Yahoo! Maps API

Yahoo! Maps has provided the developer community with a really easy to use API for interfacing with the Yahoo Maps (beta) tool. I started toying with it last night, and found it to be quite interesting and fun. I've done work in the past with the Google Maps API, and there are a few things that I like better in the Yahoo! Implementation...

No Geocoding Necessary!
The Yahoo Maps API will automatically resolve a location to a latitude/longitude for you. You only need to pass an address (string) into the map's setCenterByAddress function, and it will do all the work for you. You have the option to specify a location by latitude/longitude if you need/want to, but it is not necessary. The Google Maps API requires you to register all points in the map by using a latitude longitude pair. Yahoo has done us a favor and has taken the burden of geocoding addresses out of our hands. You can create your own geocoding logic if you want, but it is not necessary.

Multiple Programming Interfaces
Google Maps only supports development using their JavaScript API. Yahoo supports development using Javascript, Flash, and/or Flex. Although javascript support is widespread to nearly every browser in use today, it has a few drawbacks. First, the Google maps functionality is not supported in every browser. Although it will work in most modern browsers, you will have to develop and test your javascript code to support multiple platforms. Not all browsers are created equal, and although your javascript code may work in IE, there is a good chance that the exact same code will not work in Safari or Opera. Using the Yahoo Maps API, you can develop tools several ways. You can develop them using Javascript, similar to the Google implementation... OR you can develop them into Flash/Flex RIAs. Some people will complain that Yahoo requires the use of the Adobe (Macromedia) Flash runtime. They don't like relying on a third party tool. I don't agree.

Macromedia Flash Player from Adobe is the world's most pervasive software platform, used by over 2 million professionals and reaching more than 97% of Internet-enabled desktops worldwide as well as a wide range of devices.

As you can see, Flash is everywhere. 97% of internet enabled computers already have the required components installed on their machines. You only need to write your application once, and it will run on all of those machines. You don't have to create custom functions for each browser implementation.

Here's an example application that I put together last night using the Yahoo! Maps API and examples. It was extremely easy to put together. The API documentation had great examples and was very easy to follow.