Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Local Listings on Google Maps

Tupalo

Tupalo.com is a social yellow pages community, connecting millions of businesses and customers via the internet.

Using Tupola it is not only possible to search for local businesses it is also possible to add a review, check-in and earn badges and share your favourite locations with all your friends. The Tupola website makes extensive use of Google Maps. If you search for a location on Tupola you can view Tupola listings for the area on a Google Map.

It is also possible to use Tupola from your smartphone, with applications available for the iPhone and Android phones.

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Campus Travel on Google Maps

Campus Alternative Transportation Map

Wayne State University has produced a Google Map to show all the alternative methods of transportation on the unviersity's campus.

The map displays all the bus routes, campus shuttles, bike racks, parking lots, trains, walking routes and campus retail locations. The bus routes show all the bus stops with links to the schedules. The retail outlets include the locations of banks, restaurants, pharmacies, snack shops, bookstores, hair salons and the copy/shipping center.

The entire project was completed by and is maintained by students with some help from the Marketing and Communications department in the branding and functionality of the map.

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The Beer Lovers Android Application


BeerWhere
BeerWhere is a new essential application for beer lovers who own an Android phone (an iPhone app is on the way).

Using data from the excellent Beer Mapping Project, BeerWhere uses Google Maps to show you the best brewpubs, beer bars and beer stores in your immediate vicinity.

Using the application you can use your phone's GPS to search around your current location. It is also possible to search by city or by the name of a venue.

The application even has a few social networking features, allowing you to save bars you like to your favourites and share your favourites with your friends.

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Touring Australia with Google Maps

Touring to Australia

If you are planning to travel around Australia 'Touring to Australia' can help you plan your trip. This free online trip and itinerary planner can help you to find places to stay and things to do and see on your trip.

Touring to Australia allows you to load points of interest onto a Google Map. To use the map first choose your destination and then select from a number of categories of markers to view on the map. You can select from accommodation, excursions, rental services, places of interest and activities.

Whilst browsing the map you can add individual hotels and points of interest to your itinerary.

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Monday, November 29, 2010

Foursquare Location Updates on Google Maps

Fourtrace

Fourtrace is a research project from the University of California, Santa Barbara. The application uses location updates that users from Foursquare have made publicly available through Twitter, and presents them on a Google Map.

To use Fourtrace you just need to enter a Facesquare user name and then the user's location history will be presented on a map. If the user name is rejected then the person you searched for probably hasn't connected their Foursquare account with Twitter.

If the Foursquare account is connected to Twitter you can then visualise all the location check-ins made on Foursquare. If you click on the map markers you can also read the Tweet made from that location.

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Limp Bizkit Videos on Google Maps

Follow the Nookie

Fans of Limp Bizkit will be sure to love this Google Map that displays hundreds of Limp Bizkit videos taken from the band's tours.

You can select to view videos from 1996 to 2010 using the drop-down menu. Once you have selected a year Limp Bizkit's tour appearances from that year are displayed on the map. If you click on any of the displayed map markers live videos from that concert are shown in the map sidebar.

If you select a video from the sidebar you can watch the video directly from the map.

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Nature Spotting with Google Maps

Project Noah

Noah is a tool that nature lovers can use to explore and document local wildlife. The tool is available as a handy iPhone app that allows users to photograph interesting organisms and share them on Noah.

The Noah website features a Google Map displaying the locations of submitted wildlife. It is possible to refine the wildlife shown on the map by selecting from the menu above the map. For example, it is possible to view just mammals, plants or birds on the map at one time.

If you click on one of the leaf shaped map markers you can view the submitted photograph. If you click on the photograph you can view on the details submitted by the Noah user.

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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Webcams on Google Maps

Webcam Galore

Webcams Galore has compiled links to over 7000 outdoor webcams around the world. It is possible to view the location of each of the webcams on a Google Map.

To view the Google Map of a webcam just click on the 'Details' link under each listed webcam. The link takes you to a small Google Map displaying the webcam's location.

