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How to Use Bing Maps

Last Updated: September 6, 2019

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Bing Maps is an online mapping service by Microsoft. You can use it to get directions, find traffic details, and simply view maps. Bing Maps is only available from your web browser as there's no stand-alone apps available yet for your mobile devices.

Viewing Maps

• Centering the map to current location —Click the circle target at the top left corner of the maps. This will center the map to your current location. It will be identified by a blue dot on the map.
• Searching another location —Use the search box on the top of the page and type in the location you want. A shortlist of possible results will drop down. Click on the location you want. The map will automatically center to the location you've set.

Getting Directions

Finding Traffic Details

• There will also be warning signs on areas with possible traffic disruptions, such as scheduled constructions, accidents, road blocks, and others. These should aid you in planning your routes.

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Build your own custom travel itineraries with Bing Maps

Kareem Anderson

August 2, 2018

The term customization is often a dual edge affair with the idea of accurate and reliable functionality on one end standing opposite of tediousness and potential convolution on the other.

Fortunately, when Microsoft offers users the ability to customize their next travel engagement, they’re doing so, with its new relatively intuitive set of Bing Map.

Announced on its Bing Blogs , Microsoft introduced a new itinerary feature for its Bing Maps. Users are now encouraged to visit Bing Maps via the desktop to try and out itineraries and customize their next travel engagement by simply searching conversationally.

Once activated, users can engage with a handful of options to put together an in depth travel experience.

• Add the attractions you want to visit
• Remove or re-order attractions to optimize your day
• Add or remove days to fit your schedule
• Save your itinerary to My Places for future editing
• Share your itinerary with friends and family
• Take your itinerary on the go – view it on your mobile phone

Once an itinerary is compiled, it can be shared, via link, with other potential travel partners for convenience or record keeping.

The new feature is currently live, but, unfortunately only available in the US and UK for the time being. Per usual, Microsoft claims to be working hard to bring this type of convenience to other international areas.

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Bing Maps Route Planner – How to Use It?

• Last Updated: November 1, 2023

• With the help of Bing Maps Route Planners users can plan their journeys and optimize their routes thus saving time and money.
• Users using Bing Maps can add several stops and alter their routes according to variables like traffic, weather, and road closures.
• The app has features like StreetSide view that let users visually explore places before going there in person.
• Bing Maps users can store locations in their library for later use or reference.

We require mapping and navigation tools daily – to help us on our commute, find gas stations and restaurants on our road trips, find the right address for delivery, etc. There are quite a few route planning and navigation apps like Google Maps, Waze, and Mapquest. But there is one such route planner that people often forget about: the Bing Maps route planner .

Bing Maps is one of the original route planning and navigation apps to be made available to us. Bing Maps came out at the same time as Google Maps. While all the updates on Google Maps catapulted its growth to a new level, the updates in Bing Maps went unnoticed. Bing Maps has some really amazing features, and it proves useful for many people needing route planning for multi stops and navigation. But not many people have much information about it.

In this article, we will take a look at some of the features of Bing Maps, how you can use them and whether Bing Maps is as good as Google Maps or not. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

Basics Of Bing Maps by Microsoft

Features of bing maps, how to use bing maps route planner, bing maps vs. google maps – which is better.

Bing Maps by Microsoft has been one of Google Maps’ most direct competitors since its launch in 2005. Bing Maps is a mapping software provided as a part of Microsoft Bing’s suite of search engines. The app is powered by Bing Maps for Enterprise framework.

Bing Maps offers a fresh and clean interface, quite different from the interface provided by Google Maps. The controls for driving directions, traffic, and other features are provided in legible icons on the top.

Bing Maps was previously launched as MSN Virtual Earth, as a continuation of older Microsoft technologies like TerraServer and Microsoft MapPoint .

Bing Map’s original standout feature, which it was pretty popular for, was the aerial imagery. In 2009, Microsoft rebranded Live Search Maps as Bing Maps and the Virtual Earth Platform as Bing Maps for Enterprise.

Here are some of the features offered by Bing Maps by Microsoft.

Driving Directions

Bing Maps is said to be one of the fastest routing engines. In your routes, you can choose to avoid or minimize toll roads or highways. It calculates driving directions or public transit directions to a location from nearby major roads and can be a valuable tool for route planning.

