Adequate Places API for travel app

问题

I'm looking for a place API that can be used with a map API. Here are three APIs I've been thinking about: - Google Maps/Places: https://developers.google.com/maps/ - Microsoft Bing: https://www.microsoft.com/maps/developers/mapapps.aspx - Nokia Maps: http://api.maps.nokia.com/2.1.0/devguide/overview.html

They seem to be likely to give good results. The application I'm going to work on is on travel information. So we would like to use the best API for finding sightseeing, accommodations, restaurants, but we don't care about dentists, grocery stores, etc., which are not related to travel.

Which one do you guys think would be the best for our needs? (if you think of another good API that I didn't mention, make sure to let me know!)

Thank you, J

回答1:

It is difficult to give an absolute answer here because the quality of the data behind each of the APIs will vary from place to place, and what is "best" will depend on the nature of your app and the questions it solves - For example the extent of Google data (to pick one of your options) is generally perceived to be stronger in the Americas and weaker in Europe. Another example I have heard of is a Brazilian company that decided on using Nokia Maps because it had better coverage in rural areas even though it was weaker in the big cities. And of course the breadth and quality of the data may change with time.

I would guess that your best option here would be to run a simple beauty contest.

Take as a starting point the code examples from the relevant API developer sites

Bing Search
Google Search
Nokia Search

Then modify the code to obtain the same results for some of your typical use cases e.g. accommodations, restaurants then score each API according to your criteria

What sort of coverage is obtained in an area that is relevant for you?
How easy is it to modify the code?
Do you like the way the results are presented?
How easy is it to get more detailed information?
How much does a data plan for the API cost?

Then use the score card to work out which API is the best for you.

Here is an example of difference in coverage from all three APIs for "bookshops" in Berlin

In this particular case the Nokia API returns more data, but a different result may be given if you look for say "Bookshops in Boston" - you need to decide which locations and which queries are most relevant to your application.