If you click on the small map a larger Google Map opens which you can then browse to find webcams throughout the world. If you pan the map then the webcams in the current view are dynamically loaded.

Some other webcam maps:
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UK Jobs on Google Maps

TotalJobs

UK job searching website TotalJobs has introduced a new Google Maps based interface to display jobs vacancies geographically.

Totaljobs attracts 2.9 million jobseekers each month. The new maps tool allows up to 200 jobs to be located on just one map. People searching for jobs in London, for example, are able to search for jobs within a specified distance of their chosen location and see these highlighted on the map.

If you click on a map marker you can view the job details and potential jobs can then be selected and dropped into your job basket.

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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Kayaking Around New Zealand

NZKayaker

Tim Taylor set off today to try to set the record for making the first continuous solo circumnavigation of New Zealand by kayak. You can follow Tim's progress live on a real-time Google Map.

Tim is using the SPOT Personal Tracker to show his progress on his journey. SPOT Personal Tracker allows you to send and save your location with a SPOT GPS unit and display your location in near real time using Google Maps.

Tim will be kayaking over 5000 km on his journey, which will take him about 100 days. He hopes to finish his attempt sometime in April 2011.

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Friday, November 26, 2010

Plane Crash on Google Maps

Aerial View Map

Google Maps aerial view has got some great shots of a simulated plane crash that was created for the television series Trauma. The mock airliner crash was filmed on the runway of the former Navy base at Alameda Point.

A Boeing airliner was used as the mock-up of the crashed plane. I think the episode was filmed in 2009. Google's aerial view imagery of the area was released at the end of 2009, so I assume the imagery was gathered at some point during that year.

If you go to my Aerial View Map the plane crash can be viewed by clicking on the 'Simualated Air Crash' link. You can see the crash from different angles by using the Google Maps compass or the directions buttons above the map.

Here is the plane crash itself in NBC's Trauma,



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The Sally Army on Google Maps

Fill the Kettle

The Canadian Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign is a fundraising effort that occurs each year during the Christmas season. Kettles are found in nearly 2000 locations across Canada and are an opportunity for the public to donate whatever funds they can to support the work of The Salvation Army.

This year the Salvation Army have created a Google Map showing the location of the nearly 2000 Kettle locations across Canada. Using the map you can find the nearest kettle to your location. And, if there isn't a kettle nearby, you can always donate online.

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More Local Problems with Google Maps

Mark-a-Spot

Mark-a-Spot is a web-based platform to display, categorize, comment and rate places in urban environments. It can be used as a participation platform or it can be used to let local citizens report issues, like pot-holes, broken street lighting or lack of accessibility.

The system uses Google Maps to show the location of reported problems. You can see a demo of the system in action at MaS-City. Mark-a-Spot is free for local authorities to implement and licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License.

FixMyStreet (New Zealand)

FixMyStreet is a website that helps New Zealand citizens report, view, or discuss local issues with their local council by simply locating them on a Google Map. It launched in September 2010 and was inspired by the UK-based FixMyStreet.com.

If New Zealand citizens have problems with graffiti, unlit lampposts, abandoned beds, etc they can report the problem, showing the location on a Google Map. All submitted problems are then reported to the relevant council by email.

Also See
  • Neat Streets -report local problems in Australia and New Zealand
  • SeeClickFix - US site for citizens to report local problems
  • FixMyStreet - UK site, allows citizens to report local problems. All problems are then passed onto local government
  • Verbeterdebuurt - Dutch local problems reporting site
  • Gerecht Geht Anders - German local problem reporting website
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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Google Map of Korean Incidents

North Korea v South Korea: Every Incident Mapped

The Guardian newspaper has used Fusion Tables to create a Google Map of over 150 incidents between North and South Korea since the Korean War in 1950. The map uses data from a report by the Congressional Research Service, published in 2007.

The map covers every incident, from diplomatic hostilities, through to the more serious events where people have died. The data is also available to other developers through The Guardian's Data Store.