This versatile platform is not limited to a single region; it extends its services to most countries, offering the capability to optimize routes while considering factors such as traffic, road closures, and more.

Aerial, StreetSide, and Satellite Imagery

Bing Maps by Microsoft offers some stunning aerial and satellite imagery. It is among the best available online route planning services. The streetside imagery offers street-level panoramas of the specific location of your choice.

Static Map Service

Bing Maps offers a REST service. It helps retrieve images of maps. These images are useful when generating reports or when you do not require a fully interactive map. You also get high-resolution 3D models of over 250 cities in 11 countries.

Auto-suggest

As you start to type the stop or location in the search bar, Bing Maps auto-suggests addresses, so you do not have to type in the whole address.

You can use forward and reverse geocoding to locate where a particular address is look for an address or stop in a specific location. It offers batch geocoding of 200,000 reverse or forward geocoding and processes at once. This way, it cuts downtime, bandwidth, and the number of requests.

Real-Time Traffic

Bing Maps provides real time traffic information in 35 countries. It presents the results either in individual incident data points or as color-coded roads depicting traffic flow in the streets. The app updates the real time traffic data every 15 minutes. The app retrieves traffic incident information like construction, traffic accidents, and road closures.

Reporting & Analytics

Users gain insights from the reports and analytics. Users calculate useful information regarding their routes and stops. This data helps make informed decisions in the future.

• Open Bing Maps in a browser on your desktop or mobile device.
• In the next step, enter the starting point followed by the destinations or stops that you want to cover in your route. Bing Maps allows you to add multiple destinations/stops to the route up to 25 stops.
• Plan a route and choose from options like walking, biking, public transport mode, or driving directions.
• You can also choose to print the routes you plan.
• Save the routes and destinations.
• The routes you plan can be shared with others as well.
• Finally, it is possible to receive additional information for your routes related to traffic data and elevation.

Bing Maps by Microsoft offers features quite similar to Google Maps, including transit and walking maps driving maps, and road, aerial, and streetside views.

• Bing Maps route planner offers a modern, easy-to-use interface
• Bing Maps offers extremely detailed maps with multiple layers
• Users can easily save locations to their library for future reference or use
• Map add-ons help to find gas stations with the cheapest fuel and best parking spots
• Bing Maps doesn’t have a mobile app for Android and iOS devices, but it offers SDK for building mapping applications
• This mapping software lacks the feature of the trip planner
• Bing Maps has limited features and tools compared to Google Maps
• Bing Maps does not optimize routes. Users will have to arrange multiple stops according to their priority and the distance

Some distinctions between Google Maps and Bing Maps

• Both Bing Maps and Google Maps offer identical routes; the only difference may be the map’s navigation style.
• When compared, Google Maps has a better reach and usage coverage in categories ranging from business to travel.
• Bing Maps offers more conservative travel times compared to Google Maps.
• Google Maps is a leading navigation and mapping service for driving directions or public transit directions in most countries.
• Google Maps has a better, widespread coverage image coverage and offers an excellent mobile experience lacking Bing Maps.

Yes, you can download offline street maps for certain countries. If you are using a Windows 10 app, you can use the downloaded maps offline. The offline street maps are limited to the Windows 10 app. It requires users to download maps ahead of time.

Bing Maps is free to use if you add Bing Maps to a free mobile app and make less than 125,000 transactions in 12 months on a non-password-protected website.

When you compare navigation, mapping, and overall mobile experience, Google Maps is far better and more advanced than Bing Maps. Google Maps has the lead over Bing Maps in any given country whether it is for biking, walking, or public transport mode.

Which is a Better Option for You?

Both Google Maps and Bing Maps route planner came around at the same time. Over time, while Google Maps was able to work its way towards developing and making navigation and route planning services more accessible, Bing Maps was left behind, being restricted to a few thousand users who had access to the map on a Windows device.

It makes sense why Google Maps, and not Bing Maps, is the first choice when it comes to routing and navigation. Google Maps is predominantly found on Android devices, where it is a default application. iOS users can download it from the App Store.

