Keith Kinnan's Blog : GeoRSS

Virtual Earth API: Adding KML or GeoRSS Layers to the Map

keithkin — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:14:00 GMT

One of the new features of the Virtual Earth v6 Map Control API is the ability to import KML layers on the map. Previous versions of the API allowed you to import GeoRSS using client-side XML parsing. However, one of the restrictions was that the GeoRSS file had to be on the same domain as the application or the browser would bring up a security warning unless the feed was from a trusted site in the client browser.

For v6, we have improved this by added a new VEDataType.ImportXML option to the ImportShapeLayerData call on VEMap. This new call uses the same service from Live Search Maps which allows users to import KML, GeoRSS, or GPX into user collections. In the Virtual Earth API, it will import the XML into a shape layer in your application. It also allows you to load these data files from different domains without causing a browser security warning.

Here are the steps for importing a KML, GeoRSS, or GPX file into your Virtual Earth application:

Create a shape layer

var shapeLayer = new VEShapeLayer();

2. Create a shape source specification with type VEDataType.ImportXML, the url to the XML file, and a reference to the shape layer:

var shapeSpec = new VEShapeSourceSpecification(VEDataType.ImportXML,"http://dsc.discovery.com/utilities/googleearth/nationalparks/nationalparks.kml", shapeLayer);

3. Import the data into shape layer by calling ImportShapeLayerData on the map with the specification:

map.ImportShapeLayerData(shapeSpec);

Here's a link to a simple example which imports a KML file from the Discovery Channel that shows different national parks around the United States:

Virtual Earth API - Import XML Sample

Note: you can also import XML files directly into Live Search Maps by opening a collection and then clicking on Import and entering the url. You can also, use the following url syntax directly:

http://maps.live.com/?mapurl=[insert url here]

For example:

http://maps.live.com/?mapurl=http://dsc.discovery.com/utilities/googleearth/nationalparks/nationalparks.kml

Virtual Earth API: GeoRSS Layers

keithkin — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 10:53:00 GMT

The v5 Virtual Earth API has improved GeoRSS support. The Virtual Earth API now integrates GeoRSS Layer support with the VEShapeLayer. So, you can now load a GeoRSS layer feed and then access the items in that layer through the VEShapeLayer and VEShape interfaces. The Virtual Earth API supports both the W3C Basic Geo point format and Simple GeoRSS point format. The Virtual Earth v5 API also now supports GeoRSS lines and polygons (<georss:line>, <georss:polygon>).

In order to load a GeoRSS layer, you first have to create a VEShapeLayer and a VEShapeSourceSpecification. The VEShapeSourceSpecification allows you to specify the source type, the shape source, and the shape layer to load the data in. In this example, I set the source type to VEDataType.GeoRSS, specify the URL to the GeoRSS feed as the source, and pass in a reference to the VEShapeLayer:

var geoRssLayer1 = new VEShapeLayer();
var geoRssLayerSpec1 = new VEShapeSourceSpecification(VEDataType.GeoRSS, "1992hurricaneandrew.xml", geoRssLayer1);

Once the VEShapeLayer and VEShapeSourceSpecification are created, you can then call ImportShapeLayerData on the VEMap to load the data in the layer. The first parameter is the VEShapeSourceSpecification. The second parameter is an optional callback, and the third parameter is a boolean specifying whether or not to set the map view around the points in the layer when the feed loads. In this case, I do not want to change the map view when the feed loads, so I set it to false.

map.ImportShapeLayerData(geoRssLayerSpec1, onFeed1Load, false);

The callback specified to the ImportShapeLayerData will receive a reference to the VEShapeLayer that the feed is loaded in. In this example, I iterate through the VEShapes in the layer by using the GetShapeCount and the GetShapeByIndex methods on the VEShapeLayer, and then I set a custom icon for each of the VEShapes.

function onFeed1Load(layer)
{
     var numShapes = layer.GetShapeCount();
     for(var i=0; i < numShapes; ++i)
    {
        var s = layer.GetShapeByIndex(i);
        s.SetCustomIcon("http://krkinnan.members.winisp.net/samples/v5/georss/hurricane01.gif");
    }
}

And that's it! The GeoRSS feed will appear on the map after a few simple calls. And, once the feed loads, you can access the elements just like any other VEShape on the map.

