One of my Capstone project’s requirements is to match an address input by a user with a legislative district in Nebraska on a map visualization. Unfortunately, neither Google Map API or Mapbox API, two of the most popular map APIs out there, has that feature.
I read through their documentation and decided to email them both, hoping that I might have missed something or that their specialists might have some advice. Both came back with a response. The Google customer service agent simply said that there was no such feature from Google Map API and that I might go to a designated link to make a suggestion. Meanwhile, the Mapbox agent confirmed my suspicion that Mapbox didn’t offer that feature. However, he suggested a way to accomplish it by using turf Javascript package.
Even though both don’t have the feature I am looking for, the extra effort by the Mapbox agent delighted me. I like the brand even more now. In the future, if I have to look for a map API service, Mapbox, for sure, will be up there at the top of the list. It goes to show how a going-an-extra-mile customer service can leave a lasting positive impact on users and potential customers.
Potential new features for Mapbox and Google Map
I found two small players that offered legislative district mapping and census data: Cicero and US Geocoder. Surprisingly, Mapbox and Google Map do not offer such features. It shouldn’t be difficult for them to do so, I imagine. So I hope that they will take a suggestion from me and add those features to their already awesome products.
Minh Quang Duong 