JeffreyBarke.net

Andrew Turner's "Beyond Google Maps" presentation at the 2008 Future of Web Apps Expo in London.

Source: Future of Web Apps Expo

This is an impressive presentation! More than just Google Maps (Andrew didn't choose the title), it should be called "Evolved Maps, deconstructed."

Andrew begins with a brief history of mapping, including African story mapping and Polynesian navigation maps. Along the way he touches on the intersection of geography and meaning (psychogeography), slippy maps & spinny globes. Turner's Introduction to Neogeography (O'Reilly) is worth checking out if you haven't already.

So where next? How to do real rich geographic applications?

Please note—The NY Web Standards Meetup: Advanced Google Maps API has been rescheduled from 19 February 2009 to 26 February 2009.

The New York Web Standards Meetup Group will meet next Thursday (26 February 2009) at theMechanism at 7:00 pm.

After a brief intro to/review of the Google Maps API, Jeffrey Barke (theMechanism) will cover some advanced Google Maps API topics, including server- and client-side clustering, creating custom base maps and some GIS-like functions.

Attendees should have some experience with JavaScript and familiarity with the Google Maps API.

26 February 2009 . 7:00 pm
theMechanism
440 9th Avenue 8th Floor
New York, NY 10001 [map]

RSVP now!

Please contact theMechanism if you'd like to present at a future New York Web Standards meetup.

I created a tutorial that will step one through how to create a density map with Prototype, the Google Maps API and the HeatMapAPI. The final product, a density map of liquor licenses in Milwaukee, WI, is below. While this map is based on real data, one limitation of the free HeatMapAPI is that only 100 data points can be submitted per call. Since there are approximately 1,300 liquor licenses in Milwaukee, this map isn't even close to accurate!

Creating a map like this takes four simple steps:

1. Getting everything ready
2. Create the Google map
3. Add the data
4. Create the density map

To step one!

From Directions Magazine, via Donna:

Jotle is a new Google mashup that combines Google Maps with Flickr and YouTube. According to a posting at the Directions Magazine's Web Map Gallery by Mikhail Novikov:

Google Maps + Wikimapia + Placeopedia + Flickr + YouTube = Jotle! Jotle is a new Flickr photo and YouTube video explorer that takes Google Maps and mashes it up with Wikimapia and Placeopedia placemarks.

Jotle lets you zoom into various parts of the world and see map points for Wikimapia and Placeopedia. Jotle then uses the tags for these locations to pull in photos from Flickr and videos from YouTube. Though it's definitely not the first Flickr + YouTube Google Maps mashup it is the first that uses this clever location-plotting as a way to suggest photos and videos for the areas of the map you're looking at. It's also a great compliment to the immense value both Wikimapia and Placeopedia offer in the area of travel and tourism. Now in addition to researching areas you are about to visit using Wikimapia and Placeopedia you can also use Jotle to get a visual feel for the immediate area.

Hmm… well, I'm not sure if it's my slow internet connection or what, but don't believe the hype. While the concept of Jotle is sound, the performance leaves much to be desired. The app was very unresponsive and I had a hard time figuring out what did what (or if anything did anything at all!).

…

Update: After spending a bit more time playing around, I feel I may have been a bit too hard on Jotle. It is in beta, after all, and my connection is terribly slow. Still, there's something about the UI that I feel is seriously lacking.

Three posts bundled as one about various things Google Maps API, including: an API plugin for Dreamweaver (no JavaScript required!), one-minute mashups by Google and the datum and projection used by Google.

WebAssist Dreamweaver tools for Google

Posted by Brandon Badger, Product Manager, Google Maps API:

We want to highlight a new tool that helps make the Google Maps API accessible to even more web developers. We're for everyone becoming a JavaScript expert, but sometimes it's nice to lean on a tool to get development done quickly. WebAssist has created a free plugin for Adobe Dreamweaver that walks you through a simple wizard to add a Google Maps API powered map to your webpage. The properties of the map can even be edited via Dreamweaver's WYSIWYG editor.

WebAssist Dreamweaver Tools For Google (free)

From the Google Maps API Blog

Map search wizard

The Google AJAX Search API team has put together a map search wizard to help you put a searchable map on your web page in three easy steps:

1. Customize it—Use the wizard to define the map's width, height, zoom level, title, location, etc.
2. Provide your site's URL—This is used by the wizard to create your free Maps API and AJAX Search API keys to associate with your web site.
3. Hit the magic button—Click on the "Generate Code" button and the wizard will create the customized JavaScript for your map. Just paste this code into your web page, and voilà, your users will have the power of Google Maps at their fingertips.

From the Google Maps API Blog

Google Maps projection

According to Google (official), they use a Mercator projection for their maps (both street and satellite). Charlie Savage provides quite a bit more detail in a blog post, though (unofficial, but very informative):

From last time, we know that a geodetic coordinate system consists of a datum, a projection, an origin, a unit system, two axes and perhaps an origin offset. Without further ado, this is what Google is doing:

• Datum—WGS84 (I'm assuming this, I've never seen verification of it)
• Projection—Mercator
• Unit system—pixels (believe it or not)
• Axes—standard east, non-standard south
• Origin—near the north pole on the international date line

From cfis

While doing a printable map for Conflux, I received a request to number the points and create a key. While this isn't a difficult task, it does require a set of numbered icons. I was in a hurry and didn't want to create my own: enter Brennan's Blog.

Brennan created several icons in red, green and blue, which are numbered 1 to 25 each. He also included an empty one as well as the Photoshop master. Visit his post to download the .zip. Thanks, Brennan!