Programming MapPoint in .NET

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Programming MapPoint in .NET

Some software books are written to capitalize on a wildlysuccessful technology. Others are created to satisfy a personal itch. Stillothers are written to serve an elite contingency of developers who have madeinvestments in specialized technologies, either personally or through thecompany they work for, and need guidance on maximizing their knowledge on thatproduct or service. Doing so will hopefully leverage the technology to do thebidding of its benefactors. ProgrammingMapPoint in .NET falls into this last category, but instead of highlightingthe amazing capabilities that the technology delivers, it casts discomfort (atleast in this reviewer s mind) on Microsoft s Geographic Information System(GIS) offering compared to competing products the most well known beingGoogle Maps and Google Earth.

As a Microsoft developer, I want to use my progressivecoding skills toward writing innovative solutions for my company, clients,friends, and family to marvel upon. After reading Programming MapPoint, I concluded that MapPoint will not be myfirst choice for exercising variable GIS ideas, particularly as they apply toconnected location-based and location-enabled applications. Why? Because authorChandu Thota has informed me via his book that in addition to the cost of aMapPoint client application license, developers only have a 60-day trial ofMicrosoft s MapPoint Web service. Even though this evaluation period can beextended, there s still a toll awaiting any MapPoint developer who wants toextend their service to the world. Microsoft needs to at least be at paritywith Google Maps in this regard. Additionally, the meager handful of MapPointexamples pales in comparison to the thousands of innovative designs Google Mapusers have conjured up.

OK, so Microsoft doesn t want to give away the store and isstill seeking a way to monetize a Web service. Unfortunately, little wasdescribed in this book that made me enthusiastic about paying for such aservice in light of the mash-ups I ve seen developers create with Google Maps. But perhaps the most disappointing discovery I made (as a .NETdeveloper) reading this book was that MapPoint doesn t provide native .NETassemblies. Programmatic manipulation of MapPoint is done via COMInterop, with much of the code demos in the book showing how to corral the COMobjects into .NET wrappers. The scary thing is that these code wrappers arelate-in-the-game stepping stones to true .NET assemblies. If and when theMapPoint team re-engineers the product for native .NET Framework goodness isn teven suggested in the book. This theme of unfinished business carries into thefourth and last part of the book on Microsoft s Virtual Earth, which isobviously oriented to directly compete with Google Maps and, perhaps to a muchlesser extent, Google Earth. In that section, Thota glosses over some JavaScriptexamples to tool around with while the MapPoint team shores up this service. Inthe meantime, the section carries a based on beta product and undocumented API s disclaimer that may change significantly in future versions. In other words, caveat emptor to any developer lookingto write serious long-term Web interfaces to this technical offering.

Are there redeeming qualities about the book? Absolutely. Being the MapPoint point man at Microsoft,Thota is an excellent (albeit biased) source of knowledge on the technology. Readerswill undoubtedly work and program MapPoint more competently after reading thisbook. Code examples are clear, concise, and easy to follow. And for thosereaders who lament the lack of color in O Reilly books, Programming MapPoint features an 8-page center section reproducing incolor some of the more interesting screen shots.

But in general, this book enrages rather than enlightens, missinga grand opportunity to show why MapPoint is worth the fiscal investment intoits exclusive club. Instead, it made me want to seek a book on Google Maps tosee how I could do more for less.

Mike Riley

Rating:

Title: Programming MapPoint in .NET

Author: ChanduThota

Publisher: O Reilly

ISBN: 0-596-00906-2

Web Site: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/mappoint/index.html

Price: US$49.95

Page Count: 372