Guidebee Map API packages

Below is the core classes defined in the Map API

The classes in green in above diagram define base classes to support different UI frameworks on different platforms, different map type support and to support different map services.

The Guidebee Map API design made two abstractions for the map type (the map images) and map services (Geocoding, routing etc).
The map type is the map images; it comes from 3 different sources:
 Online map, it connects to map servers (like Yahoo map, Microsoft Live Map etc) and display map image.
 Offline map (or stored map), allow access self defined map image file locally to avoid data traffic to server.
 Vector map, it supports MapInfo compatible map data and provide similar functionalities as MapInfo map product.

While the Map services refer to Geocoding, Reverse Geocoding, Routing, Local Search etc, Guidebee Map API internally support Google Map service, CloudMade Map Service, if in China also support MapAbc Map services. The other map services like Bing Map or Yahoo Map may be included in future releases.

Since Map Type (map images) and Map Services (Routing, Geocoding etc) are relatively independent with each other, you can display Google Map and using CloudMade Map services or show Bing Map China and use MapAbc map services. It provides such flexibility for developers to cater for different circumstances.

An abstract Graphics system is defined in Guidebee Map API and it’s used to support different Graphics systems on different platforms. In package Gis.Drawing, IImage, IGraphics, IFont, AbstractGraphicsFactory are defined as interface or abstract class. In this way, the same binary with platform dependant implementation works on different platforms.

For instance, On Java ME platform, developer can choose MIDP’s LCDUI or Sun’s LWUIT or choose Blackberry UI framework for RIM devices.

Java and C# (.Net Framework) are two major languages supported by Guidebee Map API. Though Java and C# are different, but there’s nearly one to one mapping between two languages for the Map API, if you know one, you’ll be quite familiar with the other.

Here’s the list of the major packages defined within Guidebee Map API.