Map Suite World Map Kit Online FAQ General Questions
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How is the Map Suite World Map Kit Online licensed?
Purchasing a license for the World Map Kit Online entitles you to one year of full access to the World Map Kit Online map servers. Our cloud-based servers implement tile caching, meaning maximum performance for you. When your annual license nears expiration, you'll need to purchase a renewal at our online store to keep your access up and running.
As long as you maintain your license to access the World Map Kit Online, you'll be entitled to ThinkGeo's professional support services, which include:
- Free access to discussion forums, training videos and documentation
- Maps that are automatically kept up-to-date as improved datasets become available to us
- Five free support tickets per year at the ThinkGeo Customer Portal
Do I need to be a programmer or have access to a development staff to set up access to the World Map Kit Online?
The World Map Kit Online is designed to be used by software developers who want to include fully-functional maps of the world in their applications. Although some development experience is expected, the process for consuming the World Map Kit Online in your application is simple and is outlined for you in our illustrated QuickStart Guide.
What types of applications can I use to connect to the World Map Kit Online? How do I connect?
You can consume maps from the World Map Kit Online using a website (or a web-based application) or a Windows desktop application. If you are using a website, the process is fairly simple: You simply register the domain name of your website, and ThinkGeo takes care of the authentication transparently.
Desktop applications are only slightly more complicated. In a desktop environment, you will need to connect to the World Map Kit Online using a Client ID / Private Key pair. This is simply a set of credentials that you'll be given when you purchase access to the World Map Kit Online. Our full line of Map Suite developer controls from version 3.0 and onward support this type of connection natively. However, if you are developing your desktop application using other GIS software, support for Signed URLs depends on the manufacturer of that software.
If you'd like to know more about the Client ID / Private Key system and how to connect your desktop application to the World Map Kit Online, simply post your questions in our World Map Kit Support Forum and our professional support team will do their best to answer them for you.
Why should I buy a license to the Map World Kit Online instead of the Standalone Map Datasets listed on your website?
The World Map Kit differs from our standalone data products in both accuracy and design. Countless hours have been spent developing the rendering logic for each zoom level, optimizing the map dataset, and making sure the best cartography is used to produce the most attractive map possible. Additionally, the World Map Kit Online is based on the most up-to-date data sourced from GIS bureaus around the world. Lastly, the World Map Kit Online is fully hosted by ThinkGeo, meaning you'll never need to worry about installing or maintaining your own web server hardware. These factors all combine to make the World Map Kit a huge value.
What mapping data does the Map Suite World Map Kit Online use?
Map Suite World Map Kit uses a variety of publicly available map datasets from around the world and combines them into a comprehensive kit with global coverage. You can browse, pan and zoom into the actual maps you'll have access to in real-time at our free online demo.
Can I add additional map data or customize the appearance of the maps?
No. In order to customize and extend the maps contained in the World Map Kit, you would need to purchase the World Map Kit SDK instead of the World Map Kit Online. The World Map Kit SDK is designed to be used in concert with one of our Map Suite GIS software components, such as Map Suite Desktop Edition or Web Edition, and comes with fully customizable source code.
After you use the World Map Kit SDK to customize your maps, you will either need to distribute the complete map dataset along with your client application, or purchase Map Suite WMS Server Edition to set up your own web-based map server that can be consumed over the Internet.
What is the difference between the World Map Kit SDK, World Map Kit WMS Server and World Map Kit Online?
Each edition of the World Map Kit includes the same complete set of world map data and professional design logic that makes your maps look great. The difference lies in the intended use for each product. Let's break it down:
- The World Map Kit Online is the easiest way to gain access to the complete global dataset of the World Map Kit directly over the Internet, without needing to install anything or maintain your own servers. ThinkGeo hosts the World Map Kit Online on our own servers, and all you do is connect to them with your applications to receive great map imagery of anyplace on Earth. Simply pay an annual fee to access our servers and get clean, unwatermarked map images.
- The World Map Kit WMS Server combines the complete world dataset with a standalone Web Map Server (WMS) that you host on your own hardware. The included map server allows you to serve maps from the World Map Kit over the Internet or Intranet to any client application that can consume a standards-compliant WMS. This makes it unnecessary to distribute the large map dataset with your application, and the in-house hosting means that you have control over the server hardware, security permissions, SLAs and more. You don't need to be a developer to set up a World Map Kit WMS Server.
- The World Map Kit SDK is an extension for our line of Map Suite GIS software controls, such as Desktop Edition or Web Edition. When you combine the two, you can add world maps into the custom mapping applications that you create using Visual Studio and the .NET Framework. Additionally, because the World Map Kit SDK comes with full source code included, you can completely customize the look and feel of the maps or even add your own data to the mix. The World Map Kit SDK requires .NET development experience.
