Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with googlemaps

How would I go about finding out whether such a specific intersection of road names exists?

DeltaForce — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:56:32 -0800

There are two words that I would like to see intersect as road names. Anywhere in the country, or world really. How would I go about finding out whether such a specific intersection of road names exists? In mapquest, I have to put in a zip code, and I really don't want to spend hours typing in different zip codes. I would like a comprehensive search by at least state, preferably by country.

Google maps doesn't seem to have an intersection function.

Thanks in advance!

Pseudo-geeks, Google Maps, bus routes and the quest for happiness.

eytanb — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:56:24 -0800

How complicated is it to create a bus map on the Google Maps API? So I saw this Google Maps mashup with NYC subways and I was wondering how hard it would be for a someone with decent geek-fu to figure out how to do it. I know that any self-respecting geek would just tuck down and tinker but I am a little stressed for time.

I am a little familiar with Javascript, PHP and MySql (more in terms of adapting then writing) and am willing to learn. I just need to know that this is not going to be a time sink. I can spend my commute throwing the actual bus routes into a KML map (is that what it is called? My knowledge in this field is limited at best.)

So what I ask of you, oh Giant Seething Meta-Brain, is what are the main steps I need to take for this? What will this require of me? How long would this take someone who is relatively proficient? What about someone with the coding skills of a drunk duck?

Mapping accident statistics

lrivers — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:13:06 -0800

Cartography/Google Maps: I want to represent severity of accident data on a map to show the most dangerous parts of town to walk/bicycle. I have the raw data, but I can’t seen to show the info in a compelling way. I think a heatmap might be the way to go, but the resources I found on the web didn't really pan out.

Here's a sample from the large data set (3 years worth)
Address City State Date Severity type victim lattitude longitude
1000 Wells Branch Austin TX 1/1/2007 2 MC ROR 30.432663 -97.652927
14300 I 35 N SB Svc Rd Austin TX 1/2/2007 2 MV MC 30.433723 -97.670259
Spicewood Springs & Mesa Austin TX 1/2/2007 1 MV BI 30.383473 -97.771104
1800 Houston Austin TX 1/3/2007 2 MV BI 30.328691 -97.739302
3200 Davis Austin TX 1/4/2007 2 MV BI 30.192833 -97.836974
400 7th E Austin TX 1/4/2007 3 MV PED 30.268062 -97.73886
10200 Brownie Austin TX 1/4/2007 2 MV PED 30.367016 -97.684888
Congress & Lessin Austin TX 1/5/2007 4 MV PED 30.22589 -97.762299
Medical & 37th Austin TX 1/5/2007 2 MV PED 30.30459 -97.744539

Severity ranges from 1 to 4 where 1 is no injury to 4 is fatality, so the latter should show "stronger"

Map bus routes on to Google Maps?

nostrich — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:28:27 -0800

How would I go about mapping bus routes onto a Google map? Since Google's transit thinger doesn't yet incorporate my city (Indianapolis), I'd like to put something together myself. Ideal end result: a map of Indianapolis that shows the routes of all the buses (colour-coded, to make it easier to read; pink = the 27, etc). I have almost no programming knowledge, outside of an elemental knowledge of Python, and I wouldn't know where to start after looking up the API info on Google.

Is it worth my time (or even possible) to do this with the Maps API, or would my time be better spent just opening up Photoshop and doing it manually? Or is there a better way I havent' thought of?

Can a Google CSE do a local search?

jmevius — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:58:51 -0800

Can a Google CSE do a local search? What is the best way to use pre-existing components to do local search? I've been playing with a Google Maps mashup idea, but I can't seem to get started. I want to assign a latitude and longitude (generated from an address) to a number of webpages on my site. If I performed a standard text-based search (using Google CSE), can I have it filter all relevant results and order them by proximity to a location?

For example, if I imported the entire Yellow Pages phonebook (and geocoded every address), searched for 'plumber' near Dallas, could the relevant results be sorted by their radial distance from Dallas?

Is there something I'm completely overlooking? Any ideas on how to accomplish this one?

How do I file a Google Maps bug report?

breezeway — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 14:02:44 -0800

Google Maps has my street name misspelled. How do I get them to fix it?

Just how old is that Google maps image of my house?

543DoublePlay — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 07:15:06 -0800

In Google Maps, is there a way to tell when the satellite (aerial) images of a particular place were taken? I am guessing the small print at the bottom of the satellite image is just copyright stuff and I have read that some of them can be as much as 4 years old.

