MapInfo Developer - Next Gen Development Platform #InsightsCon

Pitney Bowes Business Insight (PBBI) announced details about the next generation of development tools that will eventually replace MapXtreme Java. The new platform is called MapInfo Developer. Here are the basics:

• In terms of policy, if a user is on maintenance for MapXtreme Java, users can use the same license for MapInfo Developer
• PBBI is targeting 2012 to stop supporting MapXtreme Java
• PBBI is looking to create an MWF converter to ease the migration
• MapXtreme.NET is going great; very feature rich and will continue to support and get patch out by end of year with another significant feature release in 2011; MapInfo Developer will not replace MapXtreme.NET
• The plan is to serve both the Java world and Microsoft world
• The "naming" of MapInfo Developer is based on trying to save the MapInfo moniker and perhaps may be confusing to some because MapInfo Developer does not have the "Java" term associated with it.

• Support off the shelf Development Tools
• Java classes can be easily consumed in a java IDE and compliant WSDL can be consume by virtually any EDI
• Support for Multiple Programmatic Interfaces
• In process Java. REST, WSDL, and OGC interface
• Local or remote calls have same syntax
• Familiar Table based Programming Model
• Developers can perform spatial analysis directly on a table
• Enhanced data provider model
• Developers can choose to do the spatial processing within MapInfo Developer
• Support of MapInfo SQL (MI-SQL)
• PBBI is offering a SQL-based development language called MapInfo SQL
• MapInfo SQL is based on SQL syntax and is derived from OGC
• Simple Features Interface Standard (SFS) SQL and SQL/MM Standards
• Support for MWS Read and Write
• PBBI’s next generation metadata file format is MapInfo Workspace (MWS)
• MapInfo Pro becomes a workspace manager for MapInfo Developer
• Support for Open Standards through OGC Compliance
• WMS, WFS, and Catalog Service for Web (CSW); CSW is the interface that makes it possible to explore web based data sources
• Advancing Web Mapping through Map Tiling (see demo)
• Access many different data sources
• Create a series of dynamic data but use Google/Bing as backdrop
• Provide additional analytics by accessing true geometry that is provided with MapInfo Developer
• Continued support of map tiling, Ajax, Silverlight, and flash client technology and consistent REST API
• Content Management
• Content repository means administrators can have multiple views onto as a single set of resources for one or many MapInfo Developer instances. Repository can be any database or simply use Jackrabbit