I would like a simple to use Delphi component or module? which accepts a UK address and which then connects to the Google Maps API and "geocodes" it to extract the latitude and longtitude.
An online version of this API in action can be seen at?
<[login to view URL]>
Try entering "56 Belgrave Road, London" - this is the kind of search string that the component would accept as an input.
## Deliverables
I don't know if the Google Maps API can be accessed directly via a web service or if it has to be done inside a Javascript call from a web site - and it doesn't really matter as long as it works. Obviously a direct web service call would be neater.
What I want to end up with is EITHER:
a? component with a writeable property "UKAddressString" and then two readable properties, latitude and longitude. A fourth property, CallStatus, could either return OK or Failed depending on whether or not the geocoding was successful.
So when using the component I would set the UKAddressString to "56 Belgrave Road, London", and the component would then try and connect to Google, extract the latitude and longitude from the appropriate Google Maps object, and write it to the properties.
OR
A data module which gives me a function that does the same thing, eg.
function GeocodeUKAddress(const UKAddressString : String; var Lat, Long : Double); Boolean
(A data module may be easier if you have to make use of other Delphi components, eg. SOAP etc to make the calls that are needed).