Google Maps & the HTML5 Geolocation API

Developer Drive has posted an interesting tutorial on how to connect the HTML5 Geolocation API with Google Maps. The tutorial provides a nice introduction to the HTML5 Geolocation API. The complete Demo Map also provides a nice example of how you can automagically provide driving directions for users from their location to a set location, without the user having to do anything.

The HTML5 Geolocation API is one method to get the geographical position of a user. When connected to the Google Maps API you can automatically drop a marker on a map to show the user's current location. The Developer Drive tutorial shows you how you can use the geolocation API with the Google Maps API to do exactly that - and then show the user how they get from there to another location.

The tutorial and demo map provide a neat solution for businesses to automatically provide driving directions from the user's location to their store / premises. All the user has to do is allow the map to automatically detect their location and they can instantly view the driving directions from their location to the location of the business.