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Today the Microsoft Virtual Earth team announced a new release of the platform. In this 6.2 version, the Virtual Earth platform delivers on its promise to empower organizations with a new way to see their world and achieve their goals.
Below is a list of the newest enhancements. One that I am especially excited about is the integration of weather through cloud simulation in the Virtual Earth 3D environment. The weather is available globally, is based on forecasts and refreshes every three hours. Take a look at this screenshot of Houston (captured last end of last week):
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Another great new capability is the ability to import 3D models created and stored in OBJ (standard format for 3D models) and hosted on your own server into Virtual Earth applications. This can be done in batch format as opposed to building by building. I have been asked for this capability by public sector customers as well as the ability to see metadata for our aerial imagery (orthophotos) which has also been added to this release (see details below).
Public sector customers will also be pleased to learn that we have added reverse geocoding capabilties.
Whooohooooo!
Here is the full list of new features and capabilities:
New Mobile Support
Users can now build mobile applications with Virtual Earth, which offers more features and enhancements to support mobile devices. Rich imagery creates immersive mobile end-user experiences that bring location-based information to life.

· Rich Imagery for Mobile. Mobile applications feature geocoding and new maps rendered specifically for mobile devices (64x64 image size).
· More flexibility to develop mobile features. The new Virtual Earth Web Services will support features (mapping, geocoding, and routing) that can be implemented for use on mobile devices.

Enhanced International Opportunities
This latest release of Virtual Earth provides more support and more detail for more countries around the world. Enjoy the functionality and features of Virtual Earth in a broader range of countries.
· New localized maps. Maps are now available in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish for users in Western Europe. These localized maps are supported for both desktop and mobile applications.
· New international reverse geocoding. Users can now find international addresses with reverse geocoding, which is now available anywhere Virtual Earth has routing.
· Extended parsing capabilities. With expanded parsing capabilities, users will experience better match rates for addresses in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Richer Data: See More in the Platform
The Virtual Earth platform is designed for the enterprise and public sector user, from features to support. This 6.2 release enhances the platform infrastructure with new geocoding and parsing improvements, as well as more detail revealed in relevant ways.
· Pushpin clustering. The new map control includes the ability to zoom in on a map to better visualize a cluster of points. The pushpins can be clustered and surfaced at larger zoom levels, or hidden from view at smaller zoom levels, to give a better user experience.
· Expanded number of rooftop geocodes. Virtual Earth now offers 85 million unique addresses—more than 70% of all rooftops in the U.S.
· New near-matching capabilities. Using near-matching capabilities, customers can find locations using alternate and similar spellings, resulting in a more relevant search experience.
· New landmark-based routing. Customers in the U.S. and Canada can now use maps that feature familiar landmarks, such as gas stations and fast-food restaurants, called out by name.
· New imagery metadata. Users can now find out the relative age of a given image, which will help them assess if the imagery is still relevant to their needs.
· New imagery. Find locations that come to life, with richer aerial and 3D imagery of more locations in cities across North America.
· New functionality to hide base layer tiles. Developers now have more granular control to hide the Virtual Earth base map tiles for those applications in which they choose to use their own imagery or overlays.
· Weather integration. Bring your 3D maps to life by featuring near real-time local weather and cloud formations.
Enhanced Functionality: Do More in the Platform
The latest release of the Virtual Earth platform offers a richer user experience and more intuitive functionality. There are more ways for customers to search for more types of mapping information, in ways that are tailored to their individual needs.
· New Virtual Earth Web Services. The new SOAP based Virtual Earth Web Services v. 1.0 offers static map images (.gif, .jpeg and .png), direct map tile access, one-box search functionality, geocoding, reverse geocoding, routing . It supports Virtual Earth on the desktop and on mobile devices. · New one-click directions. Through the Web Services, customers can now get directions in one click, choosing from route options by shortest time, shortest distance, or traffic flow.

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