TransCAD for the Web can be integrated into many types of online applications and services that require mapping and routing functions, including public transportation, travel surveys, fleet management, online vehicle tracking and monitoring, online delivery systems, online dispatching systems, GPS locating and monitoring, geofencing, emergency response systems and "find nearest" location-based services.

A typical web mapping application that uses TransCAD for the Web is made of three components: the mapping and routing engine (TransCAD for the Web), the web application (written in Active Server Pages/VBScript or ASP.NET/Visual Basic.NET) and the street network database used for routing. If your organization has specific requirements for a mapping web site, Caliper is available for developing a solution that includes TransCAD for the Web and a custom web application template. Contact us for additional information.

TransCAD for the Web is also available as a stand-alone mapping server product, to be used by developers that have already experience in developing and deploying transportation planning and routing applications, or are already familiar with developing applications using TransCAD.

TransCAD for the Web has all of the tools you need to create compelling and attractive maps, plus special capabilities for designing and running interactive map applications and location-based services on the World Wide Web. With TransCAD for the Web, you can quickly add mapping capabilities to your web site by following a few steps:

• Create a map: TransCAD for the Web is based on Caliper’s TransCAD^® Geographic Information System software, and features the tools, wizards, and data you need to quickly and easily create maps. TransCAD for the Web supports all of the data structures (such as routes and networks) that are part of TransCAD.
• Choose a Mapplication^®: A Mapplication is a web application template that provides tools and links for moving around a map, finding locations such as addresses, cities, or ZIP Codes, finding features near a clicked point, and displaying information about map features.
• Set the application properties: Choose the map features and the display settings that will determine how your web application will look in a browser.
• Test your application: Preview and change the application while it is running on your computer. Use the pan and zoom tools to move around the map, use the search tools to find features by location or query, and display detailed information about selected features.
• Publish the application: Copy the finished web application to one or more web servers. Your publication is now available to users over the Internet or your corporate intranet.

Who Benefits from TransCAD for the Web
TransCAD for the Web is robust enough to meet the specific needs of all types of users:

Map Designers can use all of the capabilities of TransCAD to design maps that communicate. You have complete control over the display settings of map features. Choose the style of features, the scales at which they are visible, and how and when they are labeled. MapWizard® automatic mapping technology helps you create color and pattern maps, dot-density maps, scaled-symbol maps, and maps with integrated pie charts and bar charts.

Web Site Designers can incorporate TransCAD for the Web page elements into other web pages. You can modify the HTML tags or modify the graphic elements to maintain a consistent design within your web site. Additionally, you can use web authoring tools to make adjustments to the layout and content of your application.

Web Site Programmers can add properties and functions to any web application or Mapplication. TransCAD for the Web applications are Active Server Pages that use popular languages such as VBScript, JavaScript, and HTML. You have complete access to the script source code produced by TransCAD for the Web. Additionally, all of the powerful geographic and database functions of GISDK™, the Caliper GIS Developer’s Kit, can be included in a web application script. You can also develop new Mapplications and distribute them to map designers who can use them to create applications with different maps and different geographic layers.

Web Site Administrators can easily add TransCAD for the Web to one or more servers. No additional application server software is needed beyond Maptitude for the Web. All applications include a built-in load balancing system for scaling the performance over multiple server computers.

An Extensible Architecture
TransCAD for the Web applications are scripts that run on your web server. The scripts call TransCAD for the Web functions that produce web page elements such as graphics files (PNG or JPEG) and data tables. The output of the script typically is either HTML or XML, and does not require plug-ins or applets to be viewed in a browser. While Maptitude for the Web is responsible for all of the geographic computations, the script controls the actual output format sent to the browser. By editing the script, you can target your application to different clients such as Palm Web Clipping Applications, WAP/WML, CHTML, WebTV, VoiceXML, or OpenGIS.

Web standards and protocols change rapidly. By choosing TransCAD for the Web, you will not be locked in a specific format. Our Mapplications will be updated periodically to take advantage of new server and browser capabilities, such as ASP+, Visual Basic.NET, DHTML, XHTML, and SVG. When new web standards get widely adopted, we will add new Mapplications, update existing ones, and make them available for download.

User Services
Caliper offers TransCAD and GISDK training in classroom settings or on-site at your location. Our training can be customized to your needs and user group. Caliper also provides custom application and turnkey system development services, including web page creation.

Licensing TransCAD for the Web
TransCAD for the Web is licensed for a single user workstation. A single user license costs $11,700 (6,450) and includes the first year of server publishing rights. Annual server renewal costs $3,900 (2,150).