Pandora Squared - Web and Business Architects, Consultants, Social Media Marketing, Software and Blogging hope not hype

We have recently integrated an application with Google Maps to graphically display key locations. The process is quite simple. Google made Javascript APIs that can be easily integrated with existing codes. Amazingly, this nifty feature can be implemented with less than 15 lines of code.

The first step is to sign up for the API key. This generates a key string that will be included in your script to serve as your identity. Afterwards, update your page to include the necessary javascripts. This is generally an easy task for intermediate programmers. I’d rather not explain the code as Google made reasonable efforts to document the API. It took me about 15 mins to get the sample code running, a few hours to customize the page and integrate with our database. Viola!

One issue was upon us though, Google maps require latitude and longitude information about the locations. Our database contain only address information. What we need is a geo-coding functionality that can translate a physical address into long/lat. There are some open-source projects for geo-coding, but the best we have tested is Yahoo Maps. How ironic, we’re using Yahoo Maps for geo-coding which will be fed to Google maps for viewing.

The process of using Yahoo Maps API is quite simple too. First step is to sign-up for an application ID. Then construct a REST command to issue the query. The syntax is well documented, too. So, the solution is to provide a lat/long “lookup” button within your data entry screen. For usability, we applied Ajax codes to perform the on-the-fly lookup. Due to some security issues with the browser connecting directly to yahoo maps URL, we ended up calling our server which in turn makes the request to Yahoo URL. Here is the js script that makes the call and here is Java code snippet that process the request.

Now, the solution is complete. We have Google maps to display the graphical maps based on lat/long stored in the database and Yahoo geo-coding to translate a physical address to lat/long. This is what I call Web 2.0 integration.

-Afterthought-

Has this been helpful we would like to know please comment and or link. integrating yahoo maps,

The last day of Manila Web2.0 Training focuses on ruby on rails and hands-on workshop to create some simple applications.

The webcam is live:

The second day of Manila Web2.0 Training begins with a comprehensive overview of Web2.0, social software and communities.

The webcam is live:

We have a webcam covering the training event in Manila for those who can’t make it. It will be online between the hours of 8:30am and 6pm Manila Time until Wednesday.

Update: Webcam moved to a later post

As a company with a greek name in the title, you might imagine that we like our ancient history and mythology. A fair number of our systems and products are named after gods, men and monsters of the ancient world. Ironically in my travels across the vast interweb I came across another aptly named King of ancient greece – Telamonian Ajax or Ajax the Great. Wikipedia has more information (just so you know I’m not pulling your leg)

I always run into a problems when bringing new members in to the design and development team. So typically there is a varying skill level for the fundamentals of function prototypes or mockups. Different usage of CSS, xhtml and others. It usually means a time, especially for the remote members of team of running through how we do things and how to handle this web where html is not just used purely for layout.

I was so happy to come across this great article over at ParticleTree. It outlines so many important points for portotyping and development in this ajax world. Very similar to our methodologies and a great resource for our new members to learn what to do.

Its great to see Yahoo releasing the code for it AJAX User Interface Library and a general outline of Design Patterns. They have had strong UI design for a long time (with people like Bill Scott blogging about it) but it is now finally being released for a wider discourse. Not only is the code released as a open source BSD license, the design patterns under Creative Commons but they have also started a blog covering the UI releases and information.

Technorati Tags: Yahoo, UI, YUI, Design Patterns, Ajax, Design, Patterns, User Interface

SkinnyCorp the guys behind things like Threadless have come up with a brilliant little socially enabled app called Extratasty.

List all the contents of your liquor collection and find out which drinks you can make. Of course you can add your own drinks and review others.

Perfect for all those boozed up web heads out there.

I am happy to say we built News Corporations first Blog site, and I feel good about the decision we made to focus on social software and business consulting using web2.0 toolsets like AJAX and RoR…It was a tough thing to do or be involved in three years ago.