We hope this article about Bing Maps route planner and its similarities and differences with Google Maps has helped you determine which app is a better option for you.

Rakesh Patel, author of two defining books on reverse geotagging, is a trusted authority in routing and logistics. His innovative solutions at Upper Route Planner have simplified logistics for businesses across the board. A thought leader in the field, Rakesh's insights are shaping the future of modern-day logistics, making him your go-to expert for all things route optimization. Read more.

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Distance Matrix API

Maximize efficiency by calculating travel time and distances in various scenarios leveraging travel time map features in Bing Maps API.

Offer optimal travel support and tools for essential business planning for your users. Discover the Bing Maps Distance Matrix API and how it helps you build enticing experiences to drive engagement at local businesses below.

Features and Capabilities

Help your staff or your users determine the best route possible with the Distance Matrix API, defining which locations are most strategic and accurate for your needs. Some parameters that define experiences using Bing Maps API features include travel time, distance, method of transportation (such as driving, walking, or public transit solutions), start and end time, traffic prediction, and beyond. Develop engaging and geo-targeted applications utilizing the following features:

Multiple Agents

Supports up to 10 agents and 100 waypoints

Optimize Routes

Minimize travel time and distance for all agents

Predictive Traffic

Create apps with travel time maps, utilizing time of day and traffic data

Customize Parameters

Input your preferences to reduce travel time or distance

Increased Accuracy

Calculate routes with actual road distance and distance tracker map

Calculate travel time and distance

The Bing Maps Distance Matrix API service calculates travel time and distances in various scenarios with an optional travel-time histogram. Real-world scenarios may include locating where a new commercial bakery should open their next location to reach their customers with ease, or where a school district selects their pick-up locations to get the most out of their fleet of school buses.

Capabilities

• Optimize performance with intelligent apps that plan your route more effectively, saving time, money and resources.
• Identify underserved markets and new locations for delivery optimization, data analysis and location grouping.
• Plan , monitor and utilize assets to save time and reduce transportation costs.

Distance Matrix API in action

• Real estate planning – Determine a future house location based on school, medical services, fire and rescue, work location, etc.
• Field services – Route the closest technician to the client for service.
• Retail – Optimize delivery from distribution centers to retail locations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bing Maps API uses billable transactions . If you have a Bing Maps key, review the Distance Matrix API documentation to learn more and start developing your application. If you don’t have a Bing Maps key, create a Bing Maps account and create a key to authenticate your application. Then follow the documentation to start developing your distance matrix solution.

For geolocation licensing questions, contact a Bing Maps expert .

To try this service, create a basic account , which will provide up to 125K transactions per calendar year at no charge. Above this usage limit, you will need to purchase a license. To purchase Transactions or Per Asset license, contact a Bing Maps Sales Specialist . To start developing with this API, use the Distance Matrix API documentation .

• Distance Matrix API is available for Public and Internal transaction website licensing. It is not available for Known or Light Known users.
• (Note- you must have the underlying Asset Management per asset license first).

Enterprise Customers will be able to license via the following options:

• You will need to create a separate account ID on the Bing Maps Dev Center that will be specific to your internal transaction usage.
• Per Asset (applicable when being used as part of asset tracking solution) – To use the Distance Matrix API, you will need an underlying Asset Management per asset license (with or without routing) and will need to purchase an additional per asset license for the use of this new service. For licensing and pricing questions, please contact a Bing Maps Sales Specialist .

When calculating a simple distance matrix each origin-destination pair will generate a single cell in the matrix.

Total # of cells = # of origins * # of destinations

For example, a matrix that has 2 origins, and 5 destinations, will generate 10 cells where 2 * 5 = 10.

When a matrix includes a histogram, each origin-destination pair will have a cell in the matrix for each time interval. The number of time intervals that a request will have depends on the resolution, start and end times.

Total # of cells = # origins * # destinations * (endTime in hours-startTime in hours) / resolution*0.25

For example, a matrix that has 2 origins, 5 destinations, and retrieves time intervals in 15-minute increments (resolution = 1) over 24 hours, will generate 960 cells where 2 * 5 * 24/0.25 = 2 * 5 * 24 * 4 = 960.

