eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "New Web sites from Google Inc. and Microsoft are encouraging independent software development, leading to new map-based services, according to Informationweek.com..."Both companies have been mum on any moneymaking strategies for their sites, but they've released APIs (application programming interface) and say dozens of developers have created or are planning software based on them. Two known offerings, KMaps and Mobile GMaps, are for mobile use and can be accessed by cellular or Wi-Fi networks. Both are available via a Creative Commons license, which requires products be distributed for free and not used for commercial purposes," says the report.
However, according to Directions Magazine, Microsoft is the first of the new breed of map API providers to disclose its business model. "Lawler (Stephen Lawler, General Manager of the MapPoint Business and MSN Virtual Earth Business Unit) made it clear that Microsoft wanted to be able to offer both a technical solution for the range of interested developers (from hobbyists to professionals) and provide a viable economic solution for them as well (from those working in basements to those in corporate offices). So, there are essentially two options. Developers can use the control for no charge for commercial (and non-commercial) purposes. The control includes the What? and Where? tools which will, potentially anyway, send advertising dollars back to Microsoft's coffers. If developers would rather not include those two boxes, they are welcome to sign a contract, essentially the MapPoint Web Service contract, to gain access without those additions. Entering into such a contract is essentially a service level agreement, guaranteeing 99.9% uptime and the like. The free version has no such guarantees," says a directionsmag.com report."
posted by Jen @ 3:17 pm
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