{"id":1025,"date":"2019-09-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/blog\/expanded-azure-maps-coverage-preview-of-azure-maps-feedback-site-and-more"},"modified":"2025-06-25T12:37:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T19:37:03","slug":"expanded-azure-maps-coverage-preview-of-azure-maps-feedback-site-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/expanded-azure-maps-coverage-preview-of-azure-maps-feedback-site-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Expanded Azure Maps coverage, preview of Azure Maps feedback site, and more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This blog post was co-authored by Ricky Brundritt, Principal Technical Program Manager, Azure Maps.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Azure Maps services continue to expand our support for Microsoft enterprise customers\u2019 needs in Azure. And, we\u2019ve been busy expanding our capabilities. Today we\u2019re announcing Azure Maps is now available in Argentina, India, Morocco, and Pakistan. We have also launched a new Azure Maps data feedback site<\/a> that is now in preview. In addition, we\u2019re also introducing several enhancements that are available via our Representational state transfer (REST) services and Azure Maps web and Android SDKs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a run-down of the new features:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Azure Maps is available in new countries and regions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Azure Maps is now available in Argentina, India, Morocco, and Pakistan and these regions require specific consideration for using maps. Azure Maps will now empower our customers to use the appropriate map views in these regions. To learn more about how to request data via our REST services and SDKs for the new regions and countries listed above, please see our Azure Maps localization page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introducing preview of Azure Maps data feedback site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To serve the freshest map data as possible to our customers and as an easy way to provide map data feedback, we\u2019re introducing the Azure Maps data feedback site<\/a>. The new site empowers our customers to provide direct data feedback, especially on business points of interest and residential addresses. The feedback goes directly to our data providers and their map editors who can quickly evaluate and incorporate feedback into our mapping products. To learn how to provide different types of feedback using the Azure Maps feedback site, please see our How-to guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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REST service enhancements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Point of interest data updates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When requesting point of interest data, you might want to restrict the results to specific brands. For example, your scenario is to only show gas stations under a specific brand to your end users. To support this, we\u2019ve added the capability to include one or multiple brands in your request to limit the search results. To learn more, please see our How-to Guide article<\/a> where we share useful tips to call data via Azure Maps search services<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Azure Maps now returns hours of operation for points of interest like business listings. We return the opening hours for the next week, starting with the current day in the local time of the point of interest. This information can be used to better optimize your planned routes, and for example, show end users store locations that are open during a specific timeframe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunset and sunrise times<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to a recent report from the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, buildings construction and operations account for 36 percent of global final energy<\/a> use and nearly 40 percent of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions when upstream power generation is considered. To create impact with IoT and help to combat climate change and optimize buildings for energy efficiency, Get Timezone by Coordinates<\/a> API now returns sunset and sunrise times for a given coordinate location. Developers can automate device messages in their IoT solutions<\/a>, for example, by building rules to schedule heating and cooling by using sunrise and sunset times combined with telemetry messages from a variety of devices and sensors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cartography and styling updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Point of interest data rendering<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To provide richer and more informative map data content, we\u2019ve pushed up certain point of interest data so that certain categories appear at higher levels. As a result, airport icons are rendered at zoom levels 10 to 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Point of interest icons for important tourist attractions like museums, and railway and metro stations are displayed on zoom levels 12 to 22. In addition, universities, colleges, and schools are shown on zoom levels 13 to 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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State boundaries and abbreviated state names<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To improve usability and give more detailed views, state boundaries are pushed up in the data so that they appear already at zoom level 3. Abbreviated state names are also now shown in zoom level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Blank map styles in web SDK<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Often it is useful to be able to visualize data on top of a blank canvas or to replace the base maps with custom tile layers. With this in the mind the Azure Maps web SDK now supports two new map styles<\/a>; blank<\/i> and blank_accessible<\/i>. The blank<\/em> map style will not render any base map data, nor will it update the screen reader on where the map is centered over. The blank_ accessible<\/i> style will continue to provide screen reader updates with location details of where the map is located, even though the base map is not displayed. Please note, you can change the background color of web SDK by using the CSS background-color<\/i> style of the map DIV element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Web SDK enhancements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Azure Maps team has made many additions and improvements to the web SDK. Below is a closer look at some of the key improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cluster aggregates<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Clustering of point data based on zoom level can be done to reduce the visual clutter on the map and make it easier to make sense of the data. Often clusters are represented using a symbol with the number of points that are within the cluster, however sometimes you may want to further customize the style of clusters based on a metric like the total revenue of all points within a cluster. With cluster aggregates, custom properties can be created and populated using an aggregate expression. To learn more please see our Azure Maps documentation.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aggregating data in clusters<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image templates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Azure Maps web SDK uses WebGL for rendering most data on the map. Symbol layers can be used to render points on the map with an image, line layers can have images rendered along it, and polygon layers can be rendered with a fill pattern image. In order to ensure good performance, these images need to be loaded into the map image sprite resource before rendering. The web SDK already provides a couple of images of markers in a handful of colors, however, there is an infinite number of color combinations that developers may want to use. With this in mind we have ported the SVG template functionality for HTML markers over to the image sprite and have added 42 image templates, 27 symbol icons, and 15 polygon fill patterns. You can easily define a primary and secondary color as well as a scale for each template when loading it into the map image sprite. These templates can also be used with HTML markers as well. Check out our documentation<\/a> and see our Try it now tool<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Images can be used HTML markers and various layers within the Azure Maps Web SDK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional notable improvements to the web SDK:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n