Floor Plan Maps With the Google Maps API

Office Floor Plans

This mashup is an interesting proof of concept of how the Google Maps API can be used to create an interactive office plan, complete with employee profiles. At the moment the map is just a demonstration of the possibilities, but it is also a working model so you can play with and explore the map's functionality.

The map overlays floor plans of an office directly on the building's satellite view in Google Maps. There are four overlays, one for each floor of the office building. It is possible to switch between each floor using the buttons in the top right corner of the map (replacing the normal map type buttons).

The mashup can also map the positions of employees on the floor plan. The map includes a search box so you can search for employees or you can select an employee from a drop down menu. There is even a form which allows the user to add an employee (and employee details) to the map.

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Ski Season on Google Maps

The London Times Ski Deals Map

The London Times has produced what will probably be the first of many ski related map mashups for this ski season. The Times' ski correspondent Mark Frary has used Mapalist.com to create a Google Map that shows ski deals in Europe.

The map ranks deals into four categories: amazing (>50% off), fantastic (>40% off), good (>30% off) and reasonable (anything else). The location of the deals is shown on the map with black, red, blue and green map markers. If you are a chalet owner, tour operator or travel agent you can add ski deals to the map by completing The Times' ski deals form.

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Important Google Maps Developer News

Google have announced that in a few weeks time they will be adding new functionality to the Google Maps API v2 that allows Google to log the location and content of the markers and/or infowindows that are displayed in Google Maps mashups. Google then plans to use the gathered data created by Google Maps developers within the main Google Maps site.

This could obviously have huge benefits for map developers. Presumably Google will acknowledge or link to the creators of this third party content which, in theory, should drive traffic from the main Google Maps site to the sites that created the content.

However I'm sure that there are a number of developers and web sites that won't want Google to reuse their content in this way. Therefore Google are allowing sites to opt out of sharing their content. Here is what the Google Geo Developers Blog says,

To ensure that this new feature doesn't cause any issues, we have put a few controls in place:

1. We only index data from maps that have been viewed by many unique users. For example, maps only viewed by you and a few friends won't be indexed.
2. If your page is protected by robots.txt, we will not index your content.
3. You can opt-out of the logging by specifying "indexing=false" when loading the API.
4. If you are a Maps API Premier customer, we will not index data from your maps, unless you opt into indexing by passing in "indexing=true".

The impact of this move on users of the main Google Maps site should of course be hugely beneficial. Now, as well as seeing local user created content, from Google My Maps and Mapplets, users of Google Maps will potentially be able to view content from the thousands of Google Maps mashups created using the Google Maps API.

Programmable Web has recorded over 1,800 sites that use the Google Maps API. My guess is, however, that the number of websites using the Google Maps API runs into the tens of thousands. Therefore Google have a potentially enormous data set that they can leverage to enhance Google Maps as a product.


Via: Google Geo Developers Blog

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Share Your Location with Google Maps

ImWaitingHere


I’m Waiting Here is a Google Map based service that you can use to easily point where you are and what are you doing. You can then share this point with your Facebook friends. Using the map you can also see other users' positions and their profiles and communicate with them.

To show where you are you just click on the map at your location and explain what you are doing there. You can then choose to share your point via Facebook. The site also has a number of other features, such as, in site messaging, user profiles, adding friends and photo galleries.

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Google Maps Integrated Travel Planning

maps.google.com.sg

Google Maps have teamed up with Singapore's Land Transport Authority to provide integrated travel directions for the country, complete with public transport and real-time traffic information.

Google Maps Singapore can give public transport directions with up to three options for routes. Users are then able to choose their preferred route and get step-by-step directions.

Driving directions use real-time traffic information from LTA to show the quickest routes. Users can then drag the suggested routes to avoid congestion (shown in red). Traffic conditions are updated every few minutes on the map and information from LTA is supplemented with crowdsourced information from mobile phone users. Users with Google Maps for Mobile can feedback on current traffic conditions and the data is then updated on the map.

maps.google.com.sg - Google Maps Singapore
m.google.com.sg/maps - Google Maps for Mobile Singapore

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All Literature Begins with Geography

Poetry Atlas


This City now doth, like a garment, wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;

(From Composed Upon Westminster Bridge - William Wordsworth)

The poet Robert Frost said that "All literature begins with geography". The Poetry Atlas believe that this is true and also believe that nearly everywhere on Earth, at some point, has had a poem written about it.

The Poetry Atlas has therefore created a Google Maps mashup to try and geotag as many poems as they can and also find poems for as much of the world as possible. If you know about a poem that isn't on the map you can e-mail it to Poetry Atlas and they will add it to the map.

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The SoundCloud Google Map

Tracks on a Map

This Google Map shows the locations of bands that have uploaded tracks to SoundCloud and even lets you listen to the tracks directly from the map.

The tracks can be selected by genre of music. Selecting to view markers by genre gives an interesting view of which types of music are popular in different parts of the world at the moment.

Clicking on a map marker opens an information window which lists the tracks loaded from that location. Clicking on 'play' lets you listen to the selected track. I'm currently listening to the Superfantastics out of Brighton, although something tells me this isn't actually where they are from.

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Where Politicians go to Party

LobbyData.com Party Map

The Capitol Hill Club in Washington is doing rather well out of politicians. Over the last two years it has hosted 689 receptions, lunches and dinners for Washington politicians.

The LobbyData.com Party Map shows the favourite party venues for Republican and Democrat politicians. Venues are shown on the map by appropriately cocktail glass shaped map markers. The colour of the markers represent the percentage of Republican or Democrat events held at each venue.

It is possible to search the map by location, by political party, by politician name or by date. The map also comes with a handy 'link to this view' option.

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Sherlock Holme's London Google Map

Londonist Sherlock Holmes Map

We all know that Sherlock Holmes lived at 221b Baker Street now, thanks to The Londonist, we can follow all of the great detective's known movements on Google Maps.

The Londonist have used Map Channels to plot every London location mentioned in Conan Doyle's famous novels. Having plotted Holmes' movements The Londonist have even undertaken a little detective work of their own.

Unsurprisingly, they find that there is a lot of action around the Baker Street area, interestingly however Holmes never once set foot in nearby Soho. There is also a lot amount of action around Crystal Palace and the "reason is elementary when you know that Conan Doyle lived for a time in South Norwood".

If you want to see some of the locations outside of London you can always check out the handy Google Maps provided on Google Books. For example, this page has a map of a all the locations in The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume One.


Via: http://twitter.com/vicchi

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One Stop Google Map for Munich

WerWieWas

WerWieWas is a new website that uses Google Maps to present local news, events and recommended locations in Munich, Germany. Users of the map can add their own news, announcements or recommend locations.

It is possible to navigate the different categories of map marker via the tabs at the top of the map. Selecting a tab loads the markers for that category and also loads information for each location under the map.

Adding a location to the map is very simple. The user simply chooses a category from the menu under the map , places a marker at the correct location and completes a short form.

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