Google Maps Platform

Fab Friday went to I/O

Friday, June 29, 2012

Maps for GoodtwocodelabsSymbols and HeatmapsStyled Mapspublic transitGoogle I/O siteEnterprise Geospatial in the CloudPosted by Mano Marks, Maps Developer Relations team

Google Maps API, now with even more style!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

we launched Styled Maps

You can now specify a precise color for features as an RGB value in addition to the existing adjustment filters for hue, saturation, lightness, and gamma.

You can now style the outline stroke of features separately from the interior fill, and the label text separately from any icon.

You can now adjust the width of line features such as roads and rivers, and also the width of feature outlines.

Styled Maps WizardStyling sectionSubmarine Cable MapNY TimesMap of the DeadThe Global Transition to a New EconomyFata Morganadeveloper community and support channelsPosted by Thor Mitchell, Product Manager, Google Maps API

Powerful data visualization with Symbols and Heatmaps in the Google Maps API

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

SymbolsAt SXSW Interactive in 2011, I attended a session on geotemporal data visualization that made me keen to make it easier for Maps API developers to build visualizations similar to those discussed. For this reason I’m particularly excited to introduce a simple, yet powerful, new concept to the Maps API v3 that we call Symbols.

Unlike the image icons currently used for marking locations on a map, a Symbol is defined as a vector shape. The size, stroke width, color, and opacity of the shape, are all set by the Maps API application and can be dynamically modified. A small number of shapes, such as a circle, are provided by the Maps API, and custom shapes can be expressed as an SVG path.

Symbols open up a wide range of compelling new possibilities for data visualization and visual effects. For example, the below map illustrates the expansion of the Walmart chain of stores between 1962 and 2006:

In addition to using symbols to represent point features you can also decorate polylines with Symbols. One or more symbols, such as an arrowhead, can be placed at fixed positions on the polyline or repeated along the polyline. Because the polyline that has been decorated does not need to be visible, this feature can also be used to created dotted or dashed polylines, and just as the style of the symbols can be dynamically modified, so too can their location on the polyline:

HeatmapsDevelopers often ask how they can represent large amounts of data on a map. Improvements in web browser technology have increased the number of markers that can be rendered by a Maps API application, but above a certain threshold the density of markers can overwhelm the user.

An alternative approach is to use a heatmap, and to enable this approach we’re launching support for browser rendering of heatmaps by the Maps API using the new Heatmap Layer. Your Maps API application can define the colour spectrum, intensity range, and behaviour of the heatmap when the map is zoomed. Here’s the Walmart example from above, but this time visualized as a heatmap:

Posted by Thor Mitchell, Product Manager, Google Maps API

Public transit routing and layer now available in the Google Maps API

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Google Maps API now enables developers to add Transit data, including public transit directions, to their maps and apps.475 regionsmost requested features by Maps API developersfunicularsponsored tag on Stack OverflowGoogle I/OPosted by Nabil Naghdy, Product Manager, Google Maps API

Lower pricing and simplified limits with the Google Maps API

Friday, June 22, 2012

launching the Google Maps APIthe many wayswe introduced limits

Changes to pricing. While the Maps API remains free for the vast majority of sites, some developers were worried about the potential costs. In response, we have lowered the online price from US $4 per 1,000 map loads to 50¢ per 1,000 map loads.

Simplified limits. We’re eliminating the previous distinction between Styled Maps and regular unstyled maps. The same usage limits and pricing now apply to applications using Styled Maps and the default Google Maps style.

published limits

To monitor whether your site might be affected by the Maps API usage limits, use a Google APIs Console key with your applications. Daily usage reports will then be generated in the console.

If you are a high-trafficked site, please consider Google Maps API for Business, our enterprise offering with technical support, a service level agreement, and additional benefits.

Non-profit organisations aren’t affected by the Maps API usage limits and can also apply for a free Maps API for Business license through the Google Earth Outreach grants program.

You can generate revenue from your Maps API application using AdSense for Maps, which enables you to display relevant ads on or alongside your map.

Google Maps API forumsthis formPosted by Thor Mitchell, Product Manager, Google Maps API

Map of the Week: The Global Transition to a New Economy

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Map of the Week:The Global Transition to a New EconomyWhy we like it:Styled MapsUnited Nations’ Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 (Rio+20)Global Transition to a New Economy

Posted by Carlos Cuesta, Google Maps API Product Marketing Manager

Fab Friday is getting ready for I/O

Friday, June 15, 2012

Google I/O is around the corner, and I’m really looking forward to all the great sessions and meeting many of our great developers. There are ten sessions scheduled scheduled for Google Maps, plus three codelabs. OK, now I’m getting nervous thinking about everything that has to be done before then!

Anyway, the whole Google Maps Developer Relations Team will be there, as well as several engineers, product managers, and at least one vice president. For those of you who will be there, please introduce yourself, we love meeting Maps developers. If you can’t make it to Google I/O, you can still participate through Google I/O Extended, and all the sessions will be recorded. OK, now it’s time to get ready!

To help warm us up for Google I/O, on Tuesday, Susannah Raub and Marcelo Camelo from the Google Maps API team in Sydney will join me in the next Google Maps API Office Hours. Susannah is the tech lead for the Google Maps API, and Marcelo is the tech lead for the Place API. The three of us will talk about our upcoming sessions at Google I/O and answer your questions. For more information, check out our Google+ Post. Susannah and Marcelo are fun so it should be a great conversation. I look forward to having you there.

