you can be sure the output will look great on anything from a PDF to a large plotter. The printing system also includes low-level report building classes that make it easy to generate reports in the web or services environment.

To demonstrate some of the printing system's best capabilities, we've put together a new code sample and learning video. With them, you'll be able to build a Print Preview interface that lets your users interactively arrange items (such as a map, scale line, labels, data grid or image) on a virtual page before printing the result to a printer, exporting to a PDF or to a bitmap image. The sample is presented in a video introduction by Map Suite Chief Architect David Rehagen.

How to Get Access to These Features

In order to use isolines or the new printing system, you'll need to download version 5.0.102.0 or newer of Map Suite Desktop, WPF Desktop, Web, Silverlight or Services Edition. At present, you'll find this version in the Daily Builds section of your Customer Portal account. There, you can download the full daily builds for any products you have purchased, as well as evaluation daily builds for all Map Suite products.

If you need help finding and using the Map Suite daily build packages, simply check our informative wiki article on the subject.

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Available Now: Map Suite Windows Phone Edition Beta
Isolines and Robust Printing Support Just Released
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

July 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:46:27 GMT

Get Ready for Map Suite Windows Phone Edition

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 is one of the fastest-growing mobile operating systems on the market. Soon, you'll be able to deploy your GIS projects to Windows Phone 7 users, thanks to the versatility of Map Suite Windows Phone Edition. The first beta of this brand new .NET control from ThinkGeo will be launching in August, and in this month's newsletter we're giving you an exclusive advanced look.

Much like our other editions of Map Suite, the Windows Phone Edition will be a full-featured GIS control. It's designed for development with Visual Studio 2010 and the Windows Phone SDK, and can be used like any other control in your toolbox. At its core is the same professional GIS engine that powers every other Map Suite control, making it easy to port your applications developed with other editions of Map Suite.

Map Suite Windows Phone Edition will allow you to take your GIS applications on the road, and with a vast array of features present and accounted for, you won't have to strip out functionality to get there. Available features include:

Base maps (Bing, Google, etc.)
WCF querying
Data reprojection
Drawing and editing shapes
Popup info balloons

Thematic rendering & heat maps
Spatial queries
ZedGraph charts
Raster imagery
Lots more

We expect to make the initial public beta of Map Suite Windows Phone Edition available for download beginning in August. If you are interested in testing Windows Phone Edition, simply keep watch on our website, or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be notified as soon as the product becomes available.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ThinkGeo
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thinkgeo

You can also subscribe to our Developer Blog, where we post the latest news about product releases and enhancements, upgrades, new features and more.

We're excited to help you introduce your GIS projects to the fast-growing mobile market with Map Suite Windows Phone Edition!

ThinkGeo Now Offers Free World Data From OpenStreetMap

GIS professionals and developers know that acquiring map data can be one of the biggest and most expensive stumbling blocks in a mapping project. That's why we're now offering the free geographic data of OpenStreetMap.org in ready-to-download Shapefiles that work natively with our Map Suite developer controls and applications!

Starting now, you can download the popular crowdsourced data of OpenStreetMap in Shapefile format directly from us. To access the data, simply login to the Map Suite website, then visit our Evaluation Downloads page to access our OpenStreetMap Data Server.

We've divided up most of the world's countries into separate packages that can be downloaded individually. Each package contains individual Shapefiles for each of several layers, including roads and railways, points of interest, cities, buildings, water and more. For a complete list of the available layers, see this page.

Here are some reasons why you might want to download and use data from our OpenStreetMap repository:

We convert OpenStreetMap's data into Shapefile (.shp) format for native use with Map Suite.
Map data can be downloaded and used locally without requiring an Internet connection or relying on potentially slow WMS services.
Detailed data is available for many countries of the world.
Data is updated weekly to include the latest contributions to OpenStreetMap.
Data is offered free of charge under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

Not to mention, this is a great way for Map Suite evaluators to find free and detailed data of familiar regions to use when experimenting with Map Suite!

Currently we have OpenStreetMap data available for most areas of the world; however, there are still some countries that are not represented. We plan to add the missing countries to the repository in the near future; however, if there is a specific region that you would like prioritized, feel free to post your comments on this blog entry and let us know.

Again, simply visit our Evaluation Downloads page to get full access to our OpenStreetMap data repository. Data on our server will be kept up-to-date on a weekly basis.

