Recommendation for an embeddable map that is not internet dependent

Question

I'm looking to embed a mapping a mapping control (very much like Google Maps or Virtual Earth) into an application that, in most cases, will not have access to the internet meaning that I can't use the aforementioned APIs or Google Earth. The maps would have to reside on the machine locally. I know that MapInfo is a big name in that space but does anyone know of any competitors out there and, if you've implemented a solution using these tools, what your experience was like?

Answer 1

You could use OpenStreetMaps. the information was made available to download recently.

Answer 2

Microsoft have their Mappoint product, although it is required to be installed on each seat, which only really makes it suitable for internal applications (and only in a Windows environment, too)

Answer 3

ESRI have a lot of expertise in this particular field. Have a look at their product offerings

Answer 4

ESRI are the other big company, probably the biggest. They have 2 COM components, MapObjects and MapObjects LT. The latter does less but is royalty free (i.e. costs for developers but not per seat).