Late last year, Google announced that their Maps API and Google Maps Imagery would become a charged serôÙvice for high volôÙume users. AnyôÙone hostôÙing more than 25,000 daily map views would incur charges accordôÙing to this pricôÙing scheme. It is imporôÙtant to note that, not only is the API restricted, but the imagery (google maps layôÙers) is restricted in the same fashôÙion. For those that use any other API but still call upon Google base layôÙers, the restricôÙtion of 25,000 daily map views still holds true. Now, this webôÙsite cerôÙtainly wonãt genôÙerôÙate that kind of trafôÙfic anyôÙtime in the near future, but there cerôÙtainly are those kinds of webôÙsites on the interôÙnet that have well over a milôÙlion page views a day. Those that first come to mind are travel serôÙvice providers and real-estate agenôÙcies. Both serôÙvices use maps as spaôÙtial deciôÙsion supôÙport toolsô (eg. where should I live? where should we visit?). I am takôÙing this opporôÙtuôÙnity to round up the APIs that I am familôÙiar with and would recôÙomôÙmend to those makôÙing the move away from Google.
Mar 102012
Aug 222011
An interôÙestôÙing form of carôÙtogôÙraôÙphyô to say the least!ô TypoôÙgraphic maps have been around for some time, and only recentlyô was I exposed to the conôÙcept. PerôÙhaps my favourite (and quoted by many) are the maps proôÙduced by Axis Maps. They proôÙduce some of the most jaw-dropping typoôÙgraphic repôÙreôÙsenôÙtaôÙtions of cities that I have ever seen. I parôÙticôÙuôÙlarly like their use of white space (and by use, I mean there isnãt much white space left untouched!). Which leads me to the point of this post.ô I have been toyôÙing with the idea of proôÙducôÙing some ConôÙtinue reading ô£