Update on Contour Lines and Robust Printing Support

In last month's newsletter we introduced you to the upcoming contour line features and robust printing support that we'll be adding to the Map Suite daily builds. Unfortunately, since that issue, we encountered some unforeseen delays with implementing these features and providing interactive samples to help you understand how to use them.

However, we're happy to report that development of these features is back on track and almost completed. You can expect to be able to download new daily builds and sample apps containing these features during the first week of August.

Don't forget to keep your eye on our Developer Blog and social network feeds to be advised as soon as the new features are ready for download and use. Here's how:

Subscribe to our Developer Blog discussion forum.
Follow us on Twitter.
Become a fan of us on Facebook.

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Get Ready for Map Suite Windows Phone Edition
ThinkGeo Now Offers Free World Data From OpenStreetMap
Update on Contour Lines and Robust Printing Support
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

June 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:23:07 GMT

Coming Soon: Contour Lines and Robust Printing Support in Map Suite

In the next couple of weeks, we'll be releasing an update to our Map Suite GIS .NET controls that includes two major new features: contour lines (also called isolines) and robust printing support. In this month's newsletter, we'll take a look at both of these features and show you how these powerful new tools are going to complement the GIS projects that you build with Map Suite.

We're currently putting the finishing touches on the APIs for these new features and are developing some sample templates that you'll be able to use to get started quickly. All of this will be available for download soon; read on for details about how you can be notified as soon as the new features are ready to use.

Contour Lines

We're adding comprehensive contour line functionality to Map Suite so that you can create visually stunning maps like the one pictured above. Contour lines (also known as isolines) are great for interpolating between points of data taken throughout a geographic region. Examples of this might include plotting the depth of wells or depicting the number of trees in a densely forested area.

Map Suite's upcoming contour line functionality will leverage the power of our Class Break Renderer to draw captivating and colorful maps that include isolines as well as labeled sample points. We'll be shipping a full sample template that produces images like the one above, which you'll be able to modify and learn from.

Printing Support

We're also adding the ability for you to design an attractive printed copy of your maps with an interactive page layout editor. Coupled with the robust new printing APIs that we're adding to Map Suite, our sample application will show you how to put together a layout system that lets your users design the perfect printed page.

The new printing tools will let you dress up your printable maps with labels, datagrids, scale lines and bars, legends and more. You'll be able to get an accurate preview of how your page will look before you print it, and you can utilize Map Suite's built-in PDF export functionality to write the result to a PDF file.

When Will These Features Be Ready?

You'll be able to download an updated copy of Map Suite containing these enhancements -- as well as the sample templates -- within the next week or two. We'll be posting announcements on our websites and social networks when the new features are available for download.

Want to be notified as soon as we've released these updates? Here are the best ways to follow ThinkGeo:

Subscribe to our Developer Blog discussion forum.
Follow us on Twitter.
Become a fan of us on Facebook.

We'll be updating all three avenues as soon as the contour line and printing update is available.

How Will I Get the New Update?

Once it's released, if you're already using Map Suite, the best way to update is to download the most recent daily build. Daily builds can be found on our Customer Portal. Once you login with your ThinkGeo account username and password, simply do the following:

If you have purchased Map Suite, click "My Product Downloads" on the top navigation bar. If you're using a free evaluation of Map Suite, click "Evaluation Daily Builds" on the top navigation bar.
Click the "Daily Development Builds" tab.
Click on the DLL package for the Map Suite product you are using and your download will begin.
Once the file has downloaded, unzip it and you will find that it contains new DLL files for your Map Suite product. These can be copied over the existing ones in your Map Suite installation directory. (You may wish to back up your original DLLs first, in case you would like to revert.)

Stay Tuned!

The contour line and printing functionality will be released soon! Don't forget to subscribe to our forums or social network feeds so you can start using these exciting new features as soon as they're available.

Thanks for choosing Map Suite for your GIS development needs!

Code Samples Roundup: June 2011

Visit the ThinkGeo Wiki for all Code Samples

This month we have several more code samples that demonstrate new features introduced in the May release of Map Suite 5.0. You'll find out how to add a legend to your maps, leverage Map Suite's new native support for TAB files and learn the best practices for developing a mapping app with Silverlight Edition. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to get the latest code samples delivered to you as soon as they're available.

Show a Legend

This project will show you how to display a simple legend using the new and improved LegendAdornmentLayer. The improved LegendAdornmentLayer is new to the Map Suite 5.0 release and provides an easy-to-use API for creating legends. Applicable to all Map Suite editions.

