Open Source Control Integrates Virtual Earth 3D with WPF and Microsoft Surface

If you are looking for a shortcut to integrating Virtual Earth 3D into your WPF and Microsoft Surface applications, then you need not look any further. InfoStrat.VE, produced by InfoStrat, is an open-source control made available via CodePlex under LGPL, served in two flavors. The first is designed for WPF applications while the remaining version is aimed at developers building apps for Microsoft Surface, while taking advantage of the product's specific natural user interface. Namely, devs will be able to access a VEMap control for WPF and SurfaceVEMap control for Microsoft Surface.

“Previous implementation of Virtual Earth on Surface were done using transparent windows and the map itself had limitations (no rotation or transforms, etc.) due to Win32 interop,” revealed InfoStrat's Josh Blake, the primary developer on the project. “InfoStrat.VE uses some magic to eliminate these restrictions. It also takes advantage of WPF data binding for controlling various properties such as the camera location. You can add pushpins by simply adding a WPF-based VEPushPin as a child element. VEPushPins can also be provided by a data-bound collection.”

InfoStrat.VE is based on a project developed initially by Marc Schweigert, Microsoft Public Sector Developer Evangelist. Schweigert had come up with a sample designed to illustrate an easy integration of Virtual Earth 3D into Microsoft Surface. InfoStrat built upon the original concept and came up with the open-source control offered through CodePlex.

“InfoStrat took the sample, completely rewrote it using a much better technical approach, and started building their own reusable VE WPF/Surface control. After seeing the amazing work that InfoStrat put into their control, I figured I would ask them if they would be willing to put it on CodePlex. Much to my surprise, they were very interested in the idea. They came up with a plan, and the end result is that today they have announced the first release of the control on CodePlex,” Schweigert stated.

InfoStrat.VE is available for download here.