So is there a way to find out how old the satellite view images are or, for the street level view, when the Google van actually drove down the road and snapped the pictures? How often does Google update the satellite and street level views?

Google map error could be the death of me

Kerasia — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:35:36 -0800

How do you report or fix an error on Google Maps when all the self-fix / reporting error options are unavailable? I live in Australia, way out in woop-woop at the end of a private road (for anonymity sake lets call it Private Rd) that comes off another road (lets call it Public Rd) which comes off the highway (which we'll call the North-South Hwy).

Public Rd is misnamed in Google maps as Republic Rd (not exactly but you get the idea). Private Rd is not listed at all. We have an accommodation business plus a farm on Private Rd and signs at the corner of Public Rd and Private Rd pointing to our property. By mud map standards we are very easy to find as Public Rd, Private Rd and our property are all well sign-posted.

However, because Google maps and other mapping systems list Public Rd as Republic Rd, many people including all emergency services who use map navigation systems, cannot find our location. I have made a note on our accommodation web site directions page pointing out this issue, but still potential customers are also getting confused. Our insurance assessor almost dropped our policy because he couldn't find us on Google Maps.

I cannot lodge any error reporting through Teleatlas as Australia is not listed on their drop-down box of country locations. Yet the link to Teleatlas is given on the maps.goggle.com.au page. Neither can I make a Community Edit as Australia is not one of the 164 countries listed as being mapped by Google.

I've looked through google map forums and the consensus seems to be that the error reporting system sucks, big time. Unfortunately, most questions about Australian errors all receive the same impotent information about going to Teleatlas etc.

Has anyone found a foolproof way to get Google to alter their street titles on their maps? By the looks of things, google maps are not to blame - my navigator system on my phone also misspells the name - but Google maps are the most frequently used by potential customers. Any idea how I can find out where they got their initial information from and correct that?

In some ways, getting the council to change the name of Public Rd to Republic Rd seems the easiest answer (if you can't beat them etc...) but there is over a century of history in the naming of the road dating back to a specific event during the gold rush. The real name of Public Rd may have looked like a misspelling to some data-entry operator ("I've never heard of a Public Rd. It must be Republic Rd!"). To homogenise the name seems like giving in.

We saw our first deadly snake of the season this morning. Getting bitten and not being able to receive assistance due to a map misspelling is the stuff of nightmares for me.

Any ideas folks?

Why does this farm field have a C.S.I. logo on it?

miyabo — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:25:47 -0800

Why is there a C.S.I. logo carved into this farmer's field? It's got to be an attempt at a viral ad aimed at people taking off from Sea-Tac airport. But does anyone even notice it? I haven't been able to find anything online about it, but Google's shot may be a few years old.

I've noticed that some Target stores have a Target logo painted on top, which is pretty neat. Are there any other examples of aerial-view-only advertisements?

Is there a way to query a Google map and have it look up a database and display a message?

friedbeef — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:59:29 -0800

Is there a way to query a Google map and have it look up a database and display a message? I provide a service within a certain area. On my website, I have a Google map, and a JPG file associated with a KML which illustrates an area where my service is provided.

I want to make it so when customers search in the map, and is within my serviceable area, I want something to pop up and say "we can serve you". If not, it takes them to another page.

Is this possible?

One-click subway directions from home on Google Maps?

NickDouglas — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:21:20 -0800

How can I get one-click public-transit directions from my home to anywhere on Google Maps? Almost every time I ask Google Maps for directions, I want to take public transit from my home (let's pretend it's 100 Bedford Ave., Brooklyn NY) to the destination. The current workflow for this is:

- Enter "map 555 park ave, ny" or "map fabianes,brooklyn" into Firefox's address bar (since I've assigned the keyword "map" to the Google Maps search form).
- Click the result, then "to here."
- Enter "10" before Google suggests my full address in the dropdown (since I've used it before). Hit down, enter, enter.
- Now I have driving directions. Click "public transit." Done!

How can I compress all of this into one or two steps?

I expect that it's easier to compress a discrete address like 555 Park Ave. than to compress a search like "Sunny's," where there's the extra step of selecting which search result is my desired destination. I'd be satisfied with either a robust solution that starts after I select the destination, or an address-only solution that gives me public transit directions as soon as I type in the right keyword and destination address and hit enter.

display order of descriptions in custom Google Maps

kalapierson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:19:13 -0800

In a custom Google map, the points you define are listed in forward chronological order and can't be re-ordered. Any way to change this (for all visitors, not just for your own viewing) to reverse chronological order? By this I mean your description of the first point you add is listed first within the left sidebar; your description of the second point you add is listed just beneath that first description; etc.

