The Microsoft Virtual Earth platform represents the next evolution of the MapPoint Web Service offering, with innovative new capabilities for companies in all industries.

Developers have the flexibility to tap into three Virtual Earth APIs: the MapPoint Web Services API, using SOAP XML to communicate with customer applications; the Virtual Earth map control, which lets users make requests via JavaScript to an AJAX map object; and the Virtual Earth Web Services, which uses SOAP XML to communicate with customer applications.

The Microsoft Virtual Earth platform is an integrated set of services that helps organizations visualize data and provide immersive end-user experiences. Live Search Maps is a consumer online local search and mapping tool that is powered by Virtual Earth, and enables people to learn, discover, and explore a specific location.

The Virtual Earth Web Services offers many of the features and functionality of MapPoint Web Services, with the rich imagery of Virtual Earth.

In addition, Virtual Earth Web Services features include one-box search functionality, mobile device optimized imagery, geocoding, and routing.

For more information about the Virtual Earth Web Services, visit the SDK. For more information about MapPoint Web Services, visit the MapPoint Web Service SDK.

The Virtual Earth platform enables a broad range of consumer, enterprise, and government applications, including Web site store locators, information portals, travel portals, call center applications, and fleet and asset tracking.

While Microsoft is no longer growing or updating the MapPoint Web Services, existing applications built using MapPoint Web Services will function as usual and will not experience degradations or changes in service. Microsoft will continue to provide maintenance and support to existing MapPoint Web Service customers. Microsoft also offers the Virtual Earth Web Services, with many of the features of MapPoint Web Services, plus the aerial imagery of Virtual Earth.

If a customer has an application built with the MapPoint Web Services API and would like to enhance it with new imagery and features available in the Virtual Earth map control, Microsoft provides an SDK to assist developers. Customers may also want to consider working with a Virtual Earth partner.

Interested developers can leverage the Virtual Earth Interactive Software Development Kit (SDK) and the MapPoint Web Service SDK, request an evaluation account, and try out the services.

Customers purchase the Virtual Earth services as an annual subscription directly from Microsoft or through volume licensing. There are two primary licensing models:

You can find a partner to help you build, deploy, and manage your solution. Visit the Partner section of the Microsoft Virtual Earth Web site.

This feature provides an aerial map view at 45 degrees. Currently, this feature covers major metropolitan areas in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Western Europe, and Australia. As with the road and aerial map styles, you can use the standard navigation methods to pan and zoom the bird's eye imagery.

Reverse geocoding is the ability to convert latitude and longitude coordinates into an address, and is available wherever geocoding is available.

We are continually updating Virtual Earth with new imagery provided by our partners, including aerial, bird's eye¹, and global satellite imagery. Several terabytes of data and imagery are added and updated each month, with regions of higher population density generally seeing the most new data.

Yes, Virtual Earth can provide latitude and longitude coordinates based on a physical addressor or place name via the geocoding feature.

All communications with Virtual Earth may be encrypted using SSL. Requests are identified using customer tokens, which are retrieved from a token service that uses the HTTP Digest Access authentication protocol to authenticate calls. Read more information about the customer identification and authentication feature.

Evaluate whether your aerial imagery enhances our currently available imagery on Live Maps at www.virtualearth.com.

GoVE will accept ortho-rectified aerial photographs that meet Virtual Earth quality standards and serve Virtual Earth's goals for promoting public service. Your imagery must feature consistently-sized pixels in a “chunky” GeoTIFF format (TIFFs or JPEGS are possible). UTM NAD83 or GCS/WGS84 is accepted. Send your inquiries to GoVE@microsoft.com.

Yes. Now it's easier than ever to integrate your own 3D models into Virtual Earth. Instead of creating a collection to integrate your 3D models into the platform, you can now host them yourself and retrieve them from a 3D data file through a call to a URL.

Virtual Earth can provide walking and driving directions. Walking directions are available in the United States and Europe. Customers in North America can also choose to reveal hints for itinerary items that feature familiar landmarks such as gas stations and fast-food restaurants by name. With one-click driving directions, users can instantly get directions from east, west, north, and south, without having to enter a starting address.

Yes, in 71 markets in North America, Virtual Earth can use real-time traffic-flow data to generate routes for customers.

Coverage includes traffic overlays for more than 70 major metropolitan areas in the United States plus one in Canada, and provides incident and construction traffic data as well.

Yes, Virtual Earth allows you to modify the look and feel of routes.

The recommended maximum number is 25. Regardless of the number of route objects, however, the time it takes to calculate the route is proportional to the total distance of the entire multipoint route.

No. In version 6.2, Virtual Earth creates routes in the order in which the points are created.

Yes. You can define your search area, search along a specific route, and search for businesses.