Via: Le Technoblog du LAC

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Report Local Problems with Google Maps

Neat Streets

Australian website Neat Streets allows anyone to report community problems which are then passed on to the appropriate authorities. The application works in both Australia and New Zealand.

You can download a Neat Streets application for the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android based phones. With the apps you can take pictures and submit community problems directly from your smartphone. The latest submitted photos and problems are displayed on a Google Map on the Neat Streets website home page.

Using Neat Streets you can report road obstructions, vandalism, potholes, fallen trees, abandoned trolleys, litter, and graffiti. Neat Streets then automatically forwards the reports to the appropriate authority based on the GPS location

Also See
  • SeeClickFix - US site for citizens to report local problems
  • FixMyStreet - UK site, allows citizens to report local problems. All problems are then passed onto local government
  • Verbeterdebuurt - Dutch local problems reporting site
  • Gerecht Geht Anders - German local problem reporting website


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Visualise GPS Tracks with Google Maps

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs is a great application that allows you to view your GPS tracks using Google Maps and the Google Earth browser plug-in.

Using Breadcrumbs you can create map based visualisations of your GPS tracks and include geotagged photographs and videos. The application includes automatic geotagging of your photos and videos and an easy to use editing tool that enables you to correct GPS points. It is also possible to add information and markers to illustrate interesting points on your tracks.

Completed tracks can be shared via a Breadcrumbs public page for each track and through direct integration with Facebook.

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Google Maps Tutorials

Geocodezip - Using the Google Maps API v3

Geocodezip has put together a great list of examples and tutorials for creating Google Maps with V3 of the Google Maps API (and V2).

The examples range from the very simple (for example adding coloured map markers to a map) to more complex examples (such as animated driving directions). The list includes a number of examples of ways to use driving directions, polygons, polylines and create custom information windows.

If you are interested in or involved in creating Google Maps mashups then this long list of Google Maps examples and tutorials will undoubtedly prove very useful.

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Mapping the Recovery Act

Signs of a Failed Stimulus

The website for Republican Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform are using Google Maps to show the location of billboards that display where money has been spent as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The Republican members of the committee claim that $192 million stimulus dollars are being spent on these signs. If you click on any of the map markers you can view the submitted sign. Strangely information about the number of jobs created by the projects behind each sign is missing from the map.

USDA ARRA Projects Map

The USDA ARRA Projects Google Map shows the locations of United States Department of Agriculture projects funded by the American Recovery Act of 2009.

Is is possible to search the map by location, by agency or by funding amount. The map also includes some cool navigation tools, such as mouse-over state overlays and marker clustering. There is even the option to add your own comments on how your tax dollars are being spent.

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UKSnow Map Back in Action

#uksnow

If you live in the UK and are a little miffed at the cold weather then you can at least be thankful for Ben Marsh's #uksnow map. With snow now falling in Scotland and northern England #uksnow has sprung back to life.

The app searches Twitter for real-time snow reports and displays them on a Google Map. The map itself has been spruced up with a little Styled Maps goodness.

If you want to add your own observations to the map you just need to Tweet the hashtag #uksnow, the first half of your postcode, and rate the snow that is falling out of ten (0/10 for nothing, 5/10 for steady snow and 10/10 for arctic blizzard conditions).

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Danish Google Maps Mashups Roundup

Find Toilet

If you are ever desperate for the loo in Denmark you will be thankful for this Google Map. Find Toilet is a map of public toilets with some excellent search options.

Using the map it is possible to find a toilet by town or by region. It is also possible to search for public toilets in a radius of any given location. Lastly, you can also search for a toilet by type, for example handicapped or unisex toilets.

Kobenhavens Biblioteker

Kobenhavens Biblioteker uses Google Maps to show the locations of libraries in Copenhagen.

The map includes real-time map markers that show not only the libraries locations but also indicate whether each library is currently open or closed. If you mouse-over any of the markers an information window opens displaying the library's address and opening hours.

If you click on a map marker you will be taken directly to the library's dedicated page on the website.

Feriepartner Danmark

Feriepartner Danmark lets you search for holiday accommodation in Denmark. The site uses Google Maps to show the locations of properties returned from any search.