How to calculate total number of billable transactions a request will generate A billable transaction is generated for every 4 cells in a matrix, rounded up to the nearest whole integer. For a simple matrix, billable transactions will be calculated using the following formula:

Total # of billable transactions = Ceiling (# origins * # destinations * ¼)

For example, a matrix that has 4 origins, and 5 destinations, will generate 5 billable transactions where Ceiling(4 * 5 * ¼) = 5.

When calculating a matrix which includes a histogram, only the first 30 time intervals in each origin-destination pair are counted towards billable transactions, any additional time intervals are provided for free.

Total # of billable transactions = Ceiling (¼ * # origins * # destinations * Min (30, endTime in hours – startTime in hours / resolution * 0.25))

For example, a matrix that has 4 origins, 5 destinations, and retrieves time intervals in 15 minute increments (resolution = 1) over 24 hours, will generate 150 cells where Ceiling(¼ * 4 * 5 * Min(30, 24/0.25)) = Ceiling(¼ * 4 * 5 * Min(30, 96)) = Ceiling(¼ * 4 * 5 * 30) = 150. Note that 24/0.25 = 24 * 4 = 96, but since only the first increments per origin-destination pair is counted towards billable transaction, 66 time intervals are excluded from the transaction calculation per origin-destination pair, thus saving you a total of 330 billable transactions in this scenario.

A standard distance matrix can have up to 625 origin-destination pairs. A single cell in a matrix is created for each origin-destination pair. Thus, multiplying the number of origins by the number of destinations will provide you with the number of origin-destination pairs. If this number is equal to or less than 625, the origins and destinations can be passed into a single request. For example, you can have 1 origin and 625 destinations, or 25 origins and 25 destinations. See the Distance Matrix API  documentation  for more information.

For a distance matrix that provides a histogram, the API allows up to a total of 100 origin-destination pairs. For example, 1 origin and 100 destinations, or 10 origins and 10 destinations.

To try the Distance Matrix API , all you need is a Basic key . When you are ready to deploy into production, Bing Maps API’s sales team can help you upgrade to an Enterprise key.

The Distance Matrix API is available for Basic and Enterprise accounts (normal TOU limits will apply for Basic accounts), and is available for Public and Internal Website transactions or as an additional per asset license. It is not available for Known or Light Known users.

If you would like to try distance matrix capabilities like a distance tracker map or travel time map features, create a Basic key and start building for free! To deploy into production, you will need to upgrade to an Enterprise key.

Take a look at this project on  GitHub , as it makes it easy to use the Distance Matrix API in .NET and also includes examples on how to use the Distance Matrix API.

To develop and deploy this service, refer to the Distance Matrix API  documentation . If you have licensing questions, please contact a Bing Maps Sales Specialist. For Enterprise Customer Support, click here . Or check out the Bing Maps Developer Network forum .

Fleet Management Solutions

Calculate travel times and distances between a set of origins and destinations.

Snap to Road API

Advanced data visualization and asset tracking with coordinates that follow the geometry of the road.

Truck Routing API

Designed for professional transportation routing logistics.

Bing Maps for Enterprise

The Bing Maps Distance Matrix API is a Microsoft-branded solution leveraging AI-powered search scenarios and accurate, high-quality geolocation features to help you build better geospatial applications. Our competitive pricing, 24/7 support, and ease of purchase make it simpler than ever to build something amazing for your business and the customers you serve.

This is a place devoted to giving you deeper insight into the news, trends, people and technology behind Bing.

11 New 3D Cities are now available

It is no secret the Microsoft Maps team partners with world builders from the video game industry to create experiences like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 . Microsoft takes petabytes of high-definition aerial imagery from specialized cameras and feeds them into a specialized Azure pipeline to automatically create detailed, fully textured, 3D cities. This rich location data is used to power multiple applications which let you experience our planet - from intricate 3D city maps to the Saharan desert - using your device. Touch the map, and instead of looking straight down from above, tilt it, tap it or spin it to immerse yourself and experience the world in new ways. The powerful mapping engine built into Windows does more than just display the detailed 3D models. Microsoft’s Map controls leverage our global database of mapping information to overlay street labels and place markers that dynamically adapt the 3D map to your vantage point. You can interact with the map to get additional information about a place, see what the view might be from a hotel window, or just browse the world as a virtual tourist with Streetside . To visit our 3D city maps from your desktop: 1.    Open the Windows Map application  2.    Click on the “3D cities” list found under the “…” menu in the upper right 3.    You can also type any location name in the search dialog to find interesting places 4.    Set the view to “Aerial”, zoom in and press the “tilt” icon to put the city at a 3D viewing angle