Photosynth allows users to transform digital photos into a three-dimensional, 360-degree experience that displays the big picture, as well as specific details. Photosynth analyzes each photo for similarities and builds a rich, interactive model.

You can embed “synths” on your Web site to display properties and merchandise, and you can even integrate synths into your Virtual Earth maps. Public synths, which anyone can access on www.photosynth.net, are free up to 20 GB of storage. Unlisted synths are free up to 1 GB of storage and 500 views per month. Use of Photosynth beyond these limits requires a commercial license.

You can obtain a Photosynth commercial license by signing a Microsoft Virtual Earth licensing agreement. If you have an existing agreement, contact your sales representative to associate your Photosynth Live ID to your account.

All synths are hosted on Photosynth.net, but you have the option to list your synth as public or unlisted. An unlisted synth cannot be found on Photosynth.net through the search function. Unlisted synths, however, are not secure. Anyone who has the direct URL can view the synth. At this time, you cannot host synths on your own server.

Microsoft CDN is a key pillar of the Microsoft cloud computing strategy and is an investment the Virtual Earth team is making to increase overall platform performance.

CDN consists of data centers across the Americas, Europe, and Asia that allow Virtual Earth to host content closer to end users, resulting in reduced Virtual Earth content delivery speeds.

Yes. A new network domain was created to support CDN. In order for users to utilize CDN, an opt-in code change is required to reference the new network.

For more information, please read the related documentation on MSDN.

No, using CDN should not alter the code used to access alternate tile servers.

Bird's eye hybrid is bird's eye¹ imagery with roads and labels overlaid in perspective view.

Yes, you can use bird's eye and explore cities looking at buildings in 3D.

Virtual Earth version 6.2 is backward compatible with version 6.1.

Virtual Earth supports Firefox 2 and 3, Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8, and Safari versions 2 and 3 on Mac.

Yes, Virtual Earth can import data in both GeoRSS and KML formats.

Virtual Earth AJAX Map Control: Not currently supported by the Visual Studio designer, but the Visual Studio JavaScript IntelliSense helper can simplify development.

Virtual Earth Web Service (VEWS): Developers can simplify VEWS development by utilizing Visual Studio Windows Communication Foundation proxies to unfold class and related methods.

MapPoint Web Service (MWS): MWS integrates with the Visual Studio help system. Visual Studio automatically generates the methods and classes once developers have registered the Web Services Description Language with their Visual Studio solution.

Yes, Virtual Earth can be programmatically accessed by virtually any development environment that conforms to the required standards. The MapPoint Web Service API is a standard SOAP XML-based Web service exposed through WSDL. Provided that your development platform supports SOAP Web service standards, it can be used with MapPoint Web Service.

Because the Virtual Earth map control is a client-side component run in the Web browser, there is no dependency on the development environment. The control can be developed in any environment that can output standard HTML and JavaScript code for the client, even in environments that can deliver only static pages.

The new SOAP-based Virtual Earth Web Services is fully supported and documented via the SDK. Designed for mobile and desktop clients, the functionality is not JavaScript-based, and the maps are static.

Hosting and development services are available from our technology Partners. We have carefully selected several technology Partners that have proven success at providing these services.

Yes. Through the Virtual Earth Web Services, Microsoft now offers features and enhancements to support mobile devices. Customers can now offer mobile applications featuring geocoding, static maps and map tiles optimized specifically for mobile devices. Developers will have a rich control experience, and can build navigational elements into mobile applications.

Virtual Earth will render a mobile-specific map style that can be displayed on any mobile device with Web connectivity. These include Windows Mobile, RIM Blackberry, and the Apple iPhone.

The Virtual Earth Silverlight Map Control Community Technology Preview (CTP) is the public release preview of the upcoming Virtual Earth Silverlight™ Map Control. This new control features increased performance, managed code development in Visual Studio 2008, and a range of new possibilities made possible through Silverlight – DeepZoom, high-fidelity video, animation, and vector graphics.

To begin developing with Virtual Earth Silverlight Control CTP before the release of the production control, visit Microsoft Connect.

No, at this time the Virtual Earth Silverlight Map Control CTP does not support bird’s eye views or the 3D control.

The Virtual Earth Silverlight Map Control CTP will auto-detect if Silverlight is installed on the user machine; if Silverlight 2 is not found, the user will be prompted to install Silverlight. Web developers can customize this installation dialog to match the experience of the host application.

Yes. You can find more information here about the program and benefits. When you join the Microsoft Partner program, you create a profile that includes your Virtual Earth or MapPoint solution. You will be listed in the Microsoft Resource Directory with other solution providers, independent software vendors, consultants, training providers, and developers that work with Virtual Earth and Microsoft MapPoint technologies.