Azure

Expanded Azure Maps protection, preview of Azure Maps suggestions website, and extra

This weblog put up was co-authored by Ricky Brundritt, Principal Technical Program Supervisor, Azure Maps.

Azure Maps companies proceed to increase our assist for Microsoft enterprise clients’ wants in Azure. And, we’ve been busy increasing our capabilities. In the present day we’re saying Azure Maps is now out there in Argentina, India, Morocco, and Pakistan. We now have additionally launched a brand new Azure Maps knowledge suggestions website that’s now in preview. As well as, we’re additionally introducing a number of enhancements which can be out there by way of our Representational state switch (REST) companies and Azure Maps net and Android SDKs.

Here’s a run-down of the brand new options:

Azure Maps is accessible in new international locations and areas

Azure Maps is now out there in Argentina, India, Morocco, and Pakistan and these areas require particular consideration for utilizing maps. Azure Maps will now empower our clients to make use of the suitable map views in these areas. To be taught extra about learn how to request knowledge by way of our REST companies and SDKs for the brand new areas and international locations listed above, please see our Azure Maps localization web page.

Introducing preview of Azure Maps knowledge suggestions website

To serve the freshest map knowledge as doable to our clients and as a straightforward means to offer map knowledge suggestions, we’re introducing the Azure Maps knowledge suggestions website. The brand new website empowers our clients to offer direct knowledge suggestions, particularly on enterprise factors of curiosity and residential addresses. The suggestions goes on to our knowledge suppliers and their map editors who can rapidly consider and incorporate suggestions into our mapping merchandise. To learn to present various kinds of suggestions utilizing the Azure Maps suggestions website, please see our How-to information.

Azure Maps Feedback Site

 

REST service enhancements

Focal point knowledge updates

When requesting focal point knowledge, you may wish to limit the outcomes to particular manufacturers. For instance, your state of affairs is to solely present fuel stations underneath a selected model to your finish customers. To assist this, we’ve added the aptitude to incorporate one or a number of manufacturers in your request to restrict the search outcomes. To be taught extra, please see our How-to Information article the place we share helpful tricks to name knowledge by way of Azure Maps search companies.

As well as, Azure Maps now returns hours of operation for factors of curiosity like enterprise listings. We return the opening hours for the subsequent week, beginning with the present day within the native time of the focus. This data can be utilized to higher optimize your deliberate routes, and for instance, present finish customers retailer places which can be open throughout a selected timeframe.

Sundown and dawn instances

Based on a latest report from the World Alliance for Buildings and Building, buildings building and operations account for 36 p.c of worldwide ultimate power use and practically 40 p.c of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions when upstream energy era is taken into account. To create influence with IoT and assist to fight local weather change and optimize buildings for power effectivity, Get Timezone by Coordinates API now returns sundown and dawn instances for a given coordinate location. Builders can automate machine messages of their IoT options, for instance, by constructing guidelines to schedule heating and cooling through the use of dawn and sundown instances mixed with telemetry messages from a wide range of gadgets and sensors. 

Cartography and styling updates

Focal point knowledge rendering

To offer richer and extra informative map knowledge content material, we’ve pushed up sure focal point knowledge in order that sure classes seem at larger ranges. In consequence, airport icons are rendered at zoom ranges 10 to 22.

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Focal point icons for vital vacationer sights like museums, and railway and metro stations are displayed on zoom ranges 12 to 22. As well as, universities, faculties, and faculties are proven on zoom ranges 13 to 22.

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State boundaries and abbreviated state names

To enhance usability and provides extra detailed views, state boundaries are pushed up within the knowledge in order that they seem already at zoom degree 3. Abbreviated state names are additionally now proven in zoom degree.

Azure Maps State Boundaries Update

Clean map types in net SDK

Typically it’s helpful to have the ability to visualize knowledge on high of a clean canvas or to switch the bottom maps with customized tile layers. With this within the thoughts the Azure Maps net SDK now helps two new map types; clean and blank_accessible. The clean map type won’t render any base map knowledge, nor will it replace the display reader on the place the map is centered over. The blank_ accessible type will proceed to offer display reader updates with location particulars of the place the map is positioned, regardless that the bottom map isn’t displayed. Please be aware, you’ll be able to change the background colour of net SDK through the use of the CSS background-color type of the map DIV ingredient.

Internet SDK enhancements

The Azure Maps workforce has made many additions and enhancements to the net SDK. Beneath is a more in-depth have a look at among the key enhancements.

