HERE Maps Routing in Java

Table of Contents

Introduction to HERE Routing API

The HERE Maps Routing API provides comprehensive routing capabilities that allow developers to calculate routes for various travel modes including car, pedestrian, and public transportation. With Java integration, you can easily incorporate advanced routing features into your applications.

Setting Up HERE SDK for Java

To get started with HERE Maps routing in Java, you'll need to set up the HERE SDK:

// Add Maven dependency
<dependency>
<groupId>com.here.sdk</groupId>
<artifactId>here-sdk</artifactId>
<version>4.10.0</version>
</dependency>
// Initialize HERE SDK
HereSDK hereSDK = HereSDK.create(context, "YOUR_APP_ID", "YOUR_APP_CODE");

Basic Route Calculation

Here's a simple example of calculating a car route between two points:

public class HereRoutingService {
private RoutingEngine routingEngine;
public HereRoutingService() {
this.routingEngine = new RoutingEngine();
}
public void calculateCarRoute(GeoCoordinate start, GeoCoordinate end) {
Waypoint startWaypoint = new Waypoint(start);
Waypoint endWaypoint = new Waypoint(end);
List<Waypoint> waypoints = Arrays.asList(startWaypoint, endWaypoint);
CarOptions carOptions = new CarOptions();
carOptions.setRouteType(RouteType.FASTEST);
carOptions.setTransportMode(CarOptions.TransportMode.CAR);
routingEngine.calculateRoute(waypoints, carOptions, new CalculateRouteCallback() {
@Override
public void onRouteCalculated(RoutingError routingError, List<Route> routes) {
if (routingError == null) {
Route route = routes.get(0);
handleRouteResult(route);
} else {
handleRoutingError(routingError);
}
}
});
}
}

Advanced Routing Features

Multiple Waypoints and Alternatives

public void calculateRouteWithWaypoints(List<GeoCoordinate> coordinates) {
List<Waypoint> waypoints = coordinates.stream()
.map(Waypoint::new)
.collect(Collectors.toList());
CarOptions options = new CarOptions();
options.setAlternativesCount(3); // Get 3 alternative routes
routingEngine.calculateRoute(waypoints, options, new CalculateRouteCallback() {
@Override
public void onRouteCalculated(RoutingError error, List<Route> routes) {
if (error == null) {
for (int i = 0; i < routes.size(); i++) {
Route route = routes.get(i);
System.out.println("Route " + (i + 1) + 
": " + route.getDuration() + 
" minutes, " + 
route.getLengthInMeters() + " meters");
}
}
}
});
}

Truck Routing with Restrictions

public void calculateTruckRoute(GeoCoordinate start, GeoCoordinate end) {
Waypoint startWaypoint = new Waypoint(start);
Waypoint endWaypoint = new Waypoint(end);
TruckOptions truckOptions = new TruckOptions();
truckOptions.setTruckType(TruckOptions.TruckType.TRUCK);
truckOptions.setWeightPerAxle(10.0); // tons
truckOptions.setTruckHeight(4.0); // meters
truckOptions.setTruckWidth(2.5); // meters
truckOptions.setTruckLength(16.0); // meters
routingEngine.calculateRoute(
Arrays.asList(startWaypoint, endWaypoint),
truckOptions,
new CalculateRouteCallback() {
@Override
public void onRouteCalculated(RoutingError error, List<Route> routes) {
// Handle truck-specific routing results
}
}
);
}

Handling Route Results

Parsing Route Information

public class RouteProcessor {
public void processRoute(Route route) {
// Basic route information
long duration = route.getDuration(); // seconds
long distance = route.getLengthInMeters(); // meters
// Maneuvers (turn-by-turn instructions)
List<Section> sections = route.getSections();
for (Section section : sections) {
for (Maneuver maneuver : section.getManeuvers()) {
String instruction = maneuver.getInstruction();
GeoCoordinate location = maneuver.getLocation().getCoordinate();
System.out.println(instruction + " at " + location);
}
}
// Geometry for map display
PolylineGeometry geometry = route.getGeometry();
List<GeoCoordinate> coordinates = geometry.getVertices();
}
}

Real-time Traffic Integration

public void calculateRouteWithTraffic(GeoCoordinate start, GeoCoordinate end) {
Waypoint startWaypoint = new Waypoint(start);
Waypoint endWaypoint = new Waypoint(end);
CarOptions options = new CarOptions();
options.setRouteType(RouteType.FASTEST);
options.setRouteFeatureTypes(EnumSet.of(
RouteFeatureType.TRAFFIC_PATTERN,
RouteFeatureType.TRAFFIC_INCIDENTS
));
routingEngine.calculateRoute(
Arrays.asList(startWaypoint, endWaypoint),
options,
new CalculateRouteCallback() {
@Override
public void onRouteCalculated(RoutingError error, List<Route> routes) {
if (error == null) {
Route route = routes.get(0);
processTrafficAwareRoute(route);
}
}
}
);
}

Error Handling and Best Practices

public class RobustRoutingService {
private static final int MAX_RETRIES = 3;
public void calculateRouteWithRetry(Waypoint start, Waypoint end) {
calculateRouteWithRetry(start, end, 0);
}
private void calculateRouteWithRetry(Waypoint start, Waypoint end, int retryCount) {
routingEngine.calculateRoute(
Arrays.asList(start, end),
new CarOptions(),
new CalculateRouteCallback() {
@Override
public void onRouteCalculated(RoutingError error, List<Route> routes) {
if (error != null) {
if (retryCount < MAX_RETRIES && isRetryableError(error)) {
calculateRouteWithRetry(start, end, retryCount + 1);
} else {
handlePermanentError(error);
}
} else {
handleSuccess(routes);
}
}
}
);
}
private boolean isRetryableError(RoutingError error) {
return error == RoutingError.NETWORK_COMMUNICATION ||
error == RoutingError.SERVER_INTERNAL_ERROR;
}
}

Conclusion

HERE Maps Routing API provides a robust and flexible solution for integrating routing capabilities into Java applications. With support for multiple transportation modes, real-time traffic, and advanced features like truck routing, it offers comprehensive routing functionality suitable for various use cases from simple navigation to complex logistics applications.

The Java SDK's asynchronous callback pattern and comprehensive error handling make it suitable for both mobile and server-side applications, while the detailed route information and turn-by-turn instructions enable creating sophisticated routing experiences.

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