Exploring the Google Maps API

KEEPING DISTANCE

Article from Issue 64/2006
Author(s):

We’ll show you how to incorporate interactive maps into your web pages with the Google Maps API.

The engineers at Google have released a JavaScript(or ECMAScript[1])-based API that lets users create programs that incorporate maps and satellite pictures of the Earth. The Google Maps API even lets you embed a map-enhanced application in a website so that it will run from a browser without any additional server- side infrastructure. We tried out the Google Maps API on an example program that calculates the distance between points on a map. The Key The Google Maps API is available without charge as long as users follow some guidelines specified by Google [2]. Users must make any creations freely available to the public, not exceeding a specific number of queries each day, and not hiding the Google brand wherever it may be displayed. In order to use the API, you must obtain a key identifying yourself as a user. You can get a key from [3] as long as you have a Google account. Any Gmail account will be enough, but if even if you are not a Gmail user, you can create an account. Each key is associated with an access URL. If you do not have web space to host your Google Maps application, but you have an Apache server running locally, you can register the address http:// localhost.

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subs
Digisubs
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • Google Maps

    Google Maps can pinpoint any location on the globe and more. Here’s how to embed the service into any web application.

    more »
  • Perl: Plotting GPS Data

    Perl hackers take to the hills with a navigation system that provides a graphical rendering of a hiking tour.

    more »
  • Urban Lightscape

    The Urban Lightscape photo tool lets you adjust local brightness levels within an image, thus turning a simple snapshot into a real eye-catcher.

    more »
  • Google Earth

    Google Earth lets you view the world from space and zoom in on towns, roads, and buildings. We’ll show you how to travel our planet’s surface, its cities, and even the sky from your desktop.

    more »
  • Qt for Maemo

    Write your own smartphone apps with Qt's toolkit for the Maemo platform.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus

Visit Our Shop

Trial Subscription

Digital Subscription

Subscribe

Direct Download

Read full article as PDF:

Google_Maps_API.pdf (585.57 kB)

DevOps

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Events Hardware Linux Linux New Media Linux Pro Magazine Mobile Programming Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source
njobs Europe
What:
Where:
Country:
Njobs Netherlands Njobs Deutschland Njobs United Kingdom Njobs Italia Njobs France Njobs Espana Njobs Poland
Njobs Austria Njobs Denmark Njobs Belgium Njobs Czech Republic Njobs Mexico Njobs India Njobs Colombia