Native TAB File Support

One of the most exciting new features in Map Suite 5.0 is native TAB file support. This project demonstrates how to load and display a TAB file using the new TabFeatureLayer. The example also allows you to add, edit and delete features from the TAB file.

Projection by Analyzing PRJ File

This project demonstrates how to use Map Suite 5.0's new ConvertPrjToProj4 function to dynamically project shapefiles based on the contents of their .PRJ file. This will enable you to build applications that allow users to dynamically add shapefiles with various projections and reproject them dynamically at runtime.

ArcGISServerRestOverlay

In this web-based project, we'll demonstrate the new ArcGISServerRestOverlay exclusive to Map Suite Web Edition 5.0. This overlay gives developers a simple and powerful tool to access their maps that reside on ArcGIS Server. We also have an overview video available on YouTube.

Best Practices - Silverlight Edition

In this Silverlight-based project, we demonstrate the best practices for rendering and querying data that resides on the server or the client. We'll render one shapefile (airports) on the client side and another shapefile (counties) on the server side and give you a ready-to-use sample that demonstrates both methods. Also check out our YouTube view overview (both Part 1 and Part 2).

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Coming Soon: Contour Lines and Robust Printing Support in Map Suite
Code Samples Roundup: June 2011
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

May 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Thu, 19 May 2011 09:32:40 GMT

Map Suite 5.0 Released and Available For Immediate Download

Get the Details and Downloads for Map Suite 5.0

Map Suite 5.0 has arrived! The culmination of the last six months' worth of improvement and enhancement have resulted in a newly-updated suite of GIS products filled with new features and bug fixes. Every Map Suite product comes with over 80 individual improvements, many driven by requests from our user base and Enhancement Tracker suggestions.

Highlights of Map Suite 5.0

Here are some of the biggest new features that we've added to the Map Suite core, which means that they apply to every Map Suite developer component we offer.

Added support for creating GRID files using interpolation.
Using a point-based shapefile, Map Suite 5.0 can create a GRID based on values in the shapefile's data using Inverse Weighted Distance Interpolation. We have a new code sample this month that will show you how it works.
Added support for creating map legends.
Now it's easy to dress up your maps with intuitive legends and keys, which are fully customizable from their size and position to their backgrounds, font styles and much more. You can add legends with just a few lines of code.
Added support for reading and saving PRJ files.
We now have an API that can parse and convert Proj WKT to Proj4 projection strings. This allows you to read the projection information from shapefiles that have accompanying .prj files for easy use with our Proj4Projection class.
Added FDO extension for 64-bit environments.
The FDO extension enables users to work with a wide variety of data file formats in Map Suite. Map Suite 5.0 now includes a new 64-bit FDO extension to eliminate compatibility issues and make development easier.
Added native support for TAB files.
Now Map Suite 5.0 can handle TAB files natively without the need to use the FDO extension. This will make working with TAB files easier, more stable and with fewer hassles than before.
Added Bing Maps layer.
Similar to the GoogleMapsLayer that we added in an earlier release, you can now use the Bing Maps API to display map data and satellite imagery from Bing Maps within your Map Suite projects.
Added WrapDatelineMode property with support for projections.
We have added a new property that allows your maps to pan east and west across the International Date Line. We also have a code sample that demonstrates this behavior in both Decimal Degrees (Lat/Long) and the Spherical Mercator (Google/Bing Maps) projection.

Individual Product Enhancements

In addition to the core improvements above, every Map Suite product has its own set of additions like these:

Added GetBitmap method to Desktop Edition, plus over 90 additional fixes
Upgraded to OpenLayers 2.10 in Web Edition, plus over 90 additional fixes
Natively integrated the Proj4 projection library into Silverlight Edition, plus over 105 additional fixes
Improved lookup performance in Geocoder, plus over 85 additional fixes
Added a method to generate routable shapefiles in the Routing Extension, plus over 80 additional fixes

For a complete list of additions and changes in any Map Suite 5.0 product edition, please review the official product change logs in the ThinkGeo Wiki. To find the change logs, first click on the product that interests you and then scroll down to the "Change Logs" section. For example, here are the change logs for Map Suite Desktop Edition.

Updating Your Copy of Map Suite

Interested in checking out Map Suite 5.0? Upgrading is free for customers with a current Software Assurance Plan! Those of you who are still evaluating Map Suite can also get a free upgrade to version 5.0.