Here is a link to a complete working example showing GeoRSS layers using two feeds. One feed in a W3C Basic Geo format with 2004 Hurricane Ivan Geo RSS data. The other feed is a Simple GeoRSS format with 1992 Hurricane Andrew GeoRSS data.

Virtual Earth API GeoRSS Example

For more information regarding the Virtual Earth APIs, see the Virtual Earth Interactive SDK.

Live Search Maps / Virtual Earth Update

keithkin — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:52:00 GMT

We just released another update to Live Search Maps today! This release includes the following:

Improved performance
Improved Firefox support - including 3D support on Windows
Ratings and Reviews for search listings
Improved details page for search listings when clicking on them
GeoRSS feeds for user collections
Improved drawing experience
User experience enhancements to existing features such as the scratchpad, traffic, and driving directions

For more details, check out the detailed post at the Live Maps / Virtual Earth Spaces blog.

Also, the Virtual Earth v5 APIs will be available soon in a few weeks. Check back here for updates for future posts regarding v5 API features and code samples.

Virtual Earth API: Adding a GeoRSS Layer Without an Automatic View Update

keithkin — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 08:32:00 GMT

When adding a GeoRSS layer to the map, the current map view gets updated automatically so the best view of the GeoRSS layer is visible. However, several people have asked how to disable this since they are adding several layers to the map or already had the map in the view they wanted. We are planning to add this support into a future API release, however until then there is a workaround.

For the workaround, you have to temporarily override the internal SetBestMapView function before adding the layer. After the GeoRSS layer is loaded, you can then restore the original SetBestMapView function.

The code below shows an example assuming you have a VEMap instance named "map":

//Store the original SetBestMapView
var originalSetBestMapViewFunc = map.vemapcontrol.SetBestMapView;

//Temporarily override the SetBestMapView with an empty function
map.vemapcontrol.SetBestMapView = function(){};
//Setup a callback which will restore the original SetBestMapView
function fnCallback()
{
map.vemapcontrol.SetBestMapView = originalSetBestMapViewFunc;
}
//Add the GeoRSS Layer with the callback
var s = new VELayerSpecification(VELayerType.GeoRSS, "1", "http://.../mygeorss.xml", "get", fnCallback);
map.AddLayer(s);

Virtual Earth API: Using GeoRSS Layers

keithkin — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 02:30:00 GMT

One of the powerful features that was introduced in the Virtual Earth APIs in version 3.0 is the GeoRSS Layer. The GeoRSS Layer allows you to easily add a set of points and information to the map from a standard GeoRSS XML file using the W3C Basic Geo (WGS84 lat/long) Vocabulary or the GeoRSS Simple Syntax.

For example, here's a link to a GeoRSS file showing the tracking information of Hurricane Ivan from 2004:

http://krkinnan.members.winisp.net/georss/2004hurricaneivan.xml

Using the Layer API with a GeoRSS file, you can easily create a mashup with a few lines of code presenting this information. This can be done with the VELayerSpecification object and the AddLayer call on the map. The VELayerSpecification defines the layer and the AddLayer call adds the layer to the map. Once you have created a map and loaded it, the following code shows how to add a GeoRSS layer to the map:

var layerSpec = new VELayerSpecification();
layerSpec.Type = VELayerType.GeoRSS;
layerSpec.ID = "Ivan";
layerSpec.IconUrl = "http://krkinnan.members.winisp.net/i/hurricane01.gif";
layerSpec.LayerSource = "http://krkinnan.members.winisp.net/georss/2004hurricaneivan.xml";
layerSpec.Method = "get";

map.AddLayer(layerSpec);

The mashup when created will show the items as a series of points. When hovering the mouse over the points, a pop-up will appear with the information related to that point:

Click Here to see a live demo of this mashup.

For more information regarding the Virtual Earth API and using GeoRSS Layers, see the Virtual Earth Interactive SDK.