You can search for holiday accommodation by date, location and by the number of beds. The location of each returned result can be viewed in a pop-up Google Map. The map also includes a link to get the driving directions to the property from any location.

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Google Maps Encourage Serendipity

Serendipitor

Serindipitor is an interesting iPhone app that gives you walking directions that are designed to encourage serendipitous experiences. The app combines directions generated by Google Maps with instructions for action and movement inspired by Fluxus, Vito Acconci, and Yoko Ono, among others.

To use the app you just need to enter a starting point and a destination. The app then maps your route with added suggestions for possible actions to take at given location. The actions are "designed to introduce small slippages and minor displacements within an otherwise optimized and efficient route".

A really cool feature of the application is that you can get directions based on the time you have available. Therefore it is possible to get walking directions not just for the quickest route but that match the time you have available.

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Bahamas Nautical Charts on Google Maps

GeoGarage Marine

Marine GeoGarage uses the Google Maps API to display about 260 nautical charts for the seas around the Bahamas, the Turks & Caicos islands, Hispaniola and the Caribbean.

The source of the charts comes from Wavey Line Publishing which has been surveying the region for many years. The charts are overlaid above the normal Google Maps tiles and a slide control allows you to adjust the transparency and compare the chart to the map tiles below.

A good example of the accuracy of the charts is the Orange Cay island, which Google Maps does not show, neither in the map view nor in satellite view.

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Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Tag Google Maps

eDoodz

Edoodz lets you tag or draw on Google Maps.

If you press 'Paint' you can then draw on top of a Google Map satellite image of anywhere in the world. Edoodz has some simple drawing tools. You can change the brush size and its brush. You can also rub out your mistakes.

Once you save your drawing it is added to the map. When you get bored of drawing you can browse other users' pictures by clicking on the 'Click to Tour' button.

Also See

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Black Friday Deals on Google Maps

Dealmap

If you are looking for the best Black Friday bargains then Dealmap can help. Dealmap is using Google Maps to show the location of over 165,000 Black Friday deals at 52,000 stores in the USA.

Dealmap uses Google Maps to display all the best local deals, coupons and special offers. For this week only Dealmap has added a new category 'Black Friday' so you can find the best of this week's offers.

Dealmap is also available as an app for the iPhone and Android smart phones.

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Find Historical Buildings on Google Maps

Historvius

Here is a great way to search for satellite views of historical buildings around the world. Historvius helps you discover the world’s historic locations. The site provides information on historic destinations around the world and displays their locations with Google Maps.

It is possible to search Historvius by location, historical period or by historical figure. For example, if you are interested in Roman history you can search for destinations tagged 'Ancient Rome'.

Each individual entry on Historvius comes with detailed information including useful information such as website links, directions and opening hours.

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Monday, November 22, 2010

Find Your Neighbours with Google Maps

OneTwib

OneTwib is a location-based social network that allows users to connect with other people in their neighbourhood. The site uses Google Maps to show the registered users of OneTwib in your vicinity.

You can connect with OneTwib with a Facebook account. The map view includes a vicinity tool that allows you to define your area of search. Other users are shown on the map with people shaped markers. Events around you are indicated by an 'E'.

As well as advertising events users can promote groups and display classified adverts.

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Amsterdam Coffee Shops on Google Maps

WeedMaps

WeedMaps is a community website allowing medical marijuana patients to connect with other patients in their geographic region.

The site contains a number of Google Maps showing the location of medical marijuana dispensaries in various US cities. WeedMap also includes a Google Map of Coffee Shops in Amsterdam.

Each mapped listing includes user ratings and reviews. If you click through on the map you can view the full details of each listing including the address and opening hours.

The Price of Weed

Some enterprising supporters of the free market have developed this Google Map to track the retail price index of marijuana. In order to gauge the true street value of this globally traded product the Price of Weed has decided to crowdsource the cost of marijuana and post the results on a handy Google Map.

