Virtual Earth and WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation)

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Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is an incredible new visualization technology from Microsoft and since we are "One Microsoft" with some extremely exciting user experience software coming to the forefront - see Silverlight, Seadragon (aka Deep Zoom) and Surface as examples - Virtual Earth is being the fifth of the beautiful interfaces in our UX arsenal why not marry some of them? Well, I showed Silverlight and Virtual Earth at the MIX conference this year. Well, here's a 3D demonstration put together by Identity Mine for Accruent illustrating exactly why Virtual Earth and WPF can change the way we mine, examine and visualize data.

The application illustrates ways of doing what you do today, but in a 3-dimensional presentation. Stepping through the video, you'll see the following on a Virtual Earth map in 3D WPF grace.

  • Plot customers on a map with 3D pins
  • Radius search - visualizing the radius and changing the radius by simply pulling on the band
  • Drive-time Area - a drive time search 10 minutes from the center point of the original radius search
  • Visualizing demographic data on the map with 3D size, shapes and colors
  • Filtering demographics data on the map to change size, shapes and colors
  • Cross referencing demographic data with tiered customer information
  • Mining data based on demographics, customer information and location
  • Using Bird's Eye photography to visualize location information
  • Custom navigation in 3D - panning, zooming, rotating, tilting
  • Touching data points on the map for additional information

Incredible work by the Identity Mine guys and kudos to Accruent for investing in a tool so forward looking. BTW - did you know our address is "One Microsoft Way?" It helps us remember to stay unified across the sprawling campus.

CP