To update your evaluation edition, simply download and install a new copy from our Evaluation Downloads page.
If you've purchased Map Suite, login to the Customer Portal to download an updated full version.

If you're already using Map Suite, don't forget that you can install Map Suite 5.0 alongside your previous version and associate your projects with either one.

Not sure if you qualify for a free upgrade? Give us a call toll-free at 1-866-847-7510 (outside North America, dial +1-785-727-4133) and we'll be happy to assist you.

New Code Samples On the Way

We've already begun posting new Code Samples on the ThinkGeo Wiki that demonstrate some of the new features in Map Suite 5.0 and show you how to get them working in your own projects. Be sure to check out the Code Samples Roundup story below for details.

You Can Help Direct Development of Map Suite 5.5

Don't forget to visit our Enhancement Tracker to vote for or tell us about the features you want to see in the next release of Map Suite, due out later this year. Did the feature you want not make it into Map Suite 5.0? Don't worry -- we may yet include it in a future release! Let us know how important a feature is to you by adding your voice to its discussion topic in the Map Suite Enhancement Discussion forum.

Have Questions or Feedback?

Many thanks to the developers in our Map Suite community forums who have helped us test, debug and improve Map Suite for the 5.0 release. Should you have any questions or suggestions for future improvements, let our developers know by posting your comments on this blog entry, or in the support forum for your particular Map Suite product.

We're already hard at work on Map Suite 5.5, the next major refresh of Map Suite that's scheduled for release this fall. In the meantime, please enjoy working with Map Suite 5.0 and feel free to post your comments, questions and remarks on this topic, or send them to us directly at support@thinkgeo.com.

Thanks for choosing Map Suite for your GIS development needs!

Code Samples Roundup: May 2011

Visit the ThinkGeo Wiki for all Code Samples

Several of our new code samples this month are designed to showcase newly-added features in Map Suite 5.0, specifically Date Line wrapping and interpolated GRID creation. We'll have more code samples posted in the coming days, so don't forget to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to get the latest code samples delivered to you as soon as they're available.

This Month's Featured Projects: Exploring Map Suite 5.0
Please make sure to install a Map Suite 5.0 product before trying out these samples.

WrapDateLine Mode with Projection

In this WPF project, we show a new property of Overlay called WrapDatelineMode that allows you to continuously pan west or east across the International Date Line. You can see in this sample how the behavior for the map works in both Decimal Degrees (Lat/Long) and Spherical Mercator (Google and Bing Maps projection).

Create GRID

A GRID file defines a geographic area as a matrix of cells, each of which has a numeric value representing an attribute. This code samples creates a GRID from a point-based shapefile representing soil pH values of some sample locations in a field. Using the Inverse Weighted Distance interpolation algorithm, we create the GRID with the pH value for the entire extent of the field.

Centering and Rotating WPF

This project is the WPF version of the Services Edition sample "Centering and Rotating On Moving Feature", where we learn how to have the map always centered and rotated based on the location and direction of a moving vehicle. Some additional concepts are also explored.

Spherical Mercator Projection Adjustment

Some of our users have reported that in some cases reprojecting their data to Spherical Mercator (Google/Bing Maps, OpenStreetMap, etc.) is inaccurate with the data being shifted a few hundreds of meters. This example, using the British National Grid (BNG), demonstrates the problem and shows how to resolve it.

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

Now you can download free evaluation demos of our most popular products, including just-released Map Suite 5.0. Our evaluations are fully-functional and contain no locked or inaccessible features. Try Map Suite free for 60 days and see how easy GIS development can be.

In This Issue

Map Suite 5.0 Released and Available For Immediate Download
Code Samples Roundup: May 2011
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

April 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 10:56:50 GMT

Get Ready for the May Release of Map Suite 5.0

Are you ready for Map Suite 5.0? The next major milestone release in our full line of GIS software development products is right around the corner! This May we'll be launching Map Suite 5.0, and along with it, a major update to the ThinkGeo Wiki that will make documentation, example code and sample applications even easier to find and use.

In the coming days, we'll be updating our website with a sneak preview of what's coming your way in Map Suite 5.0 and the ThinkGeo Wiki. Keep your eye on our home page as well as our Discussion Forums for all the latest news.

You can also follow our Twitter feed and subscribe to our Facebook page to get the details as soon as we post them.

