Are you a web developer? Are you looking to integrate rich maps into your website? Today we are releasing the new JavaScript API for UMapper embeds that allows for a higher level of control over your maps. For example, you can zoom, pan, change map provider and open info windows (and much more) by calling various methods from the HTML page.

In order to take advantage of this functionality, you have to have some familiarity with JavaScript. To get you going we created a simple usage example and a tutorial.

JavaScript API for Umapper Embeds

Info Window

• openInfoWindow(lat, lng, title, [content) - Opens InfoWindow at the specified point
• openInfoWindowById(id, [type]) - Opens InfoWindow for the specified overlay
• closeInfoWindow() - Closes active InfoWindow

View

• setCenter(lat, lng, [zoom]) - Sets new map center and zoom level
• setZoom(zoom) - Sets new map zoom
• getCenter() - Returns current map center {lat,lng}
• getZoom() - Returns current map zoom
• zoomIn() - Zooms the map in
• zoomOut() - Zooms the map out

Map Types & Providers

• setMapType(name) - Sets the map type by name
• setProvider(name) - Sets the map provider by alias name
• getMapType() - Returns current map type name
• getProvider() - Returns current provider alias name
• getMapTypes() - Returns Array of map types available with current provider
• getProviders() - Returns the list of provider aliases

Event Callbacks

• onMapReady() - Invoked when map enters READY state
• onUpdatePosition(lat, lng) - Invoked when map position changes
• onUpdateZoom(zoom) - Invoked when map zoom changes
• onUpdateMapType(mapType) - Invoked when map type changes
• onOverlayReady(id, type) - Invoked when an overlay enters READY state

Enumeration

• getOverlays(type, [layerId]) - Enumerates all the overlays in a single Array of Objects
• getOverlaysById(id, [type, layerId]) - Same as getOverlays but filtered by id
• getOverlay(id, [type, layerId]) - Returns a single Overlay by id

Please let us know if you find any bugs or have feature suggestions.

We’ve entered the Juice Pitcher Competition for a chance to give a pitch in front of a relevant audience of executives from startups and large companies, angel investors, VCs, and media. This is a great opportunity to get exposure for UMapper and to attract potential investors and partners. We need your help!

Please vote for UMapper!

Thanks for your help!

American Public Media’s Public Insight Network team partnered with nonprofit investigative reporting outlet ProPublica to find out how the health care system is affecting the people who rely on it. They sent a query to people across the country asking them to tell us about their most pressing health care need. More than 500 Americans responded. Their stories, many of which are mapped below, provide a compelling picture of how people are coping with the failures of this country’s patchwork health care system.

Here is there great map:

Key

			Health insurance is too expensive. (124)
			I’m insured, but I have difficulty getting my insurance to pay for care. (15)
			I’m worried about doctors or nurses making mistakes or doing a bad job. (5)
			I’m worried about losing my health insurance. (36)
			I’m worried the cost of health care is hurting businesses/the economy. (56)
			My insurance prevents me from going to the doctors and hospitals of my choice. (7)
			My prescription drugs are too expensive. (9)
			Our system discourages alternative forms of treatment. (9)
			Our system does a bad job of preventing conditions like diabetes and obesity. (13)
			Other (80)

A few months ago we asked for your help with designing a default UMapper icon set. Today we are excited to announce that the community-designed icon set has been included with all UMapper accounts! Here are some of them:

Adding custom icons to your map takes only four easy steps:

1. Create a new map and add a marker.
2. With marker selected, click on Marker Appearance option.
3. Inside Marker Appearance dialog select Custom tab.
4. Select an icon and click Submit.

These icons are a part of the open source Map Icons project and are available for download under the GNU General Public License v3. We strongly encourage you to download the source, contribute to the project and design some icons for UMapper!

Special thanks to all the contributors and to Nico Mollet for starting the open source icon project!

This week’s feature is LBSchannel’s Job Map that displays great job opportunities around the US. If you are looking for a job in the location space, this might be a good place to start. We hope to see many more jobs in the coming weeks.

LBSchannel.com is a new resource that focuses on covering the news around the Location-Based-Services industry. In their own words:

LBSchannel.com is all about LBS, GPS, GIS, and any other clever location-related acronyms you can think of (there are plenty of them). For those not in the loop, that’s “Location-Based Services” and everything associated with it. This site has been designed to share information on a complex industry in a clear and concise manner.

Check out LBSchannel.com for more info and LBS industry insights.