Bing Maps:

Platform Services for Location-Based Solutions

The Bing Maps Platform brings location data to life by making it easier to visualize, understand, and
analyze. The rich imagery, quality geospatial data, and leading-edge technology of Bing Maps is
already being used by thousands of organizations, governments, and developers worldwide. Choose
from a robust set of APIs to build innovative applications that quickly display data, excite end users, and
improve business insight.

Options to use the Bing Maps Platform for free are available to developers at all types of organizations.
Find out more at http://www.microsoft.com/maps/product/licensing.aspx.

Start developing with Bing Maps:

Web Controls
Bing Maps AJAX Control. Lets developers make requests
via JavaScript to an AJAX map object. The AJAX control combines
rich mapping and enterprise-class application development
with an intuitive JavaScript programming model.
Bing Maps Silverlight Control. Provides a powerful,
enhanced, and differentiated mapping experience, including latest
location and local search features along with multimedia, Deep
Zoom, and other Silverlight objects in native .NET code using
Visual Studio and Expression Blend. Silverlight Control also can be
used with a scriptable interface without .NET.
Web Services
Bing Maps Web Services. Bing Maps Web Services (BMWS)
provides SOAP/XML Web service access to static map images (.gif,
.jpeg, and .png), direct map tile access, one-box search function-
ality, geocoding, reverse geocoding, and routing. These services
also integrate with features in the Bing Maps Silverlight Control to
provide a complete Web mapping application feature set.
MapPoint Web Service. The MapPoint Web Service (MWS)
uses industry-proven Web services available from Microsoft since
2002. The MWS core strength includes the ability to use customer-
specific data to perform proximity and route searching and line
drive maps.

Which APIs are best for your needs?

Geocoding AJAX Silverlight BMWS MWS

Geocoding. Get the most accurate locations around X X8 X X2

the world through one geocoding interface and
leverage datasets with MapView, Reverse IP, and
Culture.2

Reverse Geocoding. Find the closest street address X X8 X X

based on latitude and longitude coordinates derived
from a GPS, mobile device, or map click events.

International Geocoding. Enable users to find in- X X8 X X

ternational addresses. Reverse geocoding is available
anywhere Bing Maps has routing.

Accurate Results. Geocode with high accuracy X X8 X X

parcel geocodes to pinpoint the address location.
This covers 71 million unique addresses – 55 percent
of all addresses in the U.S.
Routing/Directions AJAX Silverlight BMWS MWS

One-Click Directions. Provide directions in one X8 X

click, including route options such as shortest time,
shortest distance, or traffic flow.

Expose Route Geometry. Access route geometry to X X8 X

perform spatial queries and draw customized routes
on maps.

Localized Directions. Localized market data is sup- X X8 X X

ported in the API, along with localized maps, walk-
ing3, and driving directions in 13 languages.

Landmark Hints. Offer customers in the U.S. and X X8

Canada turn-by-turn directions that feature familiar
landmarks by name, such as gas stations and fast-
food restaurants.

Parse/Search AJAX Silverlight BMWS MWS

Enhanced Location Search. Infer user intent by X X8 X X

finding locations using alternate and similar spellings.

Proximity Search. Return a list of points of interest X X8 X X

based on proximity to a selected location.4

Property Filtering. Refine any business listing search X

by filtering on properties such as user rating, cuisine,
atmosphere, and amenities. Get suggestions on
filters that can be used to further refine a business
listing search.

Bing Maps Customer Data Sources/Find Nearby. X

Query customer-hosted data, find nearby locations,
and display them on Bing Maps.

Map Tiles/Imagery AJAX Silverlight BMWS MWS

Enhanced Bird’s Eye1 View. Visualize locations from X X X

a high-resolution 45-degree oblique perspective and
experience smooth zooming and panning across im-
agery types for a truly immersive viewing experience.

Streetside™. Travel down to the street level to X X X

explore locations as if you were standing there in
person.

Aerial Views. Show rich aerial ortho photography X X X

images of land and building objects.

Traffic Flow Data. Leverage support for traffic-tile X X X

fetching and pre-rendered traffic flow data. This data
is only available through BMWS GetMapUri method
(static maps, not tiles).

Localized Maps. Provide localized map applications X X X X

in U.S. English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian.
Japanese available for Japan.
Map Tiles/Imagery
Continued AJAX Silverlight BMWS MWS

Maps for Mobile Devices. Build mobile applications X X

with optimized geocoding and map tiles optimized
specifically for mobile devices.

Tile Over-Fetching. Programmatically enable tile X X N/A* N/A

downloading to either increase panning performance
or optimize page load time.