Currently the map only shows marijuana prices in the USA and Canada. Other countries will be added to the map once the data begins to flow in. If you click on a map marker you can view the average prices for weed in that location. You can also view the latest submission below the map.

Warning: Please remember the value of your investment in this market could go up in smoke.

Also See

Potlocator - medical marijuana dispensaries
Medical Marijuana Shopping - more medical marijuana dispensaries

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Toronto Video Guide on Google Maps

My City Lives

Here is your personal video guide to the city of Toronto. My City Lives is a platform that allows people in Toronto to share their experiences of the city’s public spaces and organizations by posting videos to a Google Map.

The submitted videos are represented on the map by thumbnail images of the videos. To watch a video you just have to click its thumbnail.

It is possible to refine the videos shown on the map by 'Most Viewed', 'Food', 'Coffee', 'Date Ideas', 'Missed in Connection' and 'Nuit Blanche'. It is also possible to refine the results by a custom search.

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Gothic France on Google Maps

Mapping Gothic France

Mapping Gothic France is a joint project between the Visual Media Center in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, the Visual Resources Library at Vassar College, and the Columbia University Libraries.

The project uses the Google Maps API and custom map tiles to present the locations of France's Gothic buildings. Using the map it is possible to browse the listed buildings geographically. It is also possible to view buildings by the approximate date of their construction and view historical maps of the period overlaid on the main map.

Mapping Gothic France also contains a number of essays and stories of France's Gothic buildings. The essays also use the Google Maps API to illustrate the referenced Gothic buildings.

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Google Map of Tourist Attractions

RueFind

RueFind is a website that explores interesting tourist attractions around the world. The site includes a Google Maps interface to the over one thousand tourist attractions in its database.

The map shows each of the locations listed on RueFind using thumbnail images of each attraction. If you click on any of the thumbnail images you can read a description of the attraction and click through to view the attraction's main page on RueFind.

It is also possible to vote for your favourite attractions. RueFind will be publishing the results showing the best tourist attractions very soon.

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Sunday, November 21, 2010

The Hitchhikers Guide on Google Maps

Hitchwiki Maps

This isn't quite the Hitchhikers Guide to the Universe but Hitchwiki does want to be your hitch-hiking guide to the Earth. Hitchwiki is a Google Maps based wiki that allows hitch-hikers to share good and bad hitching places.

If you are planning to hitch-hike anywhere you should check out Hitchwiki before setting out to find the best places to get lifts. Good hitching locations are shown on the map with thumb icons. If you click on an icon you can dicover the spot's rating and a brief description.

Using the 'Add Place' tab anyone can share their favourite hitchiking spots on Hitchwiki. You just need to click on the location of your spot on the map, rate the location and provide a short description.

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Saturday, November 20, 2010

Guess the Street View Location

Street vi

Street vi, a website with a collection of interesting Street Views from around the world, has relaunched with some interesting new features.

The site now has a fun 'I'm feeling lucky' button that lets you select a random Street View from the collection. Another new feature is a game called 'Find a Place'. In Find a Place you have to guess the location of a random Street View from the visual clues (or you can navigate around a little and search for street signs).

To submit your guess for the location of the given Street View you need to click on the Google Map beneath the panorama. The winner of the game is the user who gets nearest to the correct location.

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More Fusion Tables Spatial Queries

UK Charities Map

The Daily Telegraph newspaper in the UK has produced a nice Google Map of UK Charities using Fusion Tables. The map displays the location of 150,000 charities in England and Wales.

One of the most amazing features of Fusion Tables with Google Maps is that it can cope with so many markers. However there are times that you wouldn't want to overwhelm the map user with so many map markers. I therefore thought that this would be a good map to tweak to use the new spatial queries with Fusion Tables.

UK Charities Map Tweaked
Using the same Fusion Table data created for The Telegraph's map I have created this map that uses a spatial query to only show the closest 10 charities to the current map centre.

I think the map is a good example of how you can create a powerful store locator with Google Maps and Fusion Tables. As always feel free to view, copy and adapt the code as you want.

