# Vehicle tracking application and best way to plot icons **URL:** \ **Category:** WinForms\ **Created:** [August 10, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://community.thinkgeo.com/t/vehicle-tracking-application-and-best-way-to-plot-icons/604 "2009-08-10T19:59:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ewan](https://community.thinkgeo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@ewan](https://community.thinkgeo.com/u/ewan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://community.thinkgeo.com/t/vehicle-tracking-application-and-best-way-to-plot-icons/604/1 "2009-08-10T19:59:00Z")
I am spinning my wheels trying to upgrade from V2 and looking for the best way to plot multiple icons (all with different images) and then to be able to move them around as the new positions come in.   Any help available out there please ---
**Author:** ![ThinkGeo](https://community.thinkgeo.com/user_avatar/community.thinkgeo.com/thinkgeo/32/25029_2.png) [@ThinkGeo](https://community.thinkgeo.com/u/ThinkGeo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://community.thinkgeo.com/t/vehicle-tracking-application-and-best-way-to-plot-icons/604/2 "2009-08-10T23:56:57Z")
Ewan, Thanks for your post and questions! Hope following  project can satisfy with your requirement: [code.thinkgeo.com/projects/show/mapshapes](http://code.thinkgeo.com/projects/show/mapshapes) Let me know if any more questions. Thanks. Yale   ---
**Author:** ![ewan](https://community.thinkgeo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@ewan](https://community.thinkgeo.com/u/ewan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 8:09am UTC](https://community.thinkgeo.com/t/vehicle-tracking-application-and-best-way-to-plot-icons/604/3 "2009-08-11T08:09:51Z")
Is there supposed to be some sample code along with the article ?? ---
**Author:** ![ewan](https://community.thinkgeo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@ewan](https://community.thinkgeo.com/u/ewan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 11:43am UTC](https://community.thinkgeo.com/t/vehicle-tracking-application-and-best-way-to-plot-icons/604/4 "2009-08-11T11:43:02Z")
OK I found the code - but does this work with Desktop ??  I cannot seem to find reference to MapShapeLayer or MapShape in the documentation for Desktop V3 ---
**Author:** ![ewan](https://community.thinkgeo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@ewan](https://community.thinkgeo.com/u/ewan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://community.thinkgeo.com/t/vehicle-tracking-application-and-best-way-to-plot-icons/604/5 "2009-08-11T15:03:09Z")
OK I am making progress ( I hope) but am stuck but am getting a null exception thrown from my iconLayer in the New\_Raster\_Position method ??      I hope you can help         Ewan          Private Sub Load\_Raster\_Map()              gisMAP.AdornmentOverlay.ShowLogo = False           gisMAP.ZoomLevelSnapping = ZoomLevelSnappingMode.None              If Not My.Settings.lastMAPmap = Nothing Then                  If System.IO.File.Exists(My.Settings.lastMAPmap) = True Then                      gisMAP.Overlays.Clear()                         gisMAP.MapUnit = GeographyUnit.DecimalDegree                      Dim worldImageLayer As New GdiPlusRasterLayer(My.Settings.lastMAPmap)                   worldImageLayer.UpperThreshold = Double.MaxValue                   worldImageLayer.LowerThreshold = 0                         Dim staticOverlay As New LayerOverlay()                   staticOverlay.Layers.Add(“WorldImageLayer”, worldImageLayer)                   gisMAP.Overlays.Add(staticOverlay)                      worldImageLayer.Open()                      gisMAP.CurrentExtent = GetFullExtent()                      gisMAP.Refresh()                      gMapLBL.Text = GetFileNameWithoutExtension(worldImageLayer.PathFilename)                      ’ Setup the mapshape layer.                   Dim iconLayer As New MapShapeLayer                      iconLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultPointStyle.PointType = ThinkGeo.MapSuite.Core.PointType.Bitmap                   iconLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.DefaultLineStyle = LineStyles.ContestedBorder2                   iconLayer.ZoomLevelSet.