There's an updated version of Bing Maps Web Control, and the Bing Maps TypeScript definitions have also been updated. The new versions add custom map styles and a GeoXML module.
The custom maps come via a new map option called customMapStyle which can be used to customize elements of the map such as the color of the land and roads, along with the visibility of certain types of labels. In addition to being in the Web Control, the custom maps styles can be used with the Bing Maps REST Imagery service (static map images) and with the Windows UWP map control.
The new GeoXml Module is another addition to Bing Maps. It provides a way to import and export common spatial file formats such as KML, KMZ, GeoRSS, GML (via GeoRSS) and GPX.
There are two ways to make use of this module. The first is to use the static methods in the GeoXml class to read/write the raw data. This gives you full control over the data and how it is rendered, if you choose to render it. The second option is to use the GeoXmlLayer class. This handles the importing of the XML data and generates a data layer which you can add to the map like any other layer. It handles all the rendering for you.
Another new overlay option is that of Ground Overlays. These overlay geo-referenced images on top of the map so that they move and scale as you pan and zoom the map. Suggestions for using this include overlaying old maps or imagery from a drone.
A new map type has also been added to the control. The Birdseye map type provides high resolution imagery that is taken at a 45 degree angle to the horizon with view points from 4 different directions (north, south, east west). It's worth noting that a lot of the new imagery for this map type is still being processed and not yet online. This means that at the moment you have to enable this map type programmatically, and it does not show up in the map type drop down.
Are you ready for Thanksgiving, when overeating remorse and a surfeit of being thankful causes the unsettling thought that there are only four weeks till the Xmas break? So here is a mix of weird [ ... ]
