Google Maps & Fusion Tables Hacks

I've been seeing a lot of good Google Maps recently that are using Google Fusion Tables to store the map date. Google Maps with Fusion Tables can contain bounding box and radius spatial queries. These features are built into the Google Maps API V3.

As well as these official features a number of developers have created some nice workarounds to add other features to Fusion Table driven Google Maps.

Map with Sidebar (demo map now removed)
This experimental map from the Natural History Museum includes a great sidebar that is also driven by Fusion Tables. Each entry loaded into the sidebar is also an active link which will open the information windows in the Google Map.

Custom Map Markers

This Google Project Hosting example uses the Google Visualization API with Fusion Tables to create a Google Map with custom map markers. Fusion Table maps use the default Google Maps map markers but this code example provides a neat hack to allow you to replace these with your own map marker images.

Animating Fusion Table Data

This is my own attempt to use Fusion Tables to create an animated Google Map. The map animates through the over 800 bombs dropped on London on the first night of the London Blitz.

There is an ugly flicker at the moment when each new marker is added that I'm working on trying to overcome.

Time Slider

Here is a Fusion Tables map that includes a two thumb time slider that allows you to load data onto the map from a specified date range. The Random Markers blog includes a couple of other examples of Fusion Table generated maps with time-line slider controls.

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Cyclone Yasi on Google Maps

Aus-emaps Severe Weather Map

Queensland in Australia just can't catch a break at the moment. Fresh from devastating floods the area is now braced for the impact of category 5 cyclone Yasi.

The latest satellite image of the approaching cyclone and wind speed information for the impact area can be monitored live on aus-emaps.com’s Hazards Monitor pages (courtesy of the Bureau of Meteorology web services). If you turn on the 'Clouds' overlay on this Google Map you can view the satellite image.

Aus-emaps has also produced a shareable reference map of the cyclone. The map includes a kmz file that contains the latest BOM update on tropical cyclone Yasi.

Via: All Things Spatial

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Google Latitude Goes All Foursquare

Google Latitude has launched a number of new features that make it much easier for users to check-in at locations. When you open Latitude in your phone you can now view nearby venues and check-in.

To help you check-in at venues the updated Latitude includes:

• Notifications: Latitude will now notify you to check in at a nearby place once you arrive.
• Automatic check-ins: Add venues to your automatic check-ins and your phone will automatically check-in whenever you’re there. You don't have to lift a finger.
• Check out: Once you leave, Latitude knows to automatically check you out of places so friends aren’t left guessing if you’re still there.

Via: Google LatLong

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Raising Money for Children's Hospitals

Warm & Fuzzy Federation

With this Google Map from the Rosetta and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals you can help honor the Year of the Rabbit by posting a 'Warm & Fuzzie' message. When 100,000 'Warm & Fuzzies' are posted Rosetta will donate $10,000 to a local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

To post a message you just need to give the map permission to detect your location and enter some kind words. Your message will then be added to the map with a very quote bunny marker.

Rosetta have used the Styled Map feature to create a a distinctive map. Reward them for their efforts by posting a warming message on the map.

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Street View Drives Inside Art Galleries

Google Art Project

The Street View car has mounted the steps of some of the world's most famous galleries and driven around snapping over 1,000 of the greatest paintings of all time (OK, Google actually invented a new Street View trolley to grab these images).

The Google Art Project has used Street View technology to create virtual tours inside 17 of the world’s most acclaimed art museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA in New York, The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Tate Britain & The National Gallery in London, Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Click on the 'Explore Gallery' option for any of the listed galleries and you can enter the virtual Street View tour. As well as virtually walking the art galleries you can inspect the paintings up close. If you select an individual work of art you can then pan and zoom into the painting to view it in close detail.



The gallery Street View tours can also be explored directly from within Street View in Google Maps.

Via: Official Google Blog

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HTML5 Fractals in Google Maps

Julia Map

How can you not love Google when they continue to release amazing stuff like this Google Maps HTML5 Fractal Renderer?

Julia Map uses the HTML5 canvas with the Google Maps API to create Julia and Mandelbrot set fractals which you can pan and zoom into. When you zoom into the fractal the image is drawn on the fly in canvas.

In your exploring, when you come across images that blow your mind, you can grab the unique URL and share them with the world.

Via: Official Google Research Blog

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Immersive Street View Video for Dubai

Video Street View

Imagine Google Maps Street View, but instead of still images imagine if those panoramas were videos. Now imagine it no more and visit VideoStreetView.com to see it for real.

Essentially video street views are 360 degree videos that allow you to control the direction that the video faces. VideoStreetView.com shoot these videos and then map them using Google Maps.

VideoStreetView.com has now expanded its coverage. Previously the website contained extensive video street view coverage only for Switzerland. Now they cover Saigon in Vietnam, Dubai in the UAE and Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

If you have time to spare today I strongly suggest you visit VideoStreetView.com. You won't regret it.

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