If you do want to learn how to build applications using The Bing Maps Platform, here’re few book for you: Nicolas Boonaert’s “Bing Maps - Guide complet de la cartographie interactive (Broché),” Chandu Thota’s book “Programming MapPoint in .NET” or Microsoft Research’s (and former MapPoint Technical Evangelist) B.J. Holtgrewe’s “MapPoint for Dummies.” Boonaert’s book is a great read for anyone interested in developing anything in Bing Maps including 3D, AJAX, Silverlight and Mobile.

In partnership with iFactor Consulting, National Grid US recently completed the release of a new section of their website, called “Outage Central,” for smart grid data visualization using The Bing Maps Platform. The National Grid now has 5 areas (Massachusetts, Nantucket, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Upstate New York) online outlining coverage areas and pinpoint outage issues in a simple to use application, Bing Maps.