In last month's newsletter we told you about the Enhancement Tracker, a new website where you can see the new features and improvements that have been proposed for future releases of Map Suite. Although Map Suite 5.0 has reached code freeze, you can continue to vote and suggest new enhancements for consideration in our next major release of Map Suite, version 5.5, which we expect to introduce later this year. So visit the Enhancement Tracker now and let us know what you want to see.

Stay tuned to our website and social network feeds for the latest news on Map Suite 5.0!

Code Samples Roundup: April 2011

Visit the ThinkGeo Wiki for all Code Samples

We've got a somewhat brief roundup for you this month, as we prepare for the imminent release of Map Suite 5.0. This issue brings you sample code demonstrating adding vertices to track shapes, advanced snapping to layers while editing, and converting Google Maps™ satellite imagery to decimal degrees for display on your Map Suite maps. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to get the latest code samples delivered to you as soon as they're available.

Google Map to Geodetic

This sample code shows you how to get the current extent of your map as Google Maps satellite imagery, then transform the imagery and display it on your map in decimal degrees.

Snapping to Layer 2

This Map Suite code sample improves upon an earlier one that enabled snapping to the nearest vertex of a layer when editing a shape. It addresses performance issues when working on complex polygons.

Preset Vertex To Tracked Polygon

This sample illustrates how to extend TrackInteractiveOverlay to give the ability to add a preset vertex to a track polygon while in the midst of tracking the shape. Handy when you need to add a vertex outside the current extent of the map.

Update: Cygnus Track GPS Device Support

Since the release of Cygnus Track 6.0 last month, we've seen a lot of new subscriber activity and a lot of requests for support of new GPS tracking devices. Thanks to Cygnus Track's new Device Gateway system, adding support for new hardware is easier than ever.

We're pleased to announce that we've integrated support for several new types of GPS tracking devices in recent weeks, including:

CalAmp LMU-4100
Xexun TK102
DCT Antares
Orion SpeedTrack
Falcom Stepp II

The complete list of officially supported GPS devices, as well as port numbers and other data that you'll need to make them work with our Device Gateway, can always be found on our website's GPS Tracking Devices page.

We're currently working on adding support for even more GPS hardware, so if you have a particular model that you want to see supported by Cygnus Track, feel free to let us know by posting in the Cygnus Track Discussion Forums. (You'll need to register for a free account before you can post.)

Have You Tried Cygnus Track 6 Yet?

Cygnus Track is ThinkGeo's full-featured, web-based GPS tracking system, and it's yours to use completely free with up to three tracking devices, or additional devices at affordable rates. Get your free Cygnus Track account and give the system a try today -- with no disabled features and no expiration dates!

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Get Ready for the May Release of Map Suite 5.0
Code Samples Roundup: April 2011
Update: Cygnus Track GPS Device Support
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

March 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 05:08:26 GMT

Vote For New Map Suite Features at the Enhancement Tracker

Vote For Your Favorites or Suggest Your Own

The Discussion Forums have always been a great place for users to suggest new features and enhancements for Map Suite. In fact, they've become such a great resource for new product ideas, we decided to launch the ThinkGeo Enhancement Tracker to keep track of them all. You can even vote for the enhancements that you want to see in an upcoming release of Map Suite!

Using the Enhancement Tracker, you can see some of the most popular suggestions that our users have offered us to help Map Suite better, along with some plans of our own for improving the product. A typical enhancement in the Tracker looks like this:

Click the "Vote Up" button next to your favorite enhancement ideas to tell us you want to see those features in Map Suite. To learn more about an idea, click on its "Discussion Topic" link to visit the forums, where you can review and contribute to the discussion about that feature.

If you don't see the feature you want, simply suggest it using the simple form on the right side of the screen.

Visit the Enhancement Tracker now and cast your vote for the features you most want to see in a future Map Suite release!

Cygnus Track 6.0 Released with Enhanced Developer Support

Get Your Free Cygnus Track 6.0 Account Today

This month, ThinkGeo is excited to announce the release of Cygnus Track 6.0, a major update to our web-based professional GPS tracking solution. The new 6.0 update is of particular interest to Map Suite developers because of its greatly expanded support for programmatic customization. Using the new Device Gateway system and flexible APIs, developers can make Cygnus Track work for them on a whole new level.

Taking GPS Tracking to the Next Level for Developers

Cygnus Track is a great way to remotely track assets like vehicles, equipment, shipments or even employees using a powerful, web-based mapping interface. But more than that, version 6.0 introduces the ability for users to add their own custom device support, integrate Cygnus Track with their internal business systems and much more, thanks to the introduction of the Device Gateway.

