New Bing map styles

[EdSaunders]

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

[JerryStafurik1]

Any updates on this?

[KellyHutchins]

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.

[MarkHoover]

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.

[StephenLead]

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

[StephenLead]

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?

[EdSaunders]

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

[StephenLead]

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 🙂

[MarkHoover]

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?

[StephenLead]

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....)

[BradfordFolta]

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?