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Geocaching.com + Google Maps Api = ...

psyci

By psyci
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psyci

+psyci

Posted
Posted (edited)

I got it working... it's really slick... very feature limited at this point, but it's really fun to work with. Sattelite views of caches are great.

 

geocachingmaps.jpg

 

geocachingmaps2.jpg

 

Groundspeak: I'd be happy to develop it further, and donate my work to Groundspeak if they'd put it on the geocaching.com website. I think it'd be a lot of fun to work on, and a huge improvment to the geocaching.com website. If you're interested, please contact me so we can work something out. I have a live working alpha version that you can play with if you'd like. (Don't worry, I won't post it for public use unless you say it's okay.)

 

Everyone else: Patience! I want to see what Groundspeak has to say first. But hopefully sometime soon.

Edited by psyci
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Prime Suspect

+Prime Suspect

Posted
Posted

You mean like this..... :rolleyes:

 

image11mc.png

 

Somewhere on the Google site they mentioned how many hits each free license key is allowed per day. I don't recall exactly what it was, but I'm pretty sure a site like geocaching.com would well exceed it. I wrote my version for my own use, and the use of a few others. Because of the licensing issues, I have no intention making it available to the general public.

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robertlipe

robertlipe

Posted
Posted

That's exactly the catch here. Becuase of the TOS of this site (you basically can't make public any Google map you'd make from either a PQ or a LOC download) and the TOS at Google (low-volume use only) there are many programmer types that have cranked things like this out, but they're all for personal use or otherwise on the hush.

 

In all, it's frustrating that a number of programmers would donate development time to create "value add" services for geocaching.com but are prohibited from doing so by the site and that attempts to get permission haven't turned out well.

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StarBrand

+StarBrand

Posted
Posted
Am I missing something here?? I just drag the GPX from my PQ onto Google earth

Yes, you're missing that Google Earth and Google Maps are different things. The former is a Windows program that runs on your local system. The latter is a web service.

:blink:

 

You think like a programmer (like me) - way too literal.

 

End result either way is that I get a zoomable, clickable, google provided sat map of my caches - for free. That was my point. :D:rolleyes::blink:

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Jeremy

Jeremy

Posted
Posted

Actually it is the terms of Google that restricts our usage on the Geocaching.com web site. However we are working on the networked KML service to allow Google Earth browsing. Also, the API for Microsoft's Virtual Earth seems to be far more open to use on your site without the 50k pageviews per day which we would far exceed.

 

We are well aware how to code both Virtual Earth and Google Maps. In house we have Google Maps running fine on a local service and we have some success with browsing via Google Earth. It's a question of doing it right instead of doing it fast, and doing it within the restrictions of Google Maps.

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psyci

+psyci

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If I might be so bold as to ask, what, specifically, prevents you from using Google Maps on geocaching.com?

 

I'm reading the FAQ at http://www.google.com/apis/maps/faq.html :

 

Is the Maps API available for commercial websites?

 

Yes, it is, as long your site is generally accessible to consumers without charge. For example, if your website is supported by advertising, it likely falls within the terms of the Maps API. Or, if you charge people to place information on your map (e.g., to list their homes for sale), but you list this information on Google Maps on a free part of your site, you’ll also meet the Maps API terms of use.

 

However, not all commercial uses are allowed. For example,

 

Premium websites – If your site is only available to paying customers, you cannot use the Maps API.

 

Enterprise websites – The Maps API is not available for use within enterprise or intranet applications.

Remember, Google reserves the right to suspend or terminate the use of the service at any time, so please read the terms of use carefully.

 

That would probably mean that you couldn't make this a premium-members-only feature... But otherwise, I think it works...

 

My website gets 100,000 page views per day. Can I use the API?

 

Yes, absolutely. If your site gets over 50,000 page views per day, however, please contact us first so we can make sure we can handle the load.

 

I think they could handle geocaching.com...

 

Somewhere on the Google site they mentioned how many hits each free license key is allowed per day

 

That's for adding google search to your site, I believe. Adding google maps has no such restriction.

 

What is it in the TOS that prevents geocaching.com from using google maps?

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psyci

+psyci

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What is it in the TOS that prevents geocaching.com from using google maps?

I don't know. Who said it did?

I was referring to this:

 

Actually it is the terms of Google that restricts our usage on the Geocaching.com web site.
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Jeremy

Jeremy

Posted
Posted

I was confused by your usage of TOS, which is a different animal compared to simple terms on the web site. The terms themselves concern me as we would be implementing a beta application which can and will be changed in the actual TOS or TOU or whatever they will call it. For that reason we are working on applications but holding off until we can get a better idea as to what the future holds for this service. Also we want to ensure that the application is written in such away where it would not adversely affect performance on the site.