Speaking of Office Hours, Yesterday I sat down with Thor Mitchell and Chris Broadfoot for our latest Google Maps API Office Hours, at a Sydney friendly time. Chris and I talked with Thor about his favorite subject, the Google Maps API. We had a wide-ranging conversation about the Google Maps API V3, the coming end of the deprecation period for V2 and general thoughts about the future of Google’s mapping technologies. You can check out the video here:

Posted by Mano Marks, Google Maps Developer Relations Team

GoV3: It's time to Upgrade

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Last week, I mentioned in my Fab Friday post that it’s been two years since the deprecation of V2 of the Google Maps JavaScript API. In those two years, we’ve seen the number of sites using the Google Maps API grow from 350,000 to 800,000, and we have happily seen many sites switch from V2 of the Google Maps API to V3. As we have less than a year before the end of the deprecation period for the Maps API V2, it’s time to remind everyone else to upgrade to the latest version of the Google Maps API.

With that in mind, Thor Mitchell, Product Manager for the Google Maps API, will sit down Thursday night 18:30 Pacific Time with me and Chris Broadfoot to discuss the benefits of V3, how to migrate from V2, and any other questions you might have about the Maps API. We’ll answer any questions you post on Google Moderator and join us live in the hangout. For those of you not able to join, you can view the video later, which we will post to this blog and to our Google+ Page.

We will also be conducting regular office hours every week, alternating between Sydney and Mountain View friendly times. You can ask your questions about upgrading or anything else related to Google Maps. Just keep an eye on our Google+ Page for more information.

What do you get with V3? Here’s just a few features that are only available in V3:

Styled Maps

Distance Matrix

Places Library

Geometry Library

Weather Library

Circles and Rectangles

Marker Animation

And much more

So we look forward to seeing you in office hours, online, and at Google I/O!

Posted by Mano Marks, Google Maps Developer Relations Team

Map of the Week: Nature Valley Trail View

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Map of the Week:Nature Valley Trail View Why we like it:custom Street View panoramasNature Valley Trail Viewcustom Street View panoramas

Posted by Carlos Cuesta, Google Maps API Product Marketing Manager

Fab Friday Upgrades

Friday, June 8, 2012

Next Thursday, at 6:30pm Pacific Time, Thor Mitchell, Product Manager for the Google Maps API, will be sitting down with myself and Chris Broadfoot for a Google Maps API Office Hours on Google Plus. Thor will be discussing and taking your questions on a variety of subjects, but one of them in particular is upgrading from Google Maps API V2 to V3.

A little over two years ago, we announced that the V2 API was deprecated and V3 was the new production version. The three year deprecation period will be up next May, and the three of us will discuss ways in which developers can move their remaining V2 applications to V3. We’re even starting a new hashtag, #GoV3.

To watch the office hours live, check out our Google+ Page post. As always, the video will be posted to Google+ and YouTube later.

In other news, I stumbled on a couple of open source libraries that might be fun to incorporate into Google Maps API applications.

The first is chronoline.js, which is a library for making a chronology timeline out of events on a horizontal timescale. It doesn’t have a specific mapping function but would be good for creating time based mapping apps.

The second is also not a mapping app, but allows you to use gamepad controllers in JavaScript. I haven’t tried Gamepad.js, but it looks pretty cool. I’d say it would be particularly useful with the Google Earth API, but might have applications in Street View and Maps as well.

Posted by Mano Marks, Google Maps Developer Relations Team

Map of the Week: London Calling

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Map of the Week: London Calling

Why we like it: This map is a great way to promote a city and share its history. A brilliantly designed UI, that includes info windows with map cutouts. Additionally, it’s an elegant use of Styled Maps.

In honor of a big year for the city of London, the BBC Australia has created “London Calling” as a way to explore and celebrate London. For those of you who know your way around London, there’s a ‘drop-the-pin’ challenge, where users answer geography questions by placing a pin on the map in the right place. If you get stuck with particular questions, there’s also the option to reach out to the “London Calling” team.

For those that just want to explore London, the map is a great way to learn more about the city that has been getting a lot of attention in light of the Queen’s Jubilee and the upcoming 2012 Olympics. There’s even a chance to win prizes just by exploring the map!

From a design standpoint, this map is really great to look at. Two things about this map really stand out to us. Firstly, Styled Maps has been used to add a sepia effect that reflects the rich history of the city of London. Secondly, this is one of the first use cases where we’ve seen a custom info window that includes a cutout to reveal the highlighted feature below. A clever design choice that’s great to look at!

Overall, we’re honored that the Google Maps API was part of the BBC’s efforts to celebrate a great year for London!

Posted by Carlos Cuesta, Google Maps API Product Marketing Manager

Fab Friday is Uncluttered

Friday, June 1, 2012

Happy Friday and greetings from the bustling metropolis of Sao Paulo, where Andrés Ferrate and I recently presented at MundoGeo connect. You can check out my slides from yesterday’s session “The Future of Maps?” We had a great time meeting developers from Brazil, and had the chance to see some great Maps API sites.

While here, I published a screencast on the MarkerClusterer utility library, which helps you simplify your maps applications by clustering your markers into larger ones (by the way, the library was developed by my teammate Luke Mahe).

Also while here, Andrés and I held our Google Maps API Office Hours from the Sao Paulo office, where we talked about Epungo, Brazilian real estate site that has an interesting interface. We also discussed some of the topics from my talk on the future of mapping.

Post Text Posted by Mano Marks, Maps Developer Relations team

Maps Platform

Fab Friday went to I/O

Google Maps API, now with even more style!

Powerful data visualization with Symbols and Heatmaps in the Google Maps API

Public transit routing and layer now available in the Google Maps API

Lower pricing and simplified limits with the Google Maps API

Map of the Week: The Global Transition to a New Economy

Fab Friday is getting ready for I/O

GoV3: It's time to Upgrade

Map of the Week: Nature Valley Trail View

Fab Friday Upgrades

Map of the Week: London Calling

Fab Friday is Uncluttered

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