To learn more about Microsoft Maps, we recommend you check out Microsoft.com/maps where you will discover we also provide multiple control software development kits and APIs you can use to integrate our Bing maps into your solutions.

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Key features in Bing Maps

• 1 contributor

The following is a list of some of the key features in Bing Maps along with links to documentation and interactive code samples.

Additional Road Map styles

In addition to the standard road map style there are:

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to set your map type to Grayscale, see the Grayscale Map Type sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the MapTypeId Enumeration documentation.

Autosuggest

Provides suggestions as you type a location in a search box.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to add the default autosuggest functionality to a textbox, see the Autosuggest UI sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Autosuggest Module documentation.

Birdseye Imagery

This provides high resolution aerial imagery taken at 45 degrees to the ground from 4 different directions.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to show bird's eye view, see the Birdseye sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

Data Binning

This powerful data visualization combines the power of clustering with the richness of heat maps.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to render data bins with a gradient color that scales with pushpin density, see the Binning with gradient color scale sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Data Binning Module documentation.

Visualize large sets of pushpins, by having overlapping pushpins group together as clusters and break apart as you zoom in automatically.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to use the Clustering module, see the Add clustering layer to map sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Clustering Module documentation.

Enhanced Localization

Bing Maps has excellent localization support for 79 languages.

For more information, see the Setting Map Control Parameters documentation.

Drawing tools

Want to draw a pushpin, polygon, or some other shape on the map? The drawing tools module lets you do this easily. This can be used in many different types of scenarios such as providing the user the ability to draw a search area or providing tools for managing sales territories.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to show drawing manager, see the Show drawing manager sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Drawing Tools Module documentation.

Custom Map Styles

Customize the look and feel of the road maps inside of your application. Change the colors of the roads and land, hide certain types of labels. Create a style that aligns with your applications UI, company branding or change it just for fun.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates Custom Styles & ARGB color, see the Custom Styles & ARGB color sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Custom Map Styles in Bing Maps documentation.

GeoJSON Support

GeoJSON is one of the most common file formats used for sharing and storing spatial data. With Bing Maps you can easily import and export GeoJSON data.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to read from a GeoJSON string and render it as a polygon on the map, see the Read GeoJSON object sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the GeoJSON Module documentation.

KML, KMZ, GeoRSS, GML, and GPX support

The GeoXml module makes it easy to read and write common geospatial XML file formats such as:

• KML (Keyhole Markup Language) and KMZ (compressed KML)
• GML (Geography Markup Language, exposed via GeoRSS
• GPX (GPS Exchange Format).

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to read from a URL which points to a GPX file and show the shapes on the map, see the GeoXml Read From a URL sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the GeoXml Module documentation.

Visualize the density of data points as a heatmap.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to generate a heat map layer with 500 random locations and 500 weighted locations that are within the initial view of a loaded map, see the Add default heatmap sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Heat Map Module documentation.

High Contrast support

Bing Maps automatically detects when the user's device is in high contrast module and renders the road maps accordingly to provide easy accessibility.

Point Compression

Some of the Bing Maps services compress arrays of locations using a compression algorithm. These tools make it easy to encode and decode this data when using these services. Additionally, this algorithm can also be used with your own data if sending it between a client app and a server.

Original Values points=35.894309002906084,-110.72522000409663,35.893930979073048,-110.72577999904752,35.893744984641671,-110.72606003843248,35.893366960808635,-110.72661500424147 Equivalent Compressed Value points=vx1vilihnM6hR7mEl2Q

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to decoded an encoded string into an array of Locations then display it on a map as a Polyline, see the Decode a compressed string sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Point Compression Algorithm documentation.

