How a two-way interaction between a business application and an imbedded map (being Map Suite) could work

Lyle · March 22, 2016, 7:59am

Hello

I was searching the internet for a map-in-an-app (application) implementation using silverlight and many of the search results referred to ThinkGeo

I've had a good look through your site but haven't found definitive answers to what I'm wanting to achieve, so I thought I'd just ask.

It is evident that the Silverlight implementation of the Map suite has a comprehensive set of tools. My interest is in how a two-way interaction between a business application and an imbedded map (being Map Suite) could work. The application is to be developed in the Microsoft MOSS framework using .NET and it needs to be able to control the map component. For example, I perform a text search in the MOSS application and it returns a result set. I want to then plot the locations of the result set in the map. And I want to do the reverse. I perform a spatial search in the map window and want to be able to pass data back to the MOSS application and have it display either a list of records or open the details of a selected record.

Some examples are:

Perform a spatial query on property dataset in the map and then bring up the property details in the MOSS application.

Perform a query with spatial and attribute operators (eg within distance and status = 'active') and have it display the result set in the map window.

Perform a text query in MOSS (eg 'SMITH') and those records that are returned that have a spatial aspect are displayed in the map across all map layers)

The key characteristic of the development that we want to perform is to have a high degree of integration between the business system (say a plant/pest pest operations system) and the imbedded map window. We want the interaction between the business system and map window to be dynamic (real-time) and to operate in both directions (The business application can drive the map and the map can also drive the application to go to selected features, or report on selected record sets).

Does the silverlight version of map suite have an architecture that would support this kind of interaction?

I'd be interested in any reference sites, working examples etc that demonstrate this kind of capability

Kind Regards

Howard · March 22, 2016, 11:18am

Lyle,

We are not the expert of MOSS; so I assume MOSS as a web application. Silverlight is perfectly compatible with JavaScript; in another word, Silverlight can freely contact with server side using <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">AJAX</st1:place></st1:city>. So I think your issue is how to implement two ways interaction between a web application and silverlight application.

Silverlight application can freely call JavaScript function, or web service; what I mean is that you can use Silverlight to call JavaScript to raise an <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">AJAX</st1:place></st1:city> event such as callback or request a web service. This is one way from Silverlight application to web application. When the web application responds, it returns a string or serialized byte array. The callback function gets the returned result and call a Silverlight function; you can do some research on the ScriptableMemberAttribute.

This is a general way to implement two way interactions. I recommend you do some research on the WCF stuff in Silverlight which is a little complicated but you don’t need write any JavaScript code.

Please let me know if there is any misunderstanding.

Thanks,

Howard