Google Maps API for queries, not rendering - javascript

Is there a way to go through the process of creating a google map without all the rendering stuff? I have a project in which I need to do some spacial queries on a map, and I'm using the Maps API for it, but I don't actually have to display the map.
I know I could obviously just do display: none, but if it's possible, I'd like a solution that doesn't waste a bunch of client processing power to draw all of the map stuff in the first place, whether it actually gets rendered or not.

Apparently that is not allowed by the Google Maps/Google Earth APIs Terms of Service, section 10.1 g)
Quote:
(g) No Use of Content without a Google Map. You must not use or display the Content without a corresponding Google map, unless you are explicitly permitted to do so in the Maps APIs Documentation, or through written permission from Google.

Related

google maps offline: not tiles but javascript

I have an HTML (phonegap) application that uses Google Maps API to display a map with markers. I want this app to be used offline. I know that Google Maps tiles can't be used offline (because of its license). However, what I want to do is use the map interface without the tiles.
When online -> tiles and markers displayed.
When offline -> only markers displayed.
However, the js loading of Google maps is complex, and I haven't managed to cache it.
Thanks.
Caching google maps javascript is not allowed, that's because their payment system is based on how many times their javascript API are loaded by the users. One page refresh is equal to one google maps API call, and depending what kind of contract you made you just lost -1 from the total amount of API requests you have purchased.
How is Google Maps API for Business usage tracked and reported?
A single load of the Google Maps JavaScript API into a page. The
JavaScript API is reloaded every time a page that uses the API is
reloaded. User interactions with the map (eg. panning, zooming,
changing map types) do not generate more page views. Note however that
a page view is generated if the API is loaded into the page even if
the API is not then used to display a map.
See https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/business/faq#pageview
You could, of course contact google and try to ask some tailored business solution for your needs. I am not 100% sure what kind of things they offer if you contact them directly. But although, your request is somewhat impossible to fill since those UI generation codes also resides inside that google maps API javascript which you need.
So I would suggest that if you only need google maps interface when offline, take a moment and implement something similar with HTML/CSS/ (and some JS).. markers you could draw on canvas or use normal img's and positioning. If you need to implement dragging and zooming - it would be little bit more difficult but not impossible with canvas or some other techniques. But that being said it would just be easier to keep app online, we all have internet :) ? Making 1on1 matching dummy offline UI against google maps would be really painful process, when we consider the fact that google maps UI also changes overtime, like in their upcoming versions.
You could use OpenStreetMaps instead, it can be used offline: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Offline_Openstreetmap

Google Maps api custom tiles for fictional video game world

I want to use the Google Maps v3 api to generate an interactive Google Map interface that uses custom tiles for a map from a video game. The app needs to be able to zoom-in out and display the proper tiles for each zoom level as well.
I'm looking for some resources or a tutorial on how to accomplish this. The Google Maps v3 API appears to only discuss using custom tiles that lay on top of the normal Google Maps tiles. That wouldn't make sense in my application since my map is for a fictional world and wouldn't line up with anything in the real world maps. Perhaps I'm just not seeing what I need in the API guide...
Check out the ImageMapType class in the reference. There's a nifty example showing Moon tiles.
One of my favourite applications is The Internet map, the developer wrote a pretty sweet article on how it was developed.
You need to either cut up your custom game map image into the appropriate file/directory structure that makes integration into Maps API easy (here's an example using Photoshop and some example HTML/JS code). Or use a more friendly tool like TileMill, but this expects data in a standard spatial data format and you probably don't have your game map stored in such a format. If you can go that route, they also provide a Node.js-based server called TileServe that makes integration a cinch.
If you are expecting a boatload of traffic, then maybe look at Google Maps Engine to host your custom game map image directly in Google's infrastructure.

Alternate routes based on construction with Google Maps API Directions Service

Is it possible to use Google Directions API in conjunction with construction data? For instance, if I had a map that I entered a bunch of construction areas, can Google Directions then be made aware of these and to avoid them, providing a better route?
There is no way (currently) to input "roadblocks". See this feature request (star it if you want to support it):
http://code.google.com/p/gmaps-api-issues/issues/detail?id=214

how does the google maps identifies the roads(paths)?

when i went through the source code of the google maps page i've realized that the whole map is formed by small tiles of images. But how does the javascript identifies the roads on the google maps to show the way from ourlocation to destination??
I couldn't tell you HOW it works, it is a very complex application but all the work is done on the server and the reason the page shows the map as images is purely down to the limited ways in which a browser can display content.
Google have several layers with information about streets, roads, etc... when you use google maps only show a "graphical representation" of their data in bitmap format, but they need a "vectorial" layer that we don't see it.
Calculate routing is a very complex infraestructure problem in GIS server, for example, with Geoserver and PostGIS you can use Dijkstra Routing with Pgdijkstra.
It's very complex question, for a short answer.

Using Google Maps API to dynamically embed a map based on an address - Need to use Google's data for the markers/bubbles

I am trying to embed a Google Map into a dynamic webpage. The only variable the map depends on is the address of a business. That address comes from the website's database. I cannot just statically generate embed code for each dynamic page using the same set up. Is there a way I can embed a map based on that address and show a marker/bubble showing Google's information on that business?
So far, I have explored a few options including using the Google Map API and the Google Data API or just messing with the embed code given by Google. If I use the APIs it seems I have to design my own types of markers and maybe even supply my own data.
It doesn't look like there is an easy solution.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
EDIT: I'm not hung up on going from an address to a longitude and a latitude. I want the info window or "bubble" for a marker to show Google's information of a business.
EDIT: On Roy's suggestion I have been trying to use the map and search API together to achieve what I want. However, the only way I can execute a search with searchControl.execute('business name here'); is if the SearchControl is drawn. Thing is though I don't want to show any search controls. I have been able to hide it, but that just seems like an inefficient hack way of solving this.
Don't just use the embed code. Write a bit of Javascript that will draw a map for you and pass it the address.
Loads of examples here:
http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/examples/index.html
I'm not sure which bit you're stuck on, but you don't need to design your own markers. Google can also create a marker from an address and it can find local business information if it has it (using local search API I think).

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