Google Maps API Announced

[rustybrick]

http://www.google.com/apis/maps/

From the GoogleBlog titled; The world is your JavaScript-enabled oyster (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/06/world-is-your-javascript-enabled_29.html)

[digitalpoint]

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another really awesome thing that Google is doing. Been wanting this for awhile.

[gemini]

Nice! Have anyone already tried it? Do we have to feed the addresses by coordinates only? Or I'm missing something?

P.S. Oh, I see we have to use third party geotargeting services..

[Smyrl]

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another really awesome thing that Google is doing. Been wanting this for awhile.
Ok, Shawn, you have a new toy. I'm now awaiting a new tool. :)
Shannon

[dvduval]

That is great news. There are some great apps being made from Google Maps, ans I didn't like seeing them taken down.

[Volknet]

Ok, Shawn, you have a new toy. I'm now awaiting a new tool. :)
Shannon
LOL. I second that.:D

[nevetS]

That's awesome!

[rbucich]

Seems pretty easy to implement. NICE Catch!!!

[nevetS]

For those that need to geocode an address, there's http://search.cpan.org/~sderle/Geo-Coder-US/ a perl module to help with that, or there's http://geocoder.us/help/ that has put this module to use and wrapped some web services around it.

[digitalpoint]

Okay, I found one annoying thing with it... the key is bound to a specific URL instead of a domain (or directory within a domain). For example, my map works on my blog:

http://www.digitalpoint.com/~shawn/

But if you go to the detail page for the entry:

http://www.digitalpoint.com/~shawn/2005/06/new-property.html

it doesn't work.

[nevetS]

I saw that the key was bound to a specific url, but I didn't realize it was directory based. That means your maps pages will all have to be in a "maps" directory with no subdirectories. Hmph.

[gemini]

geocoder.us switches me to a different address when I type in address of my office.. weird :( Like it can't map my office's address so it gives me the address about 2 miles north from my office..

Barry bloged about Google Map Hacks a few days ago, here are the links he mentioned - really cool implementation: http://www.busmonster.com/, http://housingmaps.com/.

[Liminal]

from their maps api TOS:


1.5 Advertising. Google reserves the right to include advertising in the maps images provided to You through the Service at any time and without notice, and by agreeing to the Terms of Use, You agree to display those advertisements as provided to You through the Service without modification.


So i guess that's the catch. They will probably introduce the ads later when the maps market is saturated enough and all the implementation details on their ads are sorted out. I wonder if eventually you can get a share of a click on these ads if you are an AdSense publisher

[gemini]

I hope they won't use text ads :) I could of live with ads of near located businesses, but not competitive. I mean like markers in the Google Earth for Boarding, Dining, Bars etc.

[rbucich]

I've had no problem getting the map to load using their example code. But since I am not javascript savvy, I need a but of a push assigning coordinates to markers.

Any help?

Also, I understand the API key won't work with domain.com if it assigned to www.domain.com

Thanks!

[rbucich]

Nevermind...I figured it out

var point = new GPoint(-73.498467, 41.281851);
var marker = new GMarker(point);
map.addOverlay(marker);

[rbucich]

Little by little...getting the hang of this.

Can anyone forward the code for adding a small text window for the marker above.

I would like (if possible) is to add a small static text box with a larger one that opens with more info when the marker is clicked on.

Thanks!

[T0PS3O]

Does this work on google UK?

[dave487]

Seems to work fine in the UK, if you scroll miles to the right from the US you arrive in the UK anyway.:)

[domokun]

Hurrah!
Yesterday I was fumbling around for decent tutorials -today Google has laid it all out for my in black & white.
Google strikes again!

[frankm]

As I can see it: only USA, Canada and UK are covered. Other parts of the globe (the other 99% or EMEA as you Americans prefer to call it) is not (yet) covered.

But still: very handy tool to have around for travel site, shopping site and anything else where a real location is important instead of a url.