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Friday, November 19, 2010

Real-Time Edits to Google Maps

Google Map Maker Pulse

Google have released a map showing in real-time edits being made to Google Maps using Google Map Maker.

Google Map Maker allows anyone to edit or add features such as roads, businesses, parks, schools and more to Google Maps. Contributions on Map Maker are used to improve the accuracy of Google Maps.

This real-time map animates to the latest contributions made on Map Maker, showing the location updated in satellite view. The map also displays the name of the contributor and the type of edit or addition made to the map.

(update: Pulse seems to have quickly become a dead page - hopefully it will be back up soon)

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Track Your C##p With Google Maps

Flush Tracker

Apparently today is international Toilet Day. In celebration of this glorious occasion Domestos have released this Google Map that allows you to track your 'flush'.

To use the application you simply need to enter a postcode and the time of your flush. You can then watch in real time as the map shows an animation of your flush from your home, through your local sewage network to its final destination.

Flush Tracker currenty works in the UK, Ireland, Poland and South Africa.

Happy Toilet Day!

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Real-Time German Buses Map

Real-Time Reutlingen Buses Map

This real-time Goggle Map shows the current location of every bus in the German city of Reutlingen.

The map shows the city's bus routes with coloured polylines. The location of each bus-stop on each line is also clearly shown. The location of all buses on the network is shown in real-time with animated bus icons. If you click on any of the bus icons you can receive information about the bus' number and its current destination.

In the future the developer plans to add a real-time traffic overlay and live tracking of regional trains.

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Fusion Tables

Spatial Queries

The spatial queries that were recently added to Fusion Tables mean that it is now very easy to create a very powerful Store Locator using just Google Maps and Fusion Tables. If you have a Fusion Table that contains your store data you can easily create a Google Map that will load the stores within a defined area or load the nearest stores to a given location.

Using the bounding box spatial query you can load points within a predefined area. You can also use the 'distance' query to load the stores nearest to a given point.

Load Nearest Points

We can use the getCenter function to get the latitude and longitude at the centre of the map. It is then possible to load the nearest points of interest in our Fusion Table to this point. The following function will load the ten nearest points to the current centre of the map.

function loadNearest() {
layer.setQuery("SELECT Country FROM 188044 ORDER BY ST_DISTANCE(Country, LATLNG( " + map.getCenter().lat() +', '+ map.getCenter().lng() + ")) LIMIT 10");
}

We can then add a button to the map to call the function with

onclick="loadNearest()"

Bounding Box

It is now also possible to easily create a bounding box with Fusion Tables. Using a bounding box we can define an area on the map and load in all the points from a Fusion Table that fall within that area.

function boundingBox() {
layer.setQuery("SELECT Country FROM 188044 WHERE ST_INTERSECTS(Country, RECTANGLE(LATLNG(35.77, -12.57), LATLNG(66.6, 37.3)))");
}

We can add a button to the map to call the bounding box with:

onclick="boundingBox()"

This Spatial Queries demo shows the bounding box in action. To add the 'ditance' query just add the code I have outlined above.

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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Street View Expands in Germany

Street View has expanded in Germany to cover 20 cities.



The cities that now have Street View coverage on Google Maps in Germany include the capital Berlin, Dresden, Bonn, Essen, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg, Hannover, Munich and Stuttgart.

Mapcrunch

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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

It's Street View but Is it Art?

The Nine Eyes of Google Street View


Artist Jon Rafman was so inspired by Google Street View that he put together this collection of images found by scouring Google Maps.

The collection showcases some of the beautiful images he has found but also exploers the more seedy side of life that can sometimes be found on Street View. Of course Jon Raffman isn't the first artist to be inspired by Street View.

Apres Garde

There are quite a few websites that collect fun and interesting finds from Google Street View. None of them however find quite so many beautiful shots as Apres Garde.

Matt Bucher recently wrote a guest post for Google Sightseeing explaining the rationale behind his personal choice of Street View images. He certainly does seem to have a good eye for the artistic shots captured by the Street View cameras.