Cluster aggregates

Clustering of level knowledge primarily based on zoom degree could be carried out to scale back the visible muddle on the map and make it simpler to make sense of the information. Typically clusters are represented utilizing a logo with the variety of factors which can be inside the cluster, nevertheless generally chances are you’ll wish to additional customise the type of clusters primarily based on a metric like the full income of all factors inside a cluster. With cluster aggregates, customized properties could be created and populated utilizing an mixture expression. To be taught extra please see our Azure Maps documentation.

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Aggregating knowledge in clusters

Picture templates

The Azure Maps net SDK makes use of WebGL for rendering most knowledge on the map. Image layers can be utilized to render factors on the map with a picture, line layers can have photographs rendered alongside it, and polygon layers could be rendered with a fill sample picture. As a way to guarantee good efficiency, these photographs must be loaded into the map picture sprite useful resource earlier than rendering. The net SDK already offers a few photographs of markers in a handful of colours, nevertheless, there may be an infinite variety of colour combos that builders could wish to use. With this in thoughts now we have ported the SVG template performance for HTML markers over to the picture sprite and have added 42 picture templates, 27 image icons, and 15 polygon fill patterns. You may simply outline a main and secondary colour in addition to a scale for every template when loading it into the map picture sprite. These templates will also be used with HTML markers as properly. Take a look at our documentation and see our Strive it now instrument to be taught extra.

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Pictures can be utilized HTML markers and numerous layers inside the Azure Maps Internet SDK

Further notable enhancements to the net SDK:

  • Accessibility enhancements – The workforce has spent lots of time enhancing accessibility within the net SDK and guaranteeing that each person is ready to use the map. A significant a part of this consisted of leveraging the vector tiles of the bottom map in order that we will present extremely correct descriptions of what the map is rendering.
  • Restrict spinning of the globe – By default the map mimics a globe by permitting the person to infinitely scroll the map west or east. When the person is zoomed out, generally the map will render extra copies of the globe to fill within the clean area. That is nice for many situations, however some builders favor having a single copy of the globe that doesn’t scroll infinitely. Now this may be configured utilizing the brand new renderWorldCopies map choice.
  • Simply present all map types in type picker – Up till now, when you needed to point out all map types within the type picker management you needed to record all of them in an array within the mapStyles choice. Now you merely set this feature to “all.”
  • Picture overlay georeferencing instruments – When georeferencing a picture to overlay on the map, generally all you might have is a few reference factors (i.e. pixels to positions) which could not be the corners of the picture. We added some features which can be utilized to appropriately georeference the picture. We additionally added instruments for reprojecting between pixels and positions relative to the picture. For instance, when you’ve got a picture of a flooring plan displayed on the map, you’ll be able to take any map place and decide its pixel coordinate on the unique picture and vice versa.
  • New spatial math features – A number of new spatial math features have been added. One of many new spatial math features we added will calculate the closest level to a location that falls on the sting of one other geometry object. This has lots of use instances, resembling primary snapping of factors to strains or just figuring out how far off the trail one thing is.
  • Pitch contact assist – Now you can pitch the map utilizing contact, with two-finger drag up/down.
  • Popup customizations – Up till now you possibly can solely have a popup with a white background and pointer arrow. Now you’ll be able to set the colour of the popup and optionally cover the pointer arrow. Popups will also be made draggable now too!
  • Form and Information supply occasions – New occasions for monitoring adjustments to shapes and knowledge sources.

Tile layers within the Android SDK

The Azure Maps workforce launched an Android SDK into preview earlier this 12 months. It is ready to render level, line, and polygon knowledge. The workforce has now added assist for rendering tile layers. Tile layers are a good way to visualise giant knowledge units on the map. Not solely can a tile layer be generated from a picture, however vector knowledge will also be rendered as a tile layer too. By rendering vector knowledge as a tile layer, the map management solely must load the tiles which could be a lot smaller in file dimension than the vector knowledge they characterize. This method is utilized by many who have to render thousands and thousands of rows of knowledge on the map.

Azure Maps Tile Layers in the Android SDK

Rendering tile layers inside the Azure Maps Android SDK

We wish to hear from you!

We’re at all times working to develop and enhance the Azure Maps platform and wish to hear from you. We’re right here to assist and wish to ensure you get probably the most out of the Azure Maps platform.

  • Have a characteristic request? Add it or vote up the request on our suggestions website.
  • Having a difficulty getting your code to work? Have a subject you desire to us to cowl on the Azure weblog? Ask us on the Azure Maps boards.
  • Searching for code samples or wrote a fantastic one you wish to share? Be a part of us on GitHub.
  • To be taught extra, learn the Azure Maps documentation.
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