14 DAY TRIAL // The Map Kit framework in iOS 7, designated as “MapKit.framework,” includes an onslaught of improvements and features for apps that use map-based information, making such apps more useful than ever.
When iOS 7 ships this fall, apps that use maps to display location-based information will be able to take full advantage of the 3D map support Apple’s Maps app.
These services will include controlling the viewing perspective programmatically, but Map Kit includes many other perks for enhancing a third-party navigation app.
For instance, overlays can be placed at different levels in the content in order for them to appear above or below other relevant data, and developers can apply an MKMapCamera object to a map to add position, tilt, and heading info.
The 3D views in the official Apple Maps app will be the same 3D views displayed in your own app, according to Apple.
Developers can ask for direction-related route information from Apple by employing the MKDirections class, and they can use that information to create overlays.
To create a line-based overlay that follows the curvature of the earth, the MKGeodesicPolyline class must be used, while capturing map-based images can be done with the MKMapSnapshotter class.
The MKOverlayRenderer class replaces overlay views and offers a simpler rendering approach, while the MKTileOverlay and MKTileOverlayRenderer classes allow apps to supplement or replace a map’s existing tiles.
Apple directs developers to the Map Kit Framework Reference for more information about the classes of the Map Kit framework.
The multitasking enhancements, peer-to-peer connectivity, and the new animation system for creating 2D and 2.5D games make iOS 7 “the most significant release since the first iPhone SDK.”
iOS 7 is currently in internal testing at Apple with a planned release date this fall. The software will be available for all iDevice models, starting with the 2010 iPhone 4.