Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Wikipedia Added to Google Maps

Update: Google has now made the shockingly bad move of removing the Wikipedia layer from Google Maps. However there are still some third party maps that can help you find Wikipedia information on a Google Map. I've linked to some of the more useful maps in this Google Kills Wikipedia post.


In what is proving to be another busy day for Google, Wikipedia articles have been added to Google Maps. The new Wikipedia tags can be turned on via a 'More' button that has been added to the top right hand corner of the map.



When the Wikipedia tick box is selected small 'W' tags appear on the map where Wikipedia articles are available. Clicking on the 'W' tag will open an information window containing the Wikipedia article.

Panoramio photos can also be turned on via the same 'More' button. The photos option however feels a little superfluous considering Panoramio photos were added last week and can also be turned on in the left-hand panel. Intriguingly the photos turned on by the 'More' button contain a Panoramio logo whilst the ones accessed by the left-hand side panel don't, even though both sets of photos are served by Panoramio.

________________
at

9 comments:

  1. Unknown5:19 AM

    Do you know how to add Wikipedia articles to Maps?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Keir Clarke8:25 AM

    Sorry Niels - the short answer is no.
    The Wikipedia API might be a good place to start. http://wikipedia-lab.org/en/index.php/Wikipedia_API
    If that doesn't prove useful you could try Freebase.

    http://www.freebase.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown11:59 AM

    how do I add my photos to google maps?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous11:07 AM

    It might be sufficient to geotag it in wikipedia. All of the ones I've clicked on so far have coordinates listed in the wikipedia entry. I think there is more than one way to do that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown5:40 AM

    Can I also add this information (wikipedia/Panoramio) in a Googlemap which we've embedded in our own web page (through the Google Map API)?

    That would be great.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Keir Clarke6:17 AM

    Yes it is possible. Check the Google Maps API Demo Gallery http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/demogallery.html

    There is an example in the gallery with Panoramio images - it should be possible to just cut and paste the code.

    If you don't want to do any programming - Map Channels http://www.mapchannels.com/HolidayMaps.aspx

    has a tool to create an embeddable map with Panoramio photos and Wikipedia articles.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Matt6:59 PM

    What is the difference between big Wikipedia markers and small? How often does google update the information?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Google_Maps#Wikipedia_markers_in_Google_maps

    ReplyDelete
  8. Keir Clarke7:01 PM

    I've no idea - the big markers often seem to just be names of towns and districts. Whilst the smaller markers seem to be points of interest but I wouldn't swear there is a rule about that.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anthony8:08 PM

    How do I take my home address off of google maps?

    ReplyDelete