In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen an inspiring response from our developer community. To support response efforts, we’ve expedited the processing of Google Maps Platform credit applications for COVID-19-related not-for-profit projects that offer a publicly-available website or mobile app. Once interested not-for-profit developers and organizations submit their application, our team will closely review to determine eligibility. Developers who need help getting started to quickly deliver helpful, needed services to their communities, can visit the developer resource hub for more info.

Getting started 

1. Review the eligibility details on the developer resource site. Only those websites and apps offering legitimate services and/or disseminating information from authoritative sources (e.g. Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization, state and local health agencies) are eligible. 

2. Create a Google Cloud Platform account

3. Because a billing account is required to administer the program credits, you’ll need to set up a billing account 

4. Submit your application

5. Enable the Google Maps Platform APIs and SDKs you want to use

6. Generate an API key to authenticate your requests to the platform

For a complete list of setup steps and requirements, see Get Started with Google Maps Platform or view our getting started videos on the Google Maps Platform YouTube channel.  

APIs/SDKs for common crisis response use cases Any of the Google Maps Platform APIs and SDKs can be useful for crisis response and relief projects, but we compiled a cheat sheet to help you quickly identify which APIs and SDKs can be used for a few relevant use cases.

Use case: I want to display the location of a place, like a testing site, on a map

For web: 

* Maps JavaScript API

• Maps Static API

• Maps Embed API

• Custom styling

• Markers

• Custom markers

• Datalayer

For mobile: 

* Maps SDK for Android

• Maps SDK for iOS

• Custom styling: Android, iOS

• Markers: Android, iOS

• Custom markers: Android, iOS

• GeoJSON layer: Android, iOS

Use case: I want to display many locations, like all the stores with special hours for sensitive shoppers, on a map

For web: 

• Custom markers for web

• Marker clustering for web

For mobile: 

• Custom markers: Android, iOS

• Marker clustering: Android, iOS

Use case: I want to display a heatmap of recovered cases based on data from an authoritative source

For Web: 

• Heatmaps for web

For Mobile: 

• Heatmaps: Android, iOS

Use case: I want to visualize a large healthcare or public interest dataset from an authoritative source, that’s greater than 300 points

For web:

• Google Maps Platform integration with deck.gl

Use case: I want to help people search for places, like their nearest community health center

For web: 

• Place autocomplete

• Places API

• Places library

• Geocoding service

For mobile: 

• Place autocomplete: Android, iOS

• Places SDK for Android

• Places SDK iOS

• Geocoding API

Use case:  I want to help a non-profit hospital route a medical delivery or help a patient navigate to the nearest testing site

For web:

• Directions service

• Distance Matrix service

For mobile: 

• Directions API

• Distance Matrix API

If you have any technical questions as you're building, please check our technical documentation, StackOverflow, or reach out to us via our other support channels. Once again, please visit the developer resource hub to apply for credits. 

To hear about what the Google Maps Platform community is doing in response to COVID-19, please come back to the blog over the next few weeks. For more information on Google Maps Platform, visit our website.