Maps with Windows Forms application

Question

I am building a C#/Winforms application that requires a map (a la Google maps, Bing maps etc.). But I am terribly confused by the ToU (licensing) - non-commercial use etc.

My questions:

1. What mapping provider would you suggest (preferably free) to embed with a winforms application, for commercial purposes.

2. What mapping provider would you recommend if the app is "offline" i.e. cannot get tiles from a mapping server.

3. Google Earth seemed quite promising until I read in the ToU of non-commercial use only clause, would you know if that is waivable through purchase of a license? Any commercial alternatives?

Answer 1

1. For Windows application, try looking for OpenStreetMap for windows form integration using a browser control

2. For offline solution you will require map data. One of the most used map data format is Shapefiles which is an ESRI standard, you can download OpenStreetMap data and convert it to Shapefiles and then you can import them in your application. There are open source project which are using Shapefiles for map rendering and other GIS functionalities. namely SharpMap and DotSpatial (Both are .Net implementation)

3. You can search for Google Earth Pro, also try World Wind from NASA (which is free)