topic Re: New Bing map styles in ArcGIS JavaScript Maps SDK Questions

New Bing map styles

EdSaunders — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 00:13:27 GMT

Hi all,

Not sure if this has been covered somewhere else but I couldn't find any posts on it. Is it possible to access the new Bing Maps styles from the JavaScript API? Using the following:

http://help.arcgis.com/en/webapi/javascript/arcgis/demos/ve/ve_layer.html

it's the still old tiles in Sydney, Australia. Also, related question - does anyone know if it's possible to style the Bing tiles like you can in the Google Maps API?

Thanks for any assistance.

Ed

Re: New Bing map styles

KellyHutchins — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:10:21 GMT

According to this Bing Maps blog post
, the new style will be the only style available starting May 1, 2011. Here's the relevant text from the blog:

"This opt-in period will end on April 30, 2011 and beginning on May 1, 2011, the new map style will become the default and only road style delivered across all Bing mapping services."

Re: New Bing map styles

EdSaunders — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 09:43:09 GMT

Thanks for the info Kelly, much appreciated.

Re: New Bing map styles

MarkHoover — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:25:10 GMT

Kelly, do you anticipate any changes needing to be made to current web apps, or will we wake up on May 1 and see the updated Bing basemaps served up automatically (and in the Basemap Gallery widget as well)?

Re: New Bing map styles

MarkHoover — Mon, 02 May 2011 12:11:00 GMT

Kelly, any update on this topic from Bing? As of today, our web application still shows the older Bing Maps styles.

Re: New Bing map styles

StephenLead — Tue, 03 May 2011 02:40:06 GMT

"beginning on May 1, 2011, the new map style will become the default and only road style delivered across all Bing mapping services."

And does this mean we lose the ability to show Map/Satellite views, as in the sample at http://help.arcgis.com/en/webapi/javascript/arcgis/demos/ve/ve_layer.html ?

Thanks,
Steve

Re: New Bing map styles

MarkHoover — Tue, 03 May 2011 12:18:27 GMT

I believe you're reading the quote wrong. They are deprecating the old road map style in favor of the new one. The Satellite/Hybrid basemaps should go unchanged.

Re: New Bing map styles

StephenLead — Tue, 03 May 2011 22:09:15 GMT

Hi Mark,

I guess it depends on what is meant by the "new" map style. I'm hoping that we'll gain the ability to show the style of map shown on Bing at http://binged.it/jC6Anr

This is very different from the style currently shown in the ESRI Bing maps implementation.

My concern around satellite imagery is that the official Bing Maps URL doesn't seem to have the option to show imagery (unless I'm missing it?).

Cheers,
Steve

Re: New Bing map styles

MarkHoover — Wed, 04 May 2011 11:55:16 GMT

Yes, we're referring to the same thing when it comes to the new road map style.

As far as imagery goes, I believe the "Bird's Eye" option is the imagery basemap on Bing now.

Re: New Bing map styles

MarkHoover — Thu, 12 May 2011 14:01:50 GMT

Any word on this?

Re: New Bing map styles

JerryStafurik1 — Fri, 27 May 2011 01:02:14 GMT

Any updates on this?

Re: New Bing map styles

KellyHutchins — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:07:46 GMT

It looks like Microsoft has changed the switch over date to July 6. Here's the relevant info from the following help topic:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff701721.aspx

Bing Maps�?� has introduced a new "road" map style for all Bing Maps APIs that is designed for improved readability and improved interaction between imagery with data overlays. This map style is in use on http://www.bing.com/maps and starting November 2010, you can opt-in to the new map style when you use the Bing Maps APIs. This opt-in period will end on July 5, 2011. On July 6, 2011, the new "road" map style will become the only "road" style available.

Re: New Bing map styles

MarkHoover — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:24:19 GMT

Kelly,

Thanks for the response. Can you help me understand how this works? Could ESRI "opt-in" to the new style, which would funnel down to our applications? Or can we, individually, "opt-in" and get these new styles into our application?

While it's not an urgent matter it sure would be nice to have these before July 6.

Re: New Bing map styles

StephenLead — Mon, 30 May 2011 02:22:13 GMT

While it's not an urgent matter it sure would be nice to have these before July 6.

For me, testing is a semi-urgent matter as there's a lag of about a week from when I make changes to my code, and when it gets deployed on our public-facing servers. Other people working in large organisations may have the same restrictions.

I need to ensure that it won't suddenly break on July 6, so would like to test it ASAP.

Thanks,
Steve

Re: New Bing map styles

StephenLead — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 05:40:08 GMT

Looks like Microsoft have implemented this already?

But it seems to have been done in a piecemeal way?!? Check out the map at http://help.arcgis.com/en/webapi/javascript/arcgis/demos/ve/ve_layer.html using the Roads option, and pan/zoom around the world.

I'm getting a bizarre mixture of old/new maps (even after clearing my browser cache). Hopefully this will resolve itself automatically overnight......

Is there a way to force the user's cache of Bing Maps to clear?

Edit: http://www.bing.com/maps is fine, so is this a problem at ESRI's end?

Re: New Bing map styles

EdSaunders — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 05:58:33 GMT

Yeah I'm getting the same - a mixture of old and new tiles. Emptied the browser cache, no difference. I'm looking around for other caches - web server?

Ed

Re: New Bing map styles

StephenLead — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 06:01:14 GMT

Since Bing.com/maps is OK, maybe these tiles are going via ESRI as an intermediary, and they need to clear their caches?

The fact that some tiles appear gives me hope that this is a process which has been kicked off overnight in Redlands, and will be fixed tomorrow.

I hope so, as we have a product launch tomorrow at lunchtime 🙂

Re: New Bing map styles

MarkHoover — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:57:16 GMT

It's working for me. Are there specific regions where you are seeing this old/new behavior? Or has it just already fixed itself since the original posts?

Will ESRI update the Basemap Gallery icons soon?

Re: New Bing map styles

StephenLead — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:35:31 GMT

Hi Mark,

It seems to be working now - I guess it just had to refresh overnight.

I HATE the new labelling that Microsoft have used! It looks absolutely terrible when used as a basemap.

At city-wide scales using the Aerial With Labels option, the (SHOUTING UPPERCASE) suburb labels completely overwhelm the map, and the labels are the same colour as the roads. Worse, the roads and labels are the same colour as other map elements such as our zoom-in bar (this is why I was so keen to test this before it was foisted upon us....)

Re: New Bing map styles

BradfordFolta — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:40:47 GMT

Hi Mark,

It seems to be working now - I guess it just had to refresh overnight.

I HATE the new labelling that Microsoft have used! It looks absolutely terrible when used as a basemap.

At city-wide scales using the Aerial With Labels option, the (SHOUTING UPPERCASE) suburb labels completely overwhelm the map, and the labels are the same colour as the roads. Worse, the roads and labels are the same colour as other map elements such as our zoom-in bar (this is why I was so keen to test this before it was foisted upon us....)

I agree. The new style does not display tributary road names very well when zoomed to a larger scale, while the main road names are too large. The lack of contrast in the color scheme makes the whole basemap look washed out. Terrible - it's a downgrade for sure. Is there any way to get the old one back?