Real-time Traffic data

View real-time traffic flow and incidents on the map.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to create a traffic maps with color coded roads that indicate the flow of traffic and possibly triangle icons indicating traffic incidents on the road, see the Add/Show traffic layer sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Traffic Module documentation.

Spatial Data Services

The Bing Spatial Data Services (SDS) provides two key features; the ability to upload, host and expose location data as a spatial REST service, and the ability to retrieve administrative boundaries data such as zip codes, cities, states and more from Bing Maps. The Bing Maps SDK exposes a set of useful tools for accessing this data and integrating it with the map seamlessly.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to use the Spatial Data Services, see the Area and distance conversions sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Spatial Data Service Module documentation.

Spatial Math

When analyzing business data on a map it is often useful to be able to perform a spatial formula or two. One of the most common being the ability to calculate the distance (as the crow flies) between two locations.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates how to convert kilometers to miles, and acres to square kilometers using the SpatialMath module, see the Area and distance conversions sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Spatial Math Module documentation.

Test Data Generator

When developing your app, you may find that you need some data to test parts of your application. Bing Maps includes a test data generator that can create random locations, pushpin, polylines, polygons and colors.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that demonstrates the automatic creation of pushpins using Microsoft.Maps.TestDataGenerator , see the Create pushpins sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the TestDataGenerator Class article.

Streetside imagery

Explore 360-degrees of street level imagery.

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that shows how to load the streetside mode by specifying map bounds, see the Load using bounds sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

TypeScript Definitions

TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript and provides static typing, classes, and interfaces. It trans compiles into JavaScript which your application uses. These provide intellisense and richer error catching functionality to your development environment. If you haven't used TypeScript before we highly recommend you give it a try as it fills a lot of gaps that you wished JavaScript supported and makes development easier. In fact, we wrote the Bing Maps web control using TypeScript.

For additional information and to download the NuGet package, see Bing Maps V8 TypeScript Definitions in GitHub.

Vector Map Labels

The map labels in the Bing Maps SDK are separate from the base map and sit above the data on the map. This ensures that the labels can be clearly visible no matter what data is added to the map. When pushpins overlap labels, the labels can detect this and move out of the way. If it is a road label it will move along the road. If it is a city name it may move up a bit. If there are a lot of pushpins in an area the label may be hidden entirely.

For more information, see the Vector Map Labels article.

Well Known Text support

This is a standard way of representing spatial objects as a string and use supported by all Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) systems and databases. Easily import and export spatial data with a spatial database and Bing Maps. A list of features comparing Bing Maps with other controls and services in the Bing Maps platform, see Explore the Bing Maps API Platform .

To see an interactive code sample in both JavaScript and TypeScript that shows how to parse a Well Known Text string value into a Bing Maps shape and display it on the map, see the Add Point as Pushpin sample in the Bing Maps Dev Center.

For more information, see the Well Known Text Module article.

Map API Nomenclature

Bing Maps and Google Maps have a lot of common features and functionalities, however there are some differences in naming conventions. To start off with the Google Maps V3 API uses a google.maps namespace, while Bing Maps uses a Microsoft.Maps namespace. Here are the naming differences for some of the most used classes in these APIs:

For more information, see Google Maps to Bing Maps Class Mapping

Migrating Google Maps to Bing Maps

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Midwest tornadoes cause severe damage in Omaha suburbs

The Associated Press

Gopala Penmetsa walks past his house after it was leveled by a tornado near Omaha, Neb., on Friday. Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP hide caption

Gopala Penmetsa walks past his house after it was leveled by a tornado near Omaha, Neb., on Friday.

OMAHA, Neb. — A tornado plowed through suburban Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday afternoon, damaging hundreds of homes and other structures as the twister tore for miles along farmland and into subdivisions. Injuries were reported but it wasn't yet clear if anyone was killed in the storm.

Multiple tornadoes were reported in Nebraska but the most destructive storm moved from a largely rural area into suburbs northwest of Omaha, a city of 485,000 people.

Photos on social media showed heavily damaged homes and shredded trees. Video showed homes with roofs stripped of shingles, in a rural area near Omaha. Law enforcement were blocking off roads in the area.

Hundreds of houses sustained damage in Omaha, mostly in the Elkhorn area in the western part of the city, police Lt. Neal Bonacci said.

