Mapquest Delivers its Open API; announces contest
This week, Mapquest finally joined the mashup party with the relase of its API, called Mapquest Open API Beta. It’s a javascript suite that allows for customized mashups in the already-popular style of Google Maps and Yahoo! Maps, and boasts the following features:
Though late to the party, Mapquest seems to want to bring it to compete. To get the people’s attention, Mapquest has announced a contest, the OpenAPI Developers Challenge. To compete, all one has to do is come up with an innovative use of OpenAPI that, according to Mapquest:
will push the mashup genre beyond merely plotting locations on a map, demonstrate some real usefulness to a broader, non commercial community and leverage the full set of tools available in OpenAPI with an emphasis on routing.
There are only two requirements: one must register for the MapQuest OpenAPI, accepting terms of service, and that entry must be completed by the 31st of March. The winner is to recieve a $1,000 prize and a trip to the O’Reilly® Where 2.0 conference (13-14 June, San Jose, CA) where they will get a chance to demo thier winning mashup.
We’ve registered for the OpenAPI ourselves and are planning a report when we get access.
And here are the links:
As we said, the mashup deadline is 31 March…so, get busy!
(Via The Map Room)


FYI, the contest has been extended till May 1, and opened up to most Canadian residents. More info at http://openapi.info/...shups-now-due-may-1/. Good luck!
Thanks, gents and ladies. Good news for the competiors, no doubt!
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