I'm making a custom worldwide map of events that have been happening over the last 15 years (there are 120+ events so far) and will keep happening at an increasing rate.

Ideally I want my most recent entries to display first in the sidebar. Most importantly, I don't want my earliest entries in real chronological history to display first in the sidebar (because the earliest entries are the least interesting and therefore the last thing I want to feature prominently for people who view the map).

There's no really good approach here, if I know I don't want my chronologically-earliest entries displayed first. If I start now in reverse chronological order (first adding 2009 events to my map, then working backwards, ending with early-90s events), then in the future, adding the 2010-and-beyond events will just leave those sitting at the bottom of a long list.

Ideas? Workarounds? Tricks (that will work for all users across browsers and OSes) to force the sidebar display into reverse chronological order? I don't want to hide the sidebar altogether, since there are a couple notes in my description I want people to see.

Automated Streetview in Google Maps

TDIpod — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:15:23 -0800

Is there any app that will automate a 'walkthrough' of Google Street View, based on a to/from set of directions in Google Maps? Example: Assuming Google has 'streetviewed' all the roads from point A in Berkeley to point B in SF, is there a program or site that would show me the street view of my route without my having to click through the route myself? I realize the time scale is a determinant factor: I would not want to sit through the 'drive' in real time, but hope I could selectively 'fast forward' in a way analogous to the zoom function of Google Earth.

Driving Time Google Map Mash Up?

John Frum — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:16:31 -0800

Does a Google Maps (or other mapping service) mash-up exist that will show me the driving time to various places in a heat map type format? So basically what TripTop does for the NYC subway system, but for driving instead? I'm in the St. Louis area. So, what I'm envisioning is a Google Map that would show me that in 4 hours I could drive to Kansas City, Memphis, Indianapolis, and Louisville. In less than 6 hours I could drive to Madison, Cincinnati, Little Rock, and Tulsa. Something like UPS does for shipping times, but on a driving scale. This would be a great tool for planning weekend getaways.

How can I get google maps to display location AND other data?

jasper411 — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:57:55 -0800

Google mapmaking question: I've successfully geocoded a list of service organizations, uploaded the kml file to google maps and produced a great map showing where these organizations are. Yay! Now, I'd like to know what it would take to have the map also display another variable - the organizations' productivity. For example, for an organization produced below 80%, their map icon marker would be red, if above 120% it would be blue, or whatever, i.e., that the change in an attribute of the marker would be triggered by a data point. Is this easy or complicated? If complicated, what are some references that would help me figure it out? BTW, I'm totally ignorant about web programming, java, etc. and I find that many websites that seem like they could be helpful assume I have a level of expertise that I don't, or they assume I have a website, which I also don't. I don't mind learning these things if the curve isn't too steep. I just want guidance to help ensure my learning is focused in such a way that it will allow me to do this specific task.

Help me not have to recreate my Google Map!

potsmokinghippieoverlord — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:55:39 -0800

GoogleMapFilter: can I export my data so I can create a new map? I have created a Google map. It's fine and dandy, but I have another project where almost all the data is duplicated, with additions, and I want to create a new map and have better icons, links, etc.

Is there anyway for me to download the data so I don't have to reinvent my Googlewheel?

tagging online maps for urban planning and design

jk252b — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:20:24 -0800

How has your organization/neighborhood/town/city/region/etc... used interactive web-based map tagging sites (ie, Google Maps, ZeeMaps)? I am exploring the potential uses of online mapping sites for the field of urban planning/design. Looking for specific links to maps that have been created to help gather data from residents during initiatives like neighborhood planning, park redesign, infrastructure repair, etc...

For example: a map to identify locations of potholes in Cambridge, MA.

Another example: A site to map bedbug infestations around the world

These are pretty basic examples. More like them would be good. Even better would be links to maps that are connected to more extensive community planning or development process where the goal is to make it easy for residents to geographically display information they know/gather in their own neighborhoods.

I'm sure there are millions of maps out there, but they're hard to find because this is all decentralized (ie, hosted on a bajillion different sites, rather than all listed through one main site).

Machine, point me to food

klangklangston — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:45:20 -0800

Where's my food? How to make a web ap that tells me how to find vegetarian food easily? Ok, so, first off—I'm not tremendously programming savvy, so don't be afraid to talk down to me in simple terms (seriously, don't assume I know anything).

Here is what I want: I want to be able to go to a page (either on a computer or a phone) and see where the nearest vegetarian food is (vegetarian restaurant or just a place that has veggie food). I would like to make this open, so that I don't have to find every vegetarian dish everywhere (crowdsource).

