How to get GCal to accurately link to GMaps.

December 13, 2007 8:42 AM

How can I ensure Google Calendar's 'map' links are accurate?

Google Calendar adds a 'map' link in 'Where' field of an event's details, if it thinks it can work out where it is. How can I ensure it points to the right location.

Let's say I know a football match is being held at Hoe Road, Bishops Waltham. The link that Google creates it this:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en-GB&q=Hoe+Road,+Bishops+Waltham&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1

But I actually want it to point somewhere slightly different (further up the road, down the little side road leading to the football pitches).

In situations like this I mostly don't know the post code. Is there any way of giving Google Calendar just enough info so that its map is accurate? Maybe a grid ref or something?

If not, can I turn it off completely so that I can ensure people aren't being directed to the wrong location (I can put an accurate link in the Description field).

posted by Glum to computers & internet (3 answers total)

If you sign in with your Google account, you can create custom maps with 'My Maps'. This allows you to place custom end points on a location of your choosing. Google will then attempt to give driving directions to there.

You can add multiple points with your own names - it's pretty nifty.
posted by unixrat at 9:13 AM on December 13, 2007

When you click your link above, and then click on "link to this page" above the map, the link you get to send is: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en-GB&q=Hoe+Road,+Bishops+Waltham&ie=UTF8&om=1&ll=50.954196,-1.201909&spn=0.00615,0.014462&z=16&iwloc=addr

I've bolded the location info in the link above. If you paste just that - not the entire link - into your Google Calendar event, you would still get a map to the same location.

But you don't want that location, you want something further down the road. So what you need to do is make your own map (Google "My Maps") and put a placemark where it should be. Right click on the placemark and "center map here." Then click on "Link to this page" and grab the location info from THAT url and put it in your Google event.

For example, I think your desired location is here:

50.952615,-1.201115
posted by desjardins at 9:17 AM on December 13, 2007

Nice tip Desjardins. I wonder if there's any way to then include some text along side the grid reference in GCal? If I put:
"50.952615,-1.201115"
then the link is perfect.

If I put:
"50.952615,-1.201115 Hoe Road Sports Ground, Hoe Road, Bishops Waltham"
then it breaks.

Not too much of a problem though as I can put the 'english' location in the description.

Thanks again.
posted by Glum at 1:06 PM on December 13, 2007