With the MapQuest® Platform: Free Edition, developers can use the MapQuest Platform’s open map APIs and developer tools to build innovative mapping solutions for a wide range of web, wireless and desktop applications. Free Edition offers free access to many of the features and functionality of the MapQuest Platform, an advanced geospatial web services platform and comprehensive toolset.

Whether you’re building something cool for a start-up or creating a map mashup for your blog, our free open map APIs and developer mapping tools make it easy for you to include custom data into your map application. You’ll have the flexibility to mix and match languages and features to build your mapping application just the way you want it.

The MapQuest Platform: Free Edition includes free unlimited use of the following features so you can create an engaging online experience for your users:

• Maps and Aerial Imagery
• Advanced spatial search and reliable geocoding
• Routing capabilities that provide driving directions including the U.S. and many international locations

Access to the MapQuest Platform: Free Edition also gives you full use of:

• Six free map APIs and developer tools
• MapQuest’s Data Manager for uploading and managing your location data to incorporate spatial searching within your application

The MapQuest Platform – Sample Controls, Overview Map

The MapQuest Platform - Globe View

The MapQuest Platform

The MapQuest® Platform provides a framework so developers don’t have to build online mapping applications from scratch. You’ll have a foundation to develop and integrate free mapping solutions for your unique situation. The MapQuest Platform provides functionality in three areas Visualization, Search, and Guidance.

• Visualization functions relate to the way users manipulate digital cartographic maps and aerial and satellite imagery.
• Search functionality enables users to enter an address, description, or other location information to find places within a predefined boundary.
• With Guidance functions, users can get walking or driving directions to the destinations of their choice.

These services combine mapping data from a variety of industry-leading sources, including data for many international locations.

Free Edition Features

Developer Productivity

MapQuest Platform Services provides a broad collection of "out of the box" capabilities for building advanced interactive mapping applications. Developers can implement many mapping features with just a few lines of code and draw from a library of code snippets and sample applications from the MapQuest Developer Network to get a free mapping solution up and running quickly.

Developer Choice

MapQuest Platform Services offers an array of free mapping APIs that open the door to greater interactivity, lower development cost, and quicker rollout of your mapping solutions. The MapQuest Platform: Free Edition’s flexible open map APIs allow developers to build rich multi-media applications using a variety of supported programming languages and environments:

• JavaScript™ API
• AS3 API
• FUJAX API
• Java™ API
• C++ API
• .NET API

JavaScript™ API

With our JavaScript API you can create interactive pages and easily integrate them into a JavaScript-based website.

Adobe® Flex® and Flash™ (AS3 API)

Our AS3 API allows you to build map applications using native Adobe® ActionScript™ 3. Developers and designers can access the MapQuest Platform with the AS3 API using the components included for Adobe® Flex™ Builder™ 2 and Adobe® Creative Suite® 3 (CS3), making building free mapping applications a drag and drop experience.

• No Server-Side Proxy Needed - When you build applications that run in Flash, you are no longer required to have a proxy server to handle traffic back to the MapQuest servers.

FUJAX API – (Flash Under JavaScript And XML)

This AJAX performance booster enables developers to write applications in JavaScript that leverage the power of Flash.

Java™ API

You can use our Java API when you need to leverage the full capabilities of the Java language and deploy to a scalable, powerful cross-platform infrastructure.

C++ API

Server-side applications that require speed and performance will benefit from our C++ API.

.NET API

Our .NET API provides access to the capabilities of the MapQuest Platform when building .NET based applications.

International Coverage

The MapQuest Platform: Free Edition offers coverage for many international locations.

Visualization Services

A Rich Mapping Interface

The MapQuest Platform enables you to build mapping applications that allow your users to display, interact with, and customize high-quality maps, including applications with a drag and pan interface. Free Edition gives you access to these features so you can create Rich Internet Applications (RIA) with our JavaScript, FUJAX or AS3 APIs:

• Aerial Imagery and Hybrid Views – Satellite imagery and aerial photography for your mapping solution.
• Smart Rollovers – Rollover windows that adapt their size and positioning on the map based on the content placed in the window.
• Smooth Zoom – Animated transitions between zoom levels.
• Globe View – A map of the world presented as an interactive globe.
• "Flickable" Maps – Maps that continue to pan based on pan speed and friction settings.
• Advanced Shape Overlays - Build applications that allow users to create and interact with a variety of overlays on maps, including shapes such as custom lines, polygons, rectangles, and ellipses. You can also add image overlays that can be used to represent boundaries, or place scalable images on a map, such as heat-maps or building floor plans you’ve custom created.
• Advanced Map Marker Features - With the MapQuest "declutter mode," automatically move collided markers to positions on the map with a leader line pointing to their original location. The "drag and snapback" feature allows users to drag markers around the map, which then "snap back" to their original location.

Search Services

Geocoding

Geocoding is the process of translating location information into a latitude and longitude. The MapQuest Platform: Free Edition provides a service built on proprietary technology using the U.S. Census Bureau’s TIGER data to deliver reliable geocodes within the United States. Other geocoding features include:

• Multi-line and Single-line Geocoding – Provide locations either in single or multiple lines.
• Real-time Batch Geocoding – Our service allows you to geocode up to 100 locations in a single request to the service.
• Reverse Geocoding – Convert a latitude and longitude point into an address.
• Postal Code and City and Town Geocoding – Our service allows you to geocode postal codes and cities in many areas of the world.

Proximity Searches and Searches by Drive Time

You can build the capabilities that allow your users to search for locations in a number of ways, including:

• Search for locations within a defined geographic area such as a radius, a rectangle or a user-specified polygon.
• Search for locations along a route.
• Search according to driving distance or driving time.

Points of Interest

With Free Edition, you have access to the MapQuest database of more than three million business listings to enrich any application you build with the MapQuest Platform.

Simplified Data Management

MapQuest gives you access to simple tools to upload and manage your location information to help keep your website accurate and relevant.

Guidance Services

Powerful Routing

Your users can generate maps and driving directions from one location to another or create an optimized route spanning multiple stops. MapQuest’s proprietary routing algorithms are the same used on the leading U.S. mapping website*, MapQuest.com.

Ready to Get Started?

Sign up for the MapQuest Platform: Free Edition on the MapQuest Developer Network and start building innovative mapping applications today.

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* comScore media metrics, US Mapping, 2004-2007 rates MapQuest as having the most Unique Visitors