Decoded

TomTom Location History API services offer the ability to build applications based on object location histories. The Location History service can potentially be used for managing vehicle fleets, handling optimal taxi pickup locations, and for delivering on-demand services. This article introduces you to some of the concepts behind location history services and provides an overview of the services and endpoints provided by the Location History APIs.

In this article we'll take a closer look at POIs from a developer's perspective, examining the various ways you can use places in your apps, as well as walking through the tools and technologies TomTom offers for finding and displaying places.

Learn not only about how to designate which websites are allowed to use your key to access your API, but also tips and tricks on keeping your code organized when using more than one mapping component – utilizing multiple keys for multiple platforms, uses, and situations that help you stay on track!

Geofencing lets us create virtual boundaries on a map that can track assets and enable us to connect our users to the things that matter the most to them. Learn more about what geofencing really is, why it’s important to use and more importantly, how simple it is to create your own geofence.

Mapcodes are a free, open way to make every house or location on Earth addressable by a short code. With nothing else except your mapcode, a navigation system will bring someone to within meters of your front door. It’s easier to remember than coordinates, and in many cases more accurate than a street address. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Mapcode and demonstrate how the TomTom Search API provides direct support for finding locations with mapcodes.

TomTom maps return useful results even if you misspell a search term or provide incomplete address information. In this article we'll explain how the TomTom Search API provides "fuzzy search" results for points of interest through spell-checking, nearby search options, geometric boundary searches, route searches and more.

Routing is the simple task of finding a path from one point to another. TomTom's Routing API also provides batch and matrix routing tools that enable more complex scenarios such as generation large batches of routes at one time or evaluation complex matrices of possible origins and destinations. We'll explain how these options work.

How do you take a round object and display it accurately on a flat surface? TomTom's location services employ a Spherical Mercator projection of the earth's surface to create the underlying map representation used by the services. The map data is further delineated by zoom levels and tile grids that provide the exact visual representation you need to display a map.

With location services you can retrieve your current location, the location of a place you are trying to find and the turn-by-turn directions to get there. Providing directions between two or more locations is routing. We’ll show you how that works with TomTom’s Routing API.

One of the most important mapping concepts you'll need to understand is "geocoding," or converting between user-readable location descriptions and computer-readable coordinates. This article explains the process of geocoding and provides some examples.