How to add Google,Bing map layer as a Base map in uDig?

Question

I'm working on uDig, a Desktop GIS Viewer. Which is fantastic except, I can't add Google or Bing Mapping services to my application.

I searched through their(uDig's) mailing list and found reply which says it's the issue of Licencing! But I personally think that if other GIS viewers like QGIS can provide such functionality, then why it's not available for uDig.

Well if anyone have any kind of trace regarding this issue then please help me out. Even any useful guidelines regarding the new plugins development which will able add the Google map as base layer are also much appreciated.

Thanks in Advance.

Answer 1

Chiming in late, sorry.

The short answer is: no, as you pointed out uDig doesn't support google tiles because it is not permitted by license. I know QGIS is doing it but I am quite sure they shouldn't.

At least that position a few years back when we wanted to add it to uDig. We discussed it quite some time in the community and funny enough several of us had code to download the tiles. But the end verdict was that it would not be possible.

Just for info, back then, with the prototype code that was used to simulate such a google tiles downloader, the thing worked a few minutes, then the service was blocked from serverside.

I guess it could be used in case one has a commercial key, but I am not sure about it.

Programmatic approach

In case one would find out it is legal and accessible, uDig now has a tile mapping service support and it would be quite simple to add a custom tiles downloader, the same way it is supported for Openstreetmap layers for example. (see http://jgrasstechtips.blogspot.it/2012/05/udig-web-map-tiles-enhancements.html )

The plugin that handles all this is located here: https://github.com/uDig/udig-platform/tree/master/plugins/net.refractions.udig.catalog.wmt

I would anyways suggest to discuss an approach in the uDig mailinglist.