“Find nearest location” by Zip/Postal Code?

Question

I need a \"find nearest location\" on our website.

Where visitor enters their zip/postal code, then they are redirected to specific webpage for our nearest location. We

Answer 1

You need a database of zip codes with longitude and latitude, from which you can calculate the distance.

Answer 2

if you have the longitudes and latitudes of each zipcode (search google) you can use the Haversine Formula to calculate nearest neighbours.

http://www.codecodex.com/wiki/Calculate_Distance_Between_Two_Points_on_a_Globe

Answer 3

Google Maps have restrictions in using is for business purposes, so you might want to consider those (restrictions) upfront. From my former experience I would suggest MapQuest API. You can find details here: http://developer.mapquest.com/ and some quick start guide here http://www.mapquest.com/features/developer_tools_oapi_quickstart

MapQuest seams to be better when it comes to commercial deals. Anyway, check their T&C before you will implement it in production.

They have JavaScriopt an I think regular WS for geo-location decoding.

Regards Konrad