SDKs

The MapLink suite of components is designed to help you to construct dynamic display applications quickly and simply, and give you a high degree of control over their behaviour. The MapLink component SDKs are central to this concept.

Windows and X11-based platforms are supported through C++, .NET and COM APIs for the efficient control of different layers of map data, overlays and dynamic objects. The APIs have been designed for performance and ease of use and make constructing sophisticated geospatial systems simple and quick.

All SDKs are available on Windows and a number are also available on X11-based OS's, including Linux, Solaris and VxWorks.  Download the MapLink Pro SDK Data Sheet for full details.

Help with the SDKs is provided through a number of options:

  • A Developer Guide to help getting started.
  • HTML based documentation of all APIs.
  • Sample programs with source code.

The component SDKs range from highly functional components such as the Editor and Spatial Editor SDKs to flexible and generic components for handling dynamic objects and networks.
The MapLink Pro API documentation is available from the Downloads section.

Core SDK
The Core SDK is the basis of all MapLink Pro applications. Like all MapLink Pro SDK's, it is modular and flexible. Unlike many other products, MapLink Pro does not dictate the architecture of your application; it is flexible enough to be easily integrated into whatever architecture best fits your application domain.
The main components of the Core SDK are:

  • Geometry - providing geometric primitive objects, such as polygons, ellipses, text etc.
  • Surfaces and Layers - to hold and display the various types of geospatial data.
  • Coordinate Systems - to provide map transforms in the different coordinate systems available.

Dynamic Data Object Library
One of the main components of the Core SDK is the Dynamic Data Object Library. This allows developers to create fully dynamic overlays within a MapLink Pro application. Each object within this overlay can have application specific data associated with it through custom derivations of the base class.

SDS SDK
The Spatial Data Service SDK provides facilities to allow applications and user interfaces to be developed which browse for specific maps or geospatial datasets on the basis of catalog information.
The SDS SDK accesses the MapLink Pro catalog database, storing information on data available, its type, geographic coverage and version, as well as its original source and currency against that source.

Terrain SDK

Terrain SDK

The Terrain SDK provides fast access to layered terrain data that has been prepared through MapLink Pro Studio. It can also load DTED data natively, without pre-processing. The methods on the Terrain Database object allow for query of spot height, profile along a line and area height information. The query includes the level of detail required and only this detail is returned, making fast terrain calculations straightforward.

3D SDK
The 3D SDK supports the display in 3D of vector and raster mapping, overlay data and dynamic objects. It supports the draping of all types of data over terrain meshes, in addition to the display of data, such as airways, elevated in 3D.

The 3D SDK requires map data in geodetic coordinates and, by taking the curvature of the earth into account, can display data in a global context.

More information can be found in the MapLink 3D SDK Data Sheet in the Downloads section.

Satellite SDK
The Satellite Propagator SDK allows MapLink to handle satellite information based on the NORAD SDP/SGP propagators. Satellites can be rendered in 2D and 3D using a new Satellite Data Layer.

More information can be found in the MapLink Satellite Propagator SDK Data Sheet in the Downloads section

Accelerator SDK
The Accelerator SDK provides ultra fast rotation and panning of 2D map displays using either OpenGL or DirectX. Predictive caching of map tiles allows raster and vector data to be updated extremely quickly, giving refresh rates of over 50 times per second!

Network SDK
The Network SDK and its associated topological network generation tools add effective routing and spatial network analysis tools to any MapLink Pro application.

The powerful cost-object concept allows for a fully flexible and customizable search to be made of the network. These searches can automatically find the route through a network that minimizes cost, distance, time or any other application defined criteria.

Studio SDK
The MapLink Pro Studio SDK, available using COM, allows a developer access to the highly capable MapLink Pro Studio Engine for import and processing of map data.

This gives the developer the ability to create custom interfaces for map processing tasks or embed the map processing capabilities of MapLink Pro Studio into their run-time application for on-line map preparation.

Editor SDK
The Editor SDK provides facilities for the interactive creation and manipulation of vector overlays. It provides a suite of interactive operations, a customizable operation management interface and components that allow for application specific specialization of existing operations. In addition, there are components for new application specific operations. The management layer allows all operations to interact with the underlying map or other vector data.

Spatial Editor SDK

Spatial Editor

The Spatial SDK contains many specialized geospatial operations used in the land registration process. Building on the functions of the Editor SDK, these operations employ powerful spatial analysis techniques to allow construction of vector data derived from the underlying map.

MAF SDK
The MapLink Application Framework SDK provides a generic framework for building standardized user-interfaces using MapLink components.  It provides a large number of pre-defined user-interface objects together with a notification mechanism for communicating between them.

A service provider mechanism allows users to create their own services which can be plugged into the MAF architecture.

WMS SDK
The MapLink Web Map Service SDK can be used to write custom plug-ins for serving user-defined data via the MapLink WMS. 

The wide range of APIs available in the MapLink Pro suite of SDKs enables rapid development of feature rich applications whilst keeping costs low.  Download your evaluation copy now!