I'm sure Apres Garde would be a great source of inspiration to the Street View artists out there. Such as Lehel Kovács, an Hungarian designer uses Google Street View as the starting point for his cityscapes.



Similarly, if you wish to take part in Bill Guffrey's Virtual Paintout I'm sure Apres Garde will get your creative juices flowing.


The Virtual Paintout is a blog that encourages the use of Google Street View as a resource for virtually travelling the world to find interesting locations and subjects to paint. Each month Bill sets a location and participants have to find an appropriate Street View from that location and paint the found image.

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Skiing with Google Maps

SnowTrax

SnowTrax is a ski destination search engine that uses Google Maps to show you the location of ski accommodation.

Using SnowTrax it is possible to search ski resorts by price, date and location. It is also possible to search five mountains at the same time allowing you to find the best deal.

SnowTrax can suggest resorts based on terrain style, snow quality, the après ski scene, and more. You can also compare hotels based on their proximity to ski lifts and bus stops. Each individual hotel is displayed using Google Maps so you can even check out the location for yourself.

Interactive Resorts

Interactive Resorts is a Google Maps mashup that allows users to search for chalets, ski lift information, lift pass offices, ski school meeting points and tourist information centres in major European ski resorts.

Accommodation for each ski resort is listed in the map sidebar and can be sorted by price, number of rooms and by rating. Clicking on a property's map marker opens an information window with details, photographs and price and availability information.

Estim Friends
Estim Friends is a ski and snow resort guide. The site includes a Google Map mashup that allows users to search for ski resorts around the world.

The map loads details for different levels of zoom, giving a continental or a country overview. At the country level individual ski resort are displayed on the map. Clicking on a map marker will load an overview of conditions at that resort.

theholidaylet.com

It is possible to search the 1,700 holiday rentals listed on theholidaylet.com via a handy Google Map. You can refine a search by property type, various options (Internet access, pets permitted etc) and by date.

The map uses marker clustering to ensure the fast loading of the 1,700 properties. Clicking on a map marker opens an information window with a photograph and brief description of the property and a link to the full details.

HotelByMaps.com

HotelbyMaps.com lists over 95,019 hotels worldwide. To use the site just enter your desired location into the search box and HotelsByMap.com returns a Google Map of the location showing all the available nearby hotels.

The hotels are also listed in the map sidebar. It is possible to list the hotels by cheapest or nearest to your chosen destination. The map markers contain hotel details, photographs and even a booking form.

Via: Mapperz

Previously Featured
  • FlexMappers - Ski resort videos, webcams, statistics, weather, blog and driving conditions by US state.
  • Ski Bonk - SkiBonk graphically displays snow depth and new snow for ski resorts throughout the world.
  • RiderTech - Ski resorts (and other action sports venues) from around the world.
  • RideSoCal - Southern California Snow Sports Community map. A Google Map mashing up the Ridesocal.com member database and ski resort information.
  • Wintersporters.nl helps you find European ski destinations on Google Maps.
  • Ski Alberta Live - Ski Resort mashup for the province of Alberta.
  • Canadian Ski Resorts - Map of Canadian ski resorts, current news on the Canadian ski scene, stats for the hills and links to accommodations at resorts across Canada.
  • Maine's Snow Report
  • Cross Country Skiing in the Finger Lakes

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Google Hotpot

Hotpot

Google have released Hotpot - a local recommendation engine that you can share with your social network.

With Hotpot, Google are making local search results for places on Google more personal and relevant. When you visit Hotpot you can view nearby places, search for local businesses and restaurants and read reviews. What makes Hotpot new for Google is that it has some great social networking options.

With Hotpot you can share your favourite places and your ratings with your friends and see the places they’ve recommended. So, for example, if you want to go to a restaurant you can see at a glance which restaurants have been recommended by your firends.

Hotpot works across Google services. In search results, you can see recommended places by using the new Place Search and clicking on the “Places” filter. You can also see recommendations when searching on Google Maps, Google Maps for Android or when checking the Place pages for a specific business.

Via: Google LatLong

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