Latitude/longitude to exact location translator

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lonifasiko
  • Start date Start date
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Lonifasiko

I need a utility/tool/library or web service that can give the named
position (city name, street name...) in which I'm at the moment. I
could be able to provide this tool/web service the latitude and
longitude in which I'm loacted at the moment.

I need a latitude/longitude to exact location translator, and not only
valid for the USA. If it's free, better of course.

I've read something about MapPoint, but can't figure out how it does
really work.

Could anybody give any suggestion around this issue?

Thanks in advance.
 
Thanks Alex.

Yes, I've already taken a look at MapPoint web service. I now have to
check if it supports maps and locations from all over the world,
specially Europe and Spain, because there are many "products" that only
offer USA support, for example U.S. Geocoder.

I've also heard about a service that Google is bound to set up, or just
have released and even patented.

I don't know, I would like to hear more opinions around this issue and
no, it's not for personal use.

I'm sure there are more people wanting this kind of translator service
and I was almost sure a free webservice could have been developed to
point worldwide the exact location of anybody providing latitude and
longitude. I think providing this free service could be a really good
idea (affordable for many of the GIS and Software giants), seeing that
GPS devices are becoming so common in these days.

These are my deep thoughts of course........

Hope to hear more replies around this issue. Regards.
 
What I now really would need is geocoding support, that is, translation
of latitude and longitude into an exact point in the planet. In the
nvery near future, I could start thinking about showing maps on PPC
and....we'll see.

I think Google Maps is still in beta and that cannot be viewed in PPC.
This thread I started was rapidly answered indeed:

http://groups.google.es/group/Googl...265d72295f1/a0e756a93e4b18d4#a0e756a93e4b18d4)

It's strange Europe not having good enough cartography to offer a
service of this characteristics.

What about the actual GPS Navigators installed in new cars? I suppose
the vendors (TomTom Mobile, etc.) will have their own cartographic
service, but would not provide geocoding and reverse geocoding, would
they?

GIS .NET 1.0 is another alternative I've been playing with, but it is
only map-oriented I think and the maps (.shp format files) you can
freely download are not good enough for Europe.

Regards.
 
If you want to work in conjunction with an external navigation application
this is certainly possible. We use TomTom in our line of business apps - I'm
currently working with their v5 SDK for .NETCF and I'm hoping to make the
library publicly available. In terms of functionality you can do a
GetLocationInfo to bring back an address from a lat/long position. You can
also do a Geocode to get co-ordinates from an address. And of course you can
display a map or set navigation to a specified location.
The maps available seem to be fairly comprehensive for western Europe, we
only use the UK maps. They are good but like all navigation software they
are not perfect, most are at least 1 year out of date and sometimes don't
know about all one-way streets and traffic restrictions.

Peter
 
Good to hear that notice Peter,

For what you are saying, I would be able with TomTom v5 SDK to bring
back an address from a lat/long position? How much does the TomTom SDK
cost?

If you are working with their SDK (C++ or pure C I suppose), I guess
you are planning to make publicly available a wrapper for .NETCF,
aren't you? That would be fantastic for me! But could you do it
publicly available if SDK is not free?

Please keep me informed Peter about the public library you mentioned.
And one more time, very big thanks for all your effort and for
contributing people to love .NETCF.

Kind regards.
 
Hello Lonifasiko,
For what you are saying, I would be able with TomTom v5 SDK to bring
back an address from a lat/long position? How much does the TomTom SDK
cost?
Click to expand...
Have a look at http://www.handango.com/tomtom/basket.jsp?addItem=169310.
But I don't know if the price includes the maps and the geographic data.
I guess not. So because these often are very expensive you wouldn't find
any solution for free, neither a PPC navigation software/SDK nor a Web
service or something other.
If you are working with their SDK (C++ or pure C I suppose), I guess
you are planning to make publicly available a wrapper for .NETCF,
aren't you? That would be fantastic for me! But could you do it
publicly available if SDK is not free?
Click to expand...
If he can do this, only without the SDK and the data.

Kind regards.

Marco
 
My wrapper will be a single managed dll, it works with both SDK 3 and SDK5
although some features in v3 are not available in v5 and vice versa. You'll
still need to purchase the TomTom SDK which gives you their dll (name varies
between v3 and v5) which you have to place either in your app folder or
windows folder. Also you'd need to purchase the application and maps for
each of the devices you deploy onto. I'm not sure about availability,
probably a beta release in the next month.

Peter
 
http://ttncf.pp-p.com/Version3_5Info.htm also offers support for both SDK 3 and SDK 5.
The pro on that solution is that you do not need to take care about the installed Navigator.
The price for "don't care" is that while some functions can be "worked around" that the will work
on both SDKs, the brand new features of the async function of SDK 5 calls are gone.

On the other hand - navigator 3 is no longer sold by TomTom so the http://ttncf.pp-p.com/lngstd/V5.htm
seems to be a better choice - if you don't have to deal with older navigators.

By the way - that is the reason why TTNCF3_5 is sold as an addon - not as a standalone product.

But back to Lonifasiko's problem - it fits the Navigator (TTN for TomTom Navigator) 3 versus Navigator 5 discussion...

Both version provide you with information about your current location.
TTN 3 does only provide you whith the street (place, highway) including number if possible.
There is no "higher level" for this.
So you can learn that you are at "Mainstreet 16" but you do not know in which city it is :-(

TTN 5 provides you with the city information - and the Cityname given back includes some additional information.
We for an example are hosted in Linz. The precise name is "Linz an der Donau" (Linz at the Danup) because
there is another Linz in Germany.
TTN 5 gives (for positions in Linz a.d. D.) Linz AT as city name.

I'm not shure about that for the american version.
We are in contact with Rob (http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=28607) and he told us about some problems with
geocoding / reverse geocoding in the USA.

Although Alex stated that the MapPoint Webservice is not for free - and quite expensive I have to say - this is the past.
Now the WS is sold on a pure per hit base (no minimal number of hits).
This means - you make 5 hits in a month and you pay for this 5 hits.
The only "problem" is to enter the programm - you must buy a number of "Support calls" or be a MS certified partner.
But if you can achive on of this the MPWS is a great solution I think.

And it has great geocoding / reverse geocoding capabilities.

Of course the best (for my wallet) would be to tell you - go out buy TTNCF.. and do it with that.
But for your goal GC/RGC I'v to tell you - compare the prices (I don't know the price of support calls - sorry - but you can learn).
TTN - about 200 Euros (per device!!!)
TT SDK about 200 Euros (once)
TTNCF (if not waiting for peter) 200 Euros (once)

So this means - about 500 Euros to start - and every device again 200 Euros.
On the other hand MapPoint WS - one initial fee and 0.0x Euros per Hit.
The exact hit price depends on the number of hits you consume in a timeframe.

And this stuff is able to do good GC/RGC while TTN is built to provide turn by turn routing and
has poor GS capabilities.

Regards

Manfred
 
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