Including pointMapper maps on web pages requires (1) installation of the pointMapper kit on the server (any web server will do), and (2) rudimentary HTML and web scripting skills.No additional mapping software or expertise is needed.On the client side, pointMapper relies only on JavaScript and the ubiquitous Macromedia Flash player; no specialized software need be downloaded to view the maps.PointMapper maps are usually represented in the Flash vector format, and contain an order of magnitude more detail per kilobyte of download than the raster maps typically found on the web.For example, the download size of a street-level Manhattan map is only 67 kilobytes.

Chris Goad, president of Map Bureau, said:

"In many web applications, maps overlayed with clickable dots or icons are used to show web visitors where things are, and to provide a way to interact with items by place rather than name.Standard GIS web technology is often overkill for basic locative applications-- it's expensive, requires specialized expertise, and typically delivers a compromised user experience because of having to make a round trip to the server for every view update (downloading another bulky map)."

"With pointMapper, we use standard web technologies to provide an alternative solution.PointMapper can be used for locative applications by any web developer, including those who don't know what 'GIS' stands for.By making the technology extremely accessible from a cost as well as a technical standpoint, we hope to open up mapping to a wider range of web developers."

The pointMapper component is placed on a web page with a standard snippet of HTML, and controlled via a simple scripting API.The API includes, for example, functions to place dots at specified latitudes and longitudes, to highlight dots, to load new maps, to set callbacks to handle clicks on dots, and to download points in XML from a web server.

The pointMapper server-side kit is available for download at Map Bureau's website at www.mapbureau.com.The software is free to try and $40 to buy and includes several U.S.and world basemaps and sample code.Other basemaps are available for purchase at low cost from Map Bureau's map catalog, by special order, or users can provide their own basemaps.

Map Bureau has been producing interactive maps and mapping tools for the web since 1999, using Macromedia Flash as the display mechanism.