Global Routing, My Map Edits and Open Guidance Service Among Suite of New Developer Features
DENVER– MapQuest, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL), today released a series of new tools for developers, new sites for the OpenStreetMap (OSM) community, and new global routing for all.
“For instance, MapQuest’s new worldwide routing is based on OSM data submitted by map contributors, effectively providing for directions from Dublin all the way to Shanghai.”
“We truly see the OSM movement as a global initiative, so it’s important to us that we continue to invest with sites and features that provide for accurate and comprehensive mapping, as well as useful development,” said Christian Dwyer, senior vice president and general manager, MapQuest. “For instance, MapQuest’s new worldwide routing is based on OSM data submitted by map contributors, effectively providing for directions from Dublin all the way to Shanghai.”
MapQuest has launched a total of 19 country- and language-specific “open” sites in nations around the world since July 2010, including an additional eight sites which launched today in:
* Canada: open.mapquest.ca (English)
* Haiti: open.mapquest.ht (French)
* Puerto Rico: open.mapquest.com.pr (American Latin Spanish)
* Brazil: open.mapquest.com.br (Iberian Portuguese)
* Venezuela: open.mapquest.com.ve (Spanish)
* Chile: open.mapquest.cl (Spanish)
* Portugal: open.mapquest.com.pt (Iberian Portuguese)
* Finland: open.mapquest.fi (Finnish)
These “living maps” are improved by contributors who can easily add content and details that make the map more timely, relevant and useful. Additionally, MapQuest’s new “My Map Edits” saves places an individual has edited to quickly and easily recall the maps he or she has contributed to, and see how the maps have been enriched by those contributions and others over time.
MapQuest also recently launched alternate routes, open guidance service, open JavaScript SDK and aerial tiles. Alternate routes will be shown if there is more than one good alternate driving direction option in addition to your main route. The open guidance service allows developers to incorporate turn-by-turn guidance service through the OSM data in their apps; the open JavaScript SDK means developers needn’t establish their own stack for building and can enjoy point-of-interest (POI) support, directions, including draggable routes, and Nominatim search; and the aerial tiles, mostly from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Agriculture Imagery Program, are now hosted on MapQuest to provide open and unencumbered aerial imagery for any use whatsoever, including tracing, or as an alternative imagery layer on a website. For more details, visit MapQuest’s developer blog.
To get involved in the OSM movement, visit www.openstreetmap.org or send an e-mail to osm@mapquest.com
About MapQuest
MapQuest provides Internet, mobile, and business solutions delivering on the promise of helping people research and discover: where is it, how I get there and what’s nearby. MapQuest is one of the leading mapping brands online, offering maps and directions, and reaching more than 42.5 million users in December 2010, according to comScore Media Metrix. MapQuest’s mobile solutions are compatible with a variety of mobile devices, including iPhone and BlackBerry devices. MapQuest, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Inc., is based in Denver, Colo.