Hi from Banff (on anniversary vacation).

I just had to log in and post for this. I’m so very excited that Yahoo! Local is releasing the public beta of their new Yahoo! Maps product built in Macromedia Flex. There is so much to like about this product.

The interactions are great. There is full support for the browser navigation. Drag the map, hit back in the browser and watch your map slide back. There is a great mini-map view that allows you to drag a viewfinder around to move the map in a larger context, you can double click to zoom, right mouse click to get options, or even use arrow keys to pan.

The driving direction input is pretty fantastic too. As you enter addresses, you get user ratings of the business you are going to, you can drag to reorder destinations, and easily do multi-point trips. You can also choose from a list or search our yellow pages for business around destinations, and see information and details in really intuitive expanding bubbles on the map. There is a lot more to see, so definitely check it out!

The coolest feature though is the API. We aren’t leaving anyone behind with it. You can access the API through Javascript, ActionScript or Flex, with methods and properties that are the same across environments.

You can bring our maps into your own applications either using our pre-built tools, or with your own custom tools. You can add your own points on the map, and even your own marker types.

The overlays however are where the API really shines. You can take your own data and overlay and content you want on the map. Do you have a weather map? add it on! do you have elevation plottings for an area? Then make you own topographic map. If you want you can even use some of our overlays like real time traffic data.

hAPI hAPI Joy Joy!