[GRASS5] Open-Source Mapquest

[James Carpenter]

I am looking for open source code that implements
functionality very similar to what mapquest's service
and commercial software products provide. 
Specifically I am looking for detailed road atlas
functionality that includes the abilty to calculate
travel distances, directions, and pretty web based
maps.

I am having difficult deciphering the listings
available at www.freegis.org.  It seems many of the
libraries are intended for working with statistical
data as well as aerial imagery etc.  It doesn't help
that I am completely unfamilar with all the data
formats being mentioned.

  I am not opposed to spending a week or so getting
the necessary software patchwork up and running and
learning a few API's. I just don't have time to spend
6mo building mapquest like functionality on top of
libraries that only know how to make beautiful maps,
read in weather data, etc.

I am hoping the readers of this newsgroup can give me
some guidance as to where to go.  Are there any open
source products that will do what I need and if so
which ones are active and have the most momentum? 
What commercial choices are available (who are the big
players)?  What magic words am I looking for (i.e. XYZ
data formats, XYZ graphics, XYZ type of engine)?  Are
there any books, white papers, or websites considered
to be foundational for what I am trying to do?

Thanks for the help.
Please email me in any responses sent to the
newsgroup.

nawkboy at yahoo.com

P.S.:  There is nothing that comes close to answering
these questions in your FAQ or in the newsgroup
archive.  It would be great if you can kill two birds
with one stone by answering these questions. :)

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