Police and firefighters are now going door-to-door helping people who are trapped.

Omaha Fire Chief Kathy Bossman said crews had gone to the "hardest hit area" and had a plan to search anywhere someone could be trapped.

"They're going to be putting together a strategic plan for a detailed search of the area, starting with the properties with most damage," Bossman said. "We'll be looking throughout properties in debris piles, we'll be looking in basements, trying to find any victims and make sure everybody is rescued who needs assistance."

Damaged houses are seen after a tornado passed through the area near Omaha, Neb., on Friday. Chris Machian/Omaha World-Herald via AP hide caption

Damaged houses are seen after a tornado passed through the area near Omaha, Neb., on Friday.

Omaha police Lt. Neal Bonacci said many homes were destroyed or severely damaged.

"You definitely see the path of the tornado," Bonacci said.

In one area of Elkhorn, dozens of newly built, large homes were damaged. At least six were destroyed, including one that was leveled, while others had the top half ripped off.

There were dozens of emergency vehicles in the area.

"We watched it touch down like 200 yards over there and then we took shelter," said Pat Woods, who lives in Elkhorn. "We could hear it coming through. When we came up our fence was gone and we looked to the northwest and the whole neighborhood's gone."

His wife, Kim Woods added, "The whole neighborhood just to the north of us is pretty flattened."

Dhaval Naik, who said he works with the man whose house was demolished, said three people, including a child, were in the basement when the tornado hit. They got out safely.

KETV-TV video showed one woman being removed from a demolished home on a stretcher in Blair, a city just north of Omaha.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said there appeared to be few serious injuries, in part because people had plenty of warning that storms were likely.

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"We not upon by a sudden storm," Schmaderer said. "People had warnings of this and that saved lives."

The tornado warning was issued in the Omaha area on Friday afternoon just as children were due to be released from school. Many schools had students shelter in place until the storm passed. Hours later, buses were still transporting students home.

Another tornado hit an area on the eastern edge of Omaha, passing directly through parts of Eppley Airfield, the city's airport. Officials closed the airport to aircraft operations to access damage but then reopened the facility, Omaha Airport Authority Chief Strategy Officer Steve McCoy said.

Severe weather damage to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Neb., can be seen from the Lewis and Clark Monument in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Friday Anna Reed/Omaha World-Herald via AP hide caption

Severe weather damage to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Neb., can be seen from the Lewis and Clark Monument in Council Bluffs, Iowa on Friday

The passenger terminal wasn't hit by the tornado but people rushed to storm shelters until the twister passed, McCoy said.

Flight delays are expected Friday evening.

After passing through the airport, the tornado crossed the Missouri River and into Iowa, north of Council Bluffs.

Nebraska Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Katrina Sperl said damage is just now being reported. Taylor Wilson, a spokesperson for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said they hadn't seen any injuries yet.

Before the tornado hit the Omaha area, three workers in an industrial plant were injured Friday afternoon when a tornado struck an industrial plant in Lancaster County, sheriff's officials said in an update on the damage.

The building just northeast of the state capital of Lincoln had collapsed with about 70 employees inside and several people trapped, sheriff's officials said. Everyone was evacuated, and three people had injuries that were considered not life-threatening, authorities said.

Sheriff's officials say they also had reports of a tipped-over train near Waverly, also in Lancaster County.

Two people who were injured when the tornado passed through Lancaster County were being treated at the trauma center at Bryan Medical Center West Campus in Lincoln, the facility said in a news release. It said the patients were in triage and no details were released on their condition.

The Omaha Public Power District reported that nearly 10,000 customers were without power in the Omaha area.

Daniel Fienhold, manager of the Pink Poodle Steakhouse in Crescent, Iowa, said he was outside watching the weather with his daughter and restaurant employees. He said "it looked like a pretty big tornado was forming" northeast of town.

"It started raining, and then it started hailing, and then all the clouds started to kind of swirl and come together, and as soon as the wind started to pick up, that's when I headed for the basement, but we never saw it," Fienhold said.

The Weather Service also issued tornado watches across parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. And forecasters warned that large hail and damaging wind gusts were possible.