Microsoft Introduces New Azure Maps Services

Azure Maps

The highlight being Azure Maps Android SDK, which is now in preview. Microsoft today announced a whole array of new capabilities to its enterprise geospatial suite.

Details here.

But we have news that the additions include a software development kit (SDK) for Android, along with cloud-based services, map tiles, and integration with Azure Active Directory. In addition to this, several services have moved from public preview to general availability.

These include Route Range, Get Search Polygon, and Satellite and Hybrid Imagery.

Azure Maps Logo

In the words of Chris Pendleton, principal PM manager at Azure Maps:

“The mobility space is at the forefront of the most complex challenges faced by cities and urban areas today. The movement of people and things is as much a driver of opportunity as it is an agent of chaos, aggravating existing challenges of traffic, pollution, and unbalanced livelihoods. The services we’re introducing are designed exclusively for the needs of the modern enterprise customer — powerful, real-time analytics and seamless cross-screen experiences, fortified by robust security services.”

Indeed.

Getting back to the new features, we have an enhanced map canvas, first up, with a set of natural earth map tiles. There is also a new image compositor that Microsoft says makes interactions more aesthetic and powerful.

This is done by enabling the rendering of raster maps with annotated points, lines, and polygons.

Azure Maps Android SDK

The Android SDK is makings its debut in preview form, and comes with rendering maps and traffic, drawing tools, event handling and a variety of map canvases. Azure Maps services like Search and Routing are also supported.

Azure Maps Web SDK 2.0 is also launching alongside the Android SDK. This is a web-based module for accessing Azure Maps.

A bunch of other highly interesting feature are also available now, including Azure Maps Spatial Operations, and tools like Buffer, Closest Point, Great-Circle Distance, and Point in Polygon make headlines alongside the Azure Active Directory integration.

All these features come a week after the Seattle-based company made official its plans to use location data by TomTom for its cloud services like Microsoft Azure, Bing Maps and Cortana.

Charting new directions, one can say, then?

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