Location Web Service API?

[pinhead]

Given that I can use a smart phones built in GPS to get a users
current location (ie; retrieve latitude and longitude coordinates),
does any one know of a free (or at least, cheap) API that can convert
this information into a meaniful place name?

For example 52°01'N, 0°44'W would return Milton Keynes (a place in the
UK).

All the ones I've found seem to go the other way - place name, returns
geo location.

 

[Jamal Samedov]

Hi,
I am also interested in this question for nearest future (dependend on
either the client wishes)
The sipmlest seach on " coordinates "reverse geocoding" " gives that Google
has such service as a demo:
http://googlemapsapi.blogspot.com/2006/06/geocoding-at-last.html
The financial part I do not know yet, when it will be a time I will look at
more closely
Probably there are more options for such work.
I also interested in the question what to do if location has no address:
somewhere far away from nearest living place.
This question is more about either it is possible navigate not to postal
addres but to known coordinates.
This should be investigated as well.
Practical answer on your question is: there are services for sure, just
search on internet

J.N. Samedov,

Given that I can use a smart phones built in GPS to get a users
current location (ie; retrieve latitude and longitude coordinates),
does any one know of a free (or at least, cheap) API that can convert
this information into a meaniful place name?

For example 52°01'N, 0°44'W would return Milton Keynes (a place in the
UK).

All the ones I've found seem to go the other way - place name, returns
geo location.

 

[pinhead]

Thanks for your answer, only just solved the solution myself...


Passing a direct call to http://maps.google.com/maps/geo?output=xml&oe=utf-8&ll=52.05053,-0.80188&key=????????????

???????????? is the Google Maps API key!

Reveals a nice little bit of xml, which (after stripping out it out a
bit), can easily be parsed with a few XPath queries on the mobile
device, revealing the users location!