Integrated Mapping is simply a term defining the use of a stand-alone GIS product within a custom application built in Visual Basic, PowerBuilder, Delphi, etc. We have used this technology since 1999 using VBA within Microsoft Access 2000 and Mapinfo Professional 5.5.
It can be done with 2 lines of code:
Public MI As Object
Set MI = CreateObject("MapInfo.Application")
To launch a custom Mapbasic Application:
strApp = "C:\mbApp.mbx"
MI.Do "Run Application """ & strApp & """"
In 1999 this technology was very useful, enabling developers to launch MapBasic applications within their custom apps. However, as development environments have progressed, this outdated methodology can be very tasking and difficult to manage.
This type of OLE automation can even be done with .NET as we have done with our GPS Control Room product. EnGraph will soon be implementing newer mapping components.
