Google or Bing Map programming with C# for standalone application

Question

I want to write a standalone application (preferable in C#) displaying a Google or Bing Map showing flight paths and patterns in 3D.

1. For Google this is possible in JavaScript embedded in HTML, as shown here: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/javascript/
2. The Google Web Services allow me to determine distances and routes, but no visualization as I would need it (this is how I understand it, I might be wrong).
3. The same as in 1 seems to be true for the Bing AJAX controls ("JavaScript in Web page").
4. The Bing SOAP Services again seem to be the equivalent to 2, more focused on textual queries rather than displaying the maps. There is the Imagery service, but this looks more low level, not like a 3D globe I could modify.
5. In stackoverflow article " best api for develop with maps web application google-maps vs bing-maps " are some links about the APIs, but nothing .net focused.

Is anybody aware of a .NET/C# API which allows me to do basically the same as in 1/3 with C#?

Answer 1

Depending on exactly what your definition of "standalone" is, how about creating an out-of-browser application based on the Bing Maps Silverlight control? See http://www.microsoft.com/maps/isdk/silverlight/ for SDK and http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee681884.aspx for method reference.

It would certainly meet your aim of creating a "Bing Maps"-style application coding in C#, but I believe it would still need to be delivered to the client over HTTP.

Answer 2

I'm not sure if you're considering commercial components or not, but I happened across Telerik's RadMap the other day. It supports Bing Maps, I believe.

Answer 3

Not 100% sure on all the capabilities but checkout GMap.NET. Open source, I've played around with it a little and it seems pretty good.