The Device Gateway is a centralized database that allows multiple Cygnus Track web portals to interact with a number of different devices in a common and robust way. It consists of a simple set of secure web service APIs that allow developers to easily integrate custom devices or sensor logic into Cygnus Track. This makes custom integration easy and requires no code changes to the Cygnus Track web portal.

If you're interested in putting together a complete business solution for tracking assets, look no further than Cygnus Track. Now, with version 6.0, it contains the true flexibility you need for seamless integration with your business.

Other Great New Features in Cygnus Track 6

We've also unleashed a host of new features in Cygnus Track 6.0, including:

Cygnus Track Starter Edition is now completely free forever with up to three tracking devices
The new Device Simulator tool makes testing Cygnus Track and debugging custom listeners easy
Enhanced tracking screen includes resizable panels, quick links to reports and custom device sensor data visible at each recorded location
The Add New Device wizard helps you set up new devices, organizations, employees and device categories in one place
Multi-browser support now includes Firefox, Chrome and Safari
Our website's new Developer Center is your centralized source of documentation, guides and how-to videos for using Cygnus Track 6.0's new developer-centric features
New Discussion Forums serve as your fast and easy source of official support

Get Your Own Free Cygnus Track Account

Now you can get your own Cygnus Track Starter Edition account absolutely free, no expiration date, no trialware, no disabled features. Track up to three actual devices anywhere in the world for no cost (other than any data charges that may apply from your wireless provider). To get your own Cygnus Track Starter Edition account, simply sign up today.

If you already have a Cygnus Track Starter Edition account, we have even better news: it's been upgraded to version 6.0 free of charge.

Any Questions?

If you'd like to find out more about Cygnus Track, start by checking out the official Cygnus Track website and the new Developer Center. You can also post your questions in the Cygnus Track Discussion Forums, which are monitored by our professional support team.

Alternatively, feel free to contact our friendly sales staff at sales@thinkgeo.com, or by toll-free phone at 1-866-847-7510 (outside North America, please dial 1-785-727-4133).

Code Samples Roundup: March 2011

Visit the ThinkGeo Wiki for all Code Samples

The March 2011 edition of the Code Samples Roundup brings you a wide variety of projects and ideas, ranging from some excellent custom LineStyles for weather fronts to in-depth discussion about datum shifting in UTM and Geographic coordinates. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to get the latest code samples delivered to you as soon as they're available.

Edit Attribute of Shapefile

This sample shows how to edit the attributes of any feature in a Shapefile right there on your map. Simply click on a feature and update its attribute in an inline textbox. You'll find the editing portion of the code in the KeyDown event of the textbox.

Line Style with Increment

This WinForms Desktop project expands on the functions of DistanceLineStyle to create a custom LineStyle that shows a distance increment at a regular interval (in this case, every tenth of a kilometer). This can be very handy when dealing with line networks such as roads or railways.

Local Datum UTM

Get familiar with the concept of datum and datum shifting in UTM and Geographic coordinates in this code sample. These are handy skills when you need to transform from an older datum to a more recent datum. This particular example demonstrates the case where Australia changed its datum from AGD84 to GDA94. You can also check out these links for further reading.

Multiline Labeling

We show in this WPF Desktop sample how easy it is to expand the TextStyle class to allow for the same kind of multi-part labeling capability that we already support for polygons (via LabelAllPolygonParts). Look at the custom class MultiLinetextStyle and how the DrawCore function is overridden to give the expected labeling behavior.

Weather Line Style

In this WPF sample, we learn how to extend the LineStyle class to create a style for representing weather fronts for your weather maps. To achieve that styling, a regular LineStyle is used for the front line itself. For symbolizing the type of front, an icon is used. Notice the handy "Spacing" and "Side" properties that give you even more control.

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

Vote For New Map Suite Features at the Enhancement Tracker
Cygnus Track 6.0 Released with Enhanced Developer Support
Code Samples Roundup: March 2011
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us

February 2011 - ThinkGeo GIS Newsletter

ThinkGeo — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:20:51 GMT

How to Serve Maps to Multiple Clients with Map Suite

Do you need a way to serve maps over the Internet to your entire GIS application's user base? Then you need a Web Map Server, otherwise known as a WMS. Did you know that Map Suite WMS Server Edition is a quick and easy way to set up your own WMS that your client apps can connect to? With a WMS, you can update your maps in real time across your entire client base, and all your clients need is an Internet connection.