The past few months have us so busy and excited! I think the reason why is that the market has caught up with us. Everyone is talking about Ruby, Ajax (and we see Social Software on the cover of Business Week). Now a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon. Everyone it seems is now a blogging, social software or Web-two-point-oh! expert.

Reminds me of a song by the Sacramento band “Cake” titled: Rockin Roll Lifestyle

“How do you afford your Rockin Roll Lifestyle? You got the T-shirt that proves you heard of them first?”

I don’t want to walk around claiming we were here first, or I had a beer with the singer… that mindset isn’t us and isn’t cool. How does one Blog without seeming so self worshiping?

We just want to be really really good at what we do. We love prosperity and I really love helping businesses grow.

But we may loose our ultra cool niche, the big boys are coming at us…

Look at this, IBM is now doing interesting things with Ruby on Rails

pandora squaredruby on railsAjaxweb 2.0TechCrunchIBM

I just had an interesting coffee and lengthy discussion with Frank Arrigo Evangelist and Geek Extraordinaire with Microsoft. I met Frank in March at the Hill and Knowlton breakfast bytes event (They have a blog, only it isn’t linked you have to dig through google…hint?) (Link) Frank shocked me then as he was representing Microsoft and had a candid and blunt discussion on technology and direction given to us by social software and blogging. It was here that I learned: Wallop was done with Flash components, a few Microsoft employees like Frank Blog openly and Frank was even CTO of NineMSN…long story short I’ve been reading his RSS feed since.

Monday night after a brief email exchange Frank sent me some news that Microsoft was going to make a big announcement. What? I replied are they going to open source with windows or web enable office. Okay so I eat my words and the announcement shocked me with their embracing of Web 2.0. Most notably:

1. Seamless user experiences (This I have to see)
2. New internet-enabled methods of adoption and delivery
3. Emergence of new internet business models based on advertising.

Today Frank and I spoke of Microsofts commitment to those who are developing rich client applications and those who are focused on delivering customer solutions in this space. Since all our in house technology is Ruby on Rails, (Some clients are invested in other technologies and we support them)it was interesting for me again to hear candid open dialogue around Web 2.0 philosophies.

Our focus is to be technology agnostic and build solutions that are based upon the requirements and the resources at hand. What we are happy about is that Microsofts Web 2.0 push and now their support enables us in delivering solutions for our clients using Microsoft technology enablers.

Let us see where this road takes us…

Tim O’Reilly blogs on this Web 2.0 or Live Software here:

• I’m at a Microsoft press event in San Francisco to introduce the concept of “Live Software.” The big takeaway: Microsoft is fully engaged with thinking about what I’ve called “Web 2.0.” They are focused on the internet as the platform, on software as a service, on creating rich experiences across multiple devices, on live update as a metaphor for both software and documents, on grassroots adoption as a result of user conversations. They are also very clearly focused on advertising as a new business model. We’re hearing all the Web 2.0 buzzwords: RSS, AJAX, social networking.

• My favorite line, from Ray Ozzie: “Some say that the internet itself is the platform, and in many ways that’s true. The internet has always been described as a network of networks, and it’s now becoming a platform of platforms, as every web site is potentially a platform.”

WOW! We are flat out excited…the team behind Pandora Squared has been preaching and developing agile Web 2.0 type solutions for years. Those in our industry who have been hard at work with this approach now have their credibility quotient raised. The wonderful thing for business is now more of a transition path exists for those who are heavily invested in existing technologies. In addition IT managers can feel more comfortable recommending solutions that were just weeks ago considered too fringe.

Pandora Squared develops solutions around our clients, their users and their conversations. We use our proven methodology and we deliver technology enablers based on our client’s business requirements. We have strong technical proficiency in Ajax, php, Ruby on Rails, .Net and other Microsoft development tools and have a powerful IBM partner IC Consulting

PS.: Sooo Microsoft has done the Web 2.0 dance…is everyone happy now? See we haven’t been making this up. ;-)

pandora squared