I assume that what I need will be some sort of database that accepts submissions easily, and that will work with google maps; and some server space to run it from.

Given that—if I want to build something that does this, what do I need and what do I need to know? Is this something that can be built by a programming novice (I haven't done any programming since high school and that was still mostly basic. I have a moderate grasp of HTML, but little CSS)? How hard will this be? What should I know when I start to build it?

Plotting many, many points on a map.

yom3ts — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:08:03 -0800

What free website(s)/program(s) can I use to plot a large database of addresses on a map? Multiplottr.com allows me to load in my data and then export a .kml file, which I can import into Google Maps. But it only works for a subset of data; it cannot handle my full database of 15,000 locations. I like multiplotter because beyond just street address and city/state/zip, I can attach a specific color pin and a label to each datapoint. Looking for something that produces a similar result (preferably in cooperation with Google Maps) and can handle a much larger data set. I'm starting out with an excel file.

Mapping Smartphone Appointments with GMM

chengjih — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:19:40 -0800

Is there a way to get calendar locations into Google Maps Mobile on a Windows Mobile 6 Standard smartphone? Suppose I have a number of appointments in my calendar, with location/address information. Is there a way for me to map these in the Google Maps Mobile I have on my smartphone?

To note, the calendar is synced to Google Calendar using OggSync, if that helps.

The phone is a T-Mobile Dash running Windows Mobile 6 Standard.

If there's no direct way to do this, is there an end-around where I can put custom mapping info into GMM? I don't see an obvious way to configure GMM to point at my Google account (which would then be associated with My Maps).

Thanks.

Map apps for the iPhone

pearl228 — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:16:48 -0800

I'd like to create a map on the iPhone that displays multiple locations of my choice at once. Ideally, I'd like to also be able to route a path through them in advance. In essence, I am looking for something like Community Walk or Wayfaring in app format. I live in NYC, and swear by Google Maps on the iPhone for navigation.

But there are times when one needs to map multiple destinations at once to plan an efficient path through them. As many would likely agree, it can be a complete PITA to look up all of them individually, when they're only organized by order added, and only display 1-2 at a time.

In addition, pulling up a wayfaring or CW page is far too slow to be practical in some parts of the city w/o a 3G.

I've tried searching the app store, but will keep an open mind if I've missed a gem.

Thanks!

How can I combine multiple Google Maps into one "master" map?

hypocritical ross — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:31:23 -0800

Is it possible to display data plotted on multiple Google maps on one single map? I have several (about 25) Google maps with about 20 or so points plotted on each. The maps cover several geographically adjoining areas. Is there any automatic process I can use to combine these separate maps into one larger one?

Assume for the sake of the question that mapping all of the points on one single map is impossible..

Mapping geoareas

grrarrgh00 — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:41:06 -0800

What's the best (quickest, most functional, most maintainable) way to put a collection of geoareas into an interactive map without the assistance of a programmer? Come January, I'm leading the construction of a website covering growth and development issues in a small-ish city (pop. 100k). I need a way to display proposed/pending/completed development projects on interactive maps (Google maps, ideally).

I'm a programming dilettante, but I don't think I have enough time or skill to get up to speed on the Google Maps API (especially for rendering polygons). I'd love to do this properly, with code and a database, but given the time frame and the fact that the maps are only one component of the site, I don't think I can.

My hunch at the moment is to draw the maps by hand with Google's My Maps or Google Earth. There are a few drawbacks with this approach; for example, infobubbles on maps embedded from My Maps can be wider than the iframe, which is annoying. Mostly, I want to make sure I'm not overlooking better solutions as I embark on this.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Is there a free (cheap) KML editor for the Mac?

brokekid — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:45:53 -0800

Is there a free (cheap) KML editor, like NorthGates' KML Editor or KaMeLwriter, for the Mac? I haven't had much luck finding one, extMate doesn't do the job and running either of these in Parallels would kill my machine. Thanks for your help.

How to make a google map of literary locations and the calendar of events at each place?

omnigut — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 20:07:15 -0800

Beautiful hive mind, Please tell me the best way of making a map/calendar duo that I can embed into my blog. I'd like to take Google Maps, and perhaps Google Calendar, and link the two together, much like they did here or here. Perhaps best described here. "Calmap."

Looking into this stuff makes my head hurt. Does anyone know of a simple way, for example, I could get a long and potentially very complicated Google Calendar or iCal into a Google Map, so that when you click on a place the events pop up and are listed? Perhaps the above sites have exactly what I'm looking for, but