Tile Layers. Easy-to-use tile layer interface used for add- X X N/A N/A
ing, deleting, showing, and hiding tile layers. This allows
integration of GIS and other data as a map overlay.

Other Web Mapping Features AJAX Silverlight BMWS MWS

Support for Open Standards. Support for KML and X

GeoRSS. Import shapes, pushpins, and polylines using
widely-used standards for geographically-encoded objects.

Info/Popup Boxes. Shapes can store HTML and CSS X X9

content providing the ability to fully customize the
look, feel, and content of information boxes. These
boxes can also be shown or hidden programmatically.

Keyboard and Mouse Events. Override almost any X X

default keyboard or mouse event, and change it to
execute anyBing Maps map action.

Shapes and Shape Layers. Customize and modify X X

pushpins, polylines, and polygons, line colors and
widths, and transparencies of shapes, as well as add
custom icons. Shape management capabilities allow
grouping of pushpins, polylines, and polygons and the
ability to show or hide a group of shapes, as well as
make changes to individual shapes. Add multiple
pushpins in a single call with enhanced performance –
rather than adding multiple pushpins separately.

Customizable Navigation Controls. Control how end X X9 X X

users interact with the mapping interface by utilizing
different options for the size of navigation controls.

Mini-map. The mini-map provides a small map X X9 N/A N/A

legend from a higher view, giving users better
bearings as they navigate. The mini-map uses a
box to indicate the section of map currently being
viewed as it relates to a larger map section.

Upload Custom Data/Bulk Geocoding. Enterprise X

customers can upload and bulk geocode any of their
own spatial data to our cloud and serve it down to their
customers, saving overhead and increasing performance.

Pushpin Collision Avoidance. Allow users to zoom X X X

out on a map to better visualize a cluster of geo-
coded points. They can also zoom in to get more
information on an individual site.

High Volume Vector Data. Support for thousands X

of vectors in points, lines, and polygons can be
loaded on the map, allowing for the display and
interaction with more data on the map.
 Other Web Mapping Features
Continued AJAX Silverlight BMWS MWS

Embedded Multimedia. Add video, images, and X X X X

other multimedia to the map. (via info window) (via info window) (via info window)

Support Deep Zoom. Add rich map zooming features. X N/A N/A

Localization Support AJAX Silverlight BMWS MWS

Driving Directions: Czech – Czech Republic, Danish X X8 X X

– Denmark, Dutch – Netherlands, English – Australia,
English – Canada, English – India, English – United
Kingdom, English – United States, Finnish – Finland,
French – Canada, French – France, German – Germany,
Italian – Italy, Norwegian (Bokmal) – Norway,
Portuguese – Brazil, Spanish – Mexico, Spanish –
Spain, Spanish – United States, Swedish – Sweden

Map Labels: English – United States, French – X X X

Canada, French – France, German – Germany, Italian
– Italy, Japanese – Japan7, Spanish – Mexico, Spanish –
Spain, Spanish – United States

Geocoding: Czech – Czech Republic, Danish – X X8 X X

Denmark, Dutch – Netherlands, English – Canada,
English – United States, Finnish –Finland, French –
Canada, French – France, German – Germany,
Italian – Italy, Japanese – Japan, Norwegian (Bokmal) –
Norway, Portuguese – Brazil, Spanish – Spain,
Spanish – United States, Swedish – Sweden

Map Control Dashboard: English, Italian, French, X X

Spanish, German, Japanese

Platform Support AJAX Silverlight BMWS MWS

Browser Support: IE6, IE7, IE8, Firefox 2, Firefox 3, X X X X

Safari 2 (Mac), Safari 3 (Mac)

* N/A means not applicable. An unchecked box means that the feature is not
available in that API.
1 Available in many metropolitan areas. Not available for government customers.
2 MapPoint Web Service does not take advantage of Map View, Reverse IP, and
Culture contextual information to improve relevance.
3 Walking directions are available in the United States and the European Union.
4 Bing Map Control only supports searching for YP listings.
5 Search along route supported by MapPoint Web Service only.
6 Traffic tile overlays available only for authenticated paying customers.
7 Only available in the Map Control.
8 Via Bing Maps Web Service APIs, calls from Silverlight, or AJAX clients.
9 Silverlight Control is customizable via XAML and SDK

Learn More
To get the latest news and resources for developing on the Start building your application today.
Bing Maps Platform, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/
Get a Bing Maps account at
maps/developers.
You can also access SDKs and review regularly-updated articles
http://www.bingmapsportal.com
about developing with Bing Maps, guidance on using the
map control, as well as documentation for all the platform
components, on MSDN located here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd877180.aspx.