How Does Map Suite WMS Server Edition Work?

It's quite simple. With Map Suite WMS Server Edition, your map data resides on a web server. Rather than rely upon a local database for map data, your client applications will connect to that server to retrieve the maps. This makes it easy to keep your maps up-to-date and reduces the size and complexity of your application's distribution package.

The diagram below sums it up:

How Do I Set Up My Own WMS?

You can get started now by downloading a free evaluation of Map Suite WMS Server Edition. Then, review the following guides that we've prepared to help you install, integrate and deploy your WMS server:

Installation Guide
Walks you through installing Map Suite WMS Server Edition on your system.
Quick Start Guide
Helps you get you up to speed with integrating the Map Suite WMS Server Edition map control into your GIS software.
Deployment Guide
Walks you through deploying your WMS server to a production environment.

If you need assistance along the way, the Map Suite WMS Server Support Forum is a great source of help.

Still aren't sure if Map Suite WMS Server is the right solution for you? Want to know more about what it can do? Check out the details on our website, chat online with our friendly staff, or give us a call toll-free at 1-866-847-7510. (If you're outside North America, please dial 1-785-727-4133.)

What If I Need Map Data, Too?

In that case, check out our all-in-one data and WMS server product: Map Suite World Map Kit WMS Server. It combines our polished and professionally-styled maps of the entire world with the same powerful WMS server component found in Map Suite WMS Server Edition. This powerhouse package is an end-to-end solution for serving maps -- you just add your own client software!

If you'd like to see how it works, visit http://maps.thinkgeo.com for a test drive.

Your Thoughts on Out-Of-Browser Support in Silverlight

Add Your Thoughts to the Discussion

One of the new features introduced in Microsoft Silverlight 3 is Out-Of-Browser support. This feature allows a Silverlight application to run outside the confines of a web browser window, which makes it look and behave more like a WPF desktop application. Out-Of-Browser (or OOB) support has been generating a lot of chatter in the .NET development community.

While the Map Suite Silverlight Edition GIS control does not yet support being run Out-Of-Browser, we are interested in getting the community's feedback on OOB and how it benefits you. To do this, we've set up an open discussion on our forums where you can give us your opinions. If you can answer questions like the ones below, we'd love to have you join our discussion:

Are you currently using OOB in other Silverlight applications?
How are you currently using OOB functionality?
What drove you to using OOB?
What do you like, or not like, about running Out-Of-Browser?

Join in our discussion and you'll be helping to directly shape the future of Map Suite Silverlight Edition!

Code Samples Roundup: February 2011

Visit the ThinkGeo Wiki for all Code Samples

We've got several new code samples this month that deal with custom styles, custom projections and clipping on line layers -- all of which apply to all Map Suite product editions. Remember, you can follow us on Twitter or on Facebook to get the latest code samples delivered to you as soon as they're available!

Custom Rotation Projection

Shows how to create your own projection class that allows projecting a layer from any internal projection to any external while doing a rotation at the same time. Handy if the original layer was created in a different projection with the north at an angle and you want to align it on the base map.

Clipping On Line Layer

This WPF sample demonstrates how to perform the "Clipping" geoprocessing on a line-based layer. Similar to clipping on a polygon-based layer, the key geometric function is GetIntersection. This sample requires the latest Development Daily Build assemblies of Map Suite.

Default ValueStyle

Learn the extensibility of Map Suite API by creating a custom Style! Here, we inherit from ValueStyle and create a Default Value Style that handles the drawing of features that don't have a value defined in the ValueStyle. This sample uses a point-based layer, but this technique also applies to line and polygon-based layers.

Free Map Suite Product Downloads!

Try Map Suite Before You Buy

In This Issue

How to Serve Maps to Multiple Clients with Map Suite
Your Thoughts on Out-Of-Browser Support in Silverlight
Code Samples Roundup: February 2011
Free Product Downloads

Do you need a custom GIS solution? Don't have the time or the staff to build it yourself? Let us handle it!

Products & Services

Map Suite
Cygnus Track
Custom GIS Services
Buy Now at the ThinkGeo Store

Support & Documentation

Customer Portal
Discussion Forums
ThinkGeo Wiki
Developer Blog
Product Documentation
Quick Start Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Utilities & Data
Contact Us