Maps Platform
Product updates, customer stories, and tips and tricks on Google Maps Platform
Three years later: another supported browser update for JavaScript Maps API v3
Friday, June 28, 2013
The times, they are a changin’... Back in 2010, when we last
updated
the supported browsers for
JavaScript Maps API v3
, Android was just starting to take off, Chrome was still very nascent and in beta on OS X and Linux, and Internet Explorer 9 had just been released.
Fast-forward three years to today: it’s clear that Android is here to stay, Chrome, now one of the most popular browsers in the world, is available on mobile devices, and we have a brand new version of Internet Explorer. So, it’s time for another update.
The following browsers and operating systems are now officially supported by the JavaScript Maps API v3:
IE 8+ (Windows)
The current and previous version of Firefox (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux)
The current and previous version of Chrome (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS)
The current and previous version of Safari (Mac OS X)
Mobile Safari on the current and previous version of iOS
The default browser on Android 2.3 - 4.0
Chrome on Android 4.1+
Nothing changes based on this announcement: sites working in a now-unsupported browser will continue to function as before. But, ongoing, these are now the browsers for which we will focus our testing efforts and actively fix bugs.
If you have questions about these changes, Google and the broader Google Maps developer community can help. Please tag your question with the “google maps” tag on
Stack Overflow
.
Posted by
Ken Hoetmer
, Product Manager, Google Maps API
More Beautiful Maps: Announcing DynamicMapsEngineLayer
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Organizations around the world use
Google Maps Engine
to host their geospatial data:
ecological records
used in the fight against habitat destruction, census
income
and
age
distributions, and up-to-date
store locations and hours
. Much of this data is available for public consumption.
Today we’re announcing a new way for developers to visualize and interact with data hosted in Maps Engine:
DynamicMapsEngineLayer
. This class performs client-side rendering of vector data, allowing the developer to dynamically restyle the vector layer in response to user interactions like hover and click.
Play around with
this map
of public watershed boundary data from the
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
, one of our
Maps Engine nonprofit grantees
:
To get started making your own maps, check out our developer documentation for
DynamicMapsEngineLayer
and find public datasets hosted by Maps Engine that interest you in our
gallery
(if there is a “Maps API code” link below a map, click it and copy the code snippets shown). For a deeper dive, also take a look at the
Google Maps Engine API
, a RESTful web services API that allows developers to read and write data stored in Google Maps Engine, and learn about
querying public datasets
.
Contact us
for more information about Google Maps Engine for your organization.
Posted by Jen Kovnats, Product Manager, Google Maps API
Map of the Week: ShotHotspot
Friday, June 21, 2013
Map of the Week:
ShotHotspot
Why we like it:
ShotHotspot plots geotagged photos from around the web onto the
Google Maps JavaScript API
. Drawing on sites such as Panoramio and Flickr, it allows users to search and find good places to take photos.
Users start with a
Places Autocomplete
powered search.
Once you select an area ShotHotspot shows you a map of that area, and where all the pictures were taken. It uses the
MarkerClusterer
and
InfoBox
utility libraries to organize the information.
Once you are there, you can use
drawing tools
to create your own custom search area.
And when you zoom to the area you want to visit, you can get
directions
to the location you’ve selected. Notice too they use the
Static Maps API
to display thumbnails.
This is a great resource for finding places to take pictures.
Posted by
Mano Marks
, Maps Developer Relations Team
Darting around Fab Friday
Friday, June 14, 2013
It’s Friday again, you made it through another week! OK, we made it through another week.
I’m actually pretty excited because next week I’m going to Israel. If you’re in Tel Aviv, I’ll be speaking at the
GDG on Tuesday the 19th
, come and say hi.
Pieter Greyling
and
Kasia Derc-Fenske
will be speaking with me, so you’ll get a three-in-one.
On Tuesday, I hosted another Google Maps Shortcut episode, this time on Tiling in the
Google Maps SDK for iOS
. Check it out.
Next week
Brett Morgan
will be hosting a Maps Shortcut on using
Google Maps with Dart
. Be sure to check that out.
That’s all I’ve got this week. Have a great weekend and, as always, happy mapping!
Posted by
Mano Marks
, Maps Developer Relations Team
Map of the Week: Citymapper Android App
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Map of the Week:
Citymapper Android App
Why we like it:
Citymapper is a great example of combining Google’s data and basemap with an app developer’s own data and making a slick, useful interface. Citymapper helps Londoners get around by showing them locations of tube stations, bus routes, taxi fares, the status of transit lines, and much more. It’s built on top of the
Google Maps Android API v2
and our
Directions
and
Geocoding
services.
It all starts with figuring out what you want to do.
From there you can get walking, biking, transit, or taxi directions. It’ll even tell you how many calories you’ll burn, or how much the taxi should cost.
You can also get information on Tube closures.
And play with a rampaging Android.
You can save your favorite lines and stations in the app as well, allowing you to customize your experience. All around, this is a great combination of our maps with highly localized data.
Posted by
Mano Marks
, Maps Developer Relations Team
Fab Friday is Tiling
Friday, June 7, 2013
It’s Friday, and here’s a quick Fab Friday to take you through the weekend.
This week, the
Google Maps Engine
team launched the
Maps Engine API
, which allows users of Maps Engine to programmatically interact with their data. It also allows any developer to interact with
data made public
by Maps Engine users. Pretty cool!
Also this week,
Chris Broadfoot
released a Google Maps Shortcut on his
Android Maps Utility Library
. You can check out
his code on Github
, and the video here:
Next week, I’ll be doing a Maps Shortcut on
Tile Layers in Google Maps SDK for iOS
.
That’s all for now, see you next week and happy mapping.
Posted by
Mano Marks
, Maps Developer Relations Team
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