 

The networked KML is the best scenario for map or earth style browsing, IMO. It is easy on the data services and provides optimal viewing. The maps are more server intensive without some good thought into the use of server queries.

 

Regardless, patience is more of a requirement for these features. We have working examples in-house but publishing them online is another story.

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psyci

+psyci

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Ah, thank you. Very reasonable and well-explained. :blink:

 

In any case, it's a feature I greatly covet... I think I might continue my efforts and see if I can write a standalone application that runs off of GPX files, which will leave your servers alone.

 

Thanks for your time!

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geognerd

+geognerd

Posted
Posted

One of the perks of premium membership is having the ability to zoom and pan the geocaching.com maps. If the Google Maps API was adopted for showing caches, it sounds like access to these maps would have to be for all members, not just premium. So would the navigable cache maps no longer be a premium members-only thing?

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Jeremy

Jeremy

Posted
Posted
One of the perks of premium membership is having the ability to zoom and pan the geocaching.com maps. If the Google Maps API was adopted for showing caches, it sounds like access to these maps would have to be for all members, not just premium. So would the navigable cache maps no longer be a premium members-only thing?

They seem to be intentionally dodgy about how maps can be used. It can be argued that some mapping features need to be available to non-premium members but it doesn't say that other features can't be. So truncated coordinates for cache listings for non-premium members seems to be ok, or limiting information on the pushpins.

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NomadVW

+NomadVW

Posted
Posted

Don't forget to convert any lat/longs from GC.com in Japan to Tokyo Mean Datum, since Google seems to refuse to do the reverse math for us. It's these kinds of things that make me glad GC.com hasn't adopted Google Maps whole scale yet.

 

For those that also want us to "just use Google Earth," try taking a peek at those areas where the hi-res mapping isn't available, like maybe the majority of the world.

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CoyoteRed

CoyoteRed

Posted
Posted (edited)
Here's a screenshot of the Google Earth networked kml in action:

Kind of looks like what I'm doing except I've got difficulty, size, placed by, and that sort of stuff in there, too.

 

Wish there was a way to have the names not display until you hover over them.

 

EDIT: fixed typo and dropped word.

Edited by CoyoteRed
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Team DEMP

+Team DEMP

Posted
Posted
Am I missing something here?? I just drag the GPX from my PQ onto Google earth and - presto - I get a sat map of all the caches with links. No programming needed. Maybe not quite as slick but free.

Does that only apply to the paid version?

The native format for Google Earth is KML. You can use GPSBabel to convert from most any format to KML.

 

In fact, the latest Garmin MapSource Beta has View in Google Earth as a built in option which actually calls GPSBabel behind the scenes where they generate a GPX file, sent it to GPSBabel which creates a KML file and opens Google Earth with that KML file. it shows the waypoints and tracks right in Google Earth. You don't need the paid Plus version to pull in info from your GPS as we have the ability to do it ourselves using tools like GPSBabel.

 

Google Earth even ships with GPSBabel as the way it loads a GPX. Pretty much GPSBabel is the glue between all these apps/formats.

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Jeremy

Jeremy

Posted
Posted

Sometime next week is the soft date. We don't usually have hard dates, and in this case there are a lot of new features for the site that need to be tested before they are launched to the masses.

 

This is not a "convert a gpx file to kml and drop into google earth" functionality. This is "zoom to an area on the planet and see the nearby caches" functionality. There are some limitations to reduce an increase in load to the web servers but it should be very helpful as an alternate browsing function for the site.

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Markwell

+Markwell

Posted
Posted
I think those are either National Parks or Missle Testing Ranges...

Are you suggesting that Mexico be a missle testing range? :unsure:

And Canada -eh

Nope...

 

eisbk2.jpg

 

The red area to the southeast I think is Smokey Mountain Nat'l Park. The red area to the southwest I would think is missle testing and/or dessert.

What's up with the lightblue circled area in the midwest? Open farmland with no parks?

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Jeremy

Jeremy

Posted
Posted
Wish there was a way to have the names not display until you hover over them.

You can, just use kml styles, to have a label with 0 size, but has a size of 1 for when you hover over the marker.

 

Let me know if a example KML would help. Actully heres one!

Thanks for the example! I incorporated these additions to the kml files so they now pop and display the text when you hover over them.

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CoyoteRed

CoyoteRed

Posted
Posted
Wish there was a way to have the names not display until you hover over them.

You can, just use kml styles, to have a label with 0 size, but has a size of 1 for when you hover over the marker.

 

Let me know if a example KML would help. Actully heres one!

That is cool! It's now part of my script.

 

Thanks!

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