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20                      Dim iconOverlay As New LayerOverlay()                   iconOverlay.Layers.Add(“iconLayer”, iconLayer)                   gisMAP.Overlays.Add(“iconOverlay”, iconOverlay)                     End If                 End If              Select Case My.Settings.mapBalloon               Case Is = True                   ToolBarBalloon.ImageIndex = 22                  Case Is = False                   ToolBarBalloon.ImageIndex = 21              End Select             End Sub             Private Sub New\_Raster\_Position(ByVal Unit\_Name As String, ByVal Unit\_Operator As String, ByVal Lat As Double, ByVal Lon As Double, ByVal Speed As Double, ByVal Direction As Integer, ByVal Status As String)              Dim IconPath As String = Get\_GIS\_Icon(Unit\_Name)              If System.IO.File.Exists(IconPath) = False Then               IconPath = AppPath & “\icons\gis\base.png”           End If              gisMAP.Overlays(“iconOverlay”).Lock.EnterWriteLock()              Try                  Dim iconLayer As MapShapeLayer = DirectCast(gisMAP.FindFeatureLayer(“iconLayer”), MapShapeLayer)                  Dim myMapShape As New MapShape(New Feature(Lon, Lat, Unit\_Name))               myMapShape.ZoomLevels.ZoomLevel01.DefaultPointStyle = New PointStyle(New GeoImage(IconPath))               myMapShape.ZoomLevels.ZoomLevel01.ApplyUntilZoomLevel = ApplyUntilZoomLevel.Level20                  If Not iconLayer.MapShapes.ContainsKey(Unit\_Name) Then                   iconLayer.MapShapes.Add(Unit\_Name, myMapShape)                  Else                   iconLayer.Open()                   iconLayer.EditTools.BeginTransaction()                   iconLayer.EditTools.Delete(Unit\_Name)                   iconLayer.EditTools.CommitTransaction()                   iconLayer.Close()                   iconLayer.MapShapes.Add(Unit\_Name, myMapShape)               End If              Finally               gisMAP.Overlays(“iconOverlay”).Lock.ExitWriteLock()           End Try           gisMAP.Refresh()          End Sub      Public Class MapShape          Private m\_feature As Feature       Private zoomLevelSet As ZoomLevelSet          Public Sub New()           Me.New(New Feature())       End Sub          ’ Let’s use this as a handy constructor if you already have       ’ a feature or want to create one inline.       Public Sub New(ByVal feature As Feature)           Me.m\_feature = feature           zoomLevelSet = New ZoomLevelSet()       End Sub          ’  This is the feature property, pretty simple.       Public Property Feature() As Feature           Get               Return m\_feature           End Get           Set(ByVal value As Feature)               m\_feature = value           End Set       End Property          ’ This is the Zoom Level Set.  This high level object has all of       ’ the logic in it for zoom levels, drawing and everything.       Public Property ZoomLevels() As ZoomLevelSet           Get               Return zoomLevelSet           End Get           Set(ByVal value As ZoomLevelSet)               zoomLevelSet = value           End Set       End Property         End Class      Class MapShapeLayer       Inherits FeatureLayer       Private m\_mapShapes As Dictionary(Of String, MapShape)          Public Sub New()           m\_mapShapes = New Dictionary(Of String, MapShape)()       End Sub          ’ Here is where you place all of your map shapes.       Public ReadOnly Property MapShapes() As Dictionary(Of String, MapShape)           Get               Return m\_mapShapes           End Get       End Property          ’ This is a required overload of the Layer.  As you can see we simply       ’ loop through all of our map shapes and then choose the correct zoom level.       ’ After that, the zoom level class takes care of the heavy lifiting.  You       ’ have to love how easy this framework is to re-use.          Protected Overloads Overrides Sub DrawCore(ByVal canvas As GeoCanvas, ByVal labelsInAllLayers As Collection(Of SimpleCandidate))           For Each mapShapeKey As String In m\_mapShapes.Keys               Dim mapShape As MapShape = m\_mapShapes(mapShapeKey)               Dim currentZoomLevel As ZoomLevel = mapShape.ZoomLevels.GetZoomLevelForDrawing(canvas.CurrentWorldExtent, canvas.Width, GeographyUnit.DecimalDegree)               If currentZoomLevel IsNot Nothing Then                   If canvas.CurrentWorldExtent.Intersects(mapShape.Feature.GetBoundingBox()) Then                       currentZoomLevel.Draw(canvas, New Feature() {mapShape.Feature}, New Collection(Of SimpleCandidate)(), labelsInAllLayers)                   End If               End If           Next       End Sub      End Class              ---
**Author:** ![ThinkGeo](https://community.thinkgeo.com/user_avatar/community.thinkgeo.com/thinkgeo/32/25029_2.png) [@ThinkGeo](https://community.thinkgeo.com/u/ThinkGeo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://community.thinkgeo.com/t/vehicle-tracking-application-and-best-way-to-plot-icons/604/6 "2009-08-12T01:26:34Z")
Ewan, I am really willing to help you, but with your code, I am very confused what you are trying to do and it absolutely cannot be compiled because it lakes many methods.   I made a sample using MapShape from our code project, in this sample, you can add MapShape when you MapClick on the MapControl.   Can you upload your sample project and paste out the exception stack trace to show your problem?   Thanks.   Yale [1033-MapShapesDemo.zip](https://community.thinkgeo.com/uploads/default/original/2X/f/fe61764b8275dc4a4d9a77d89fcdc1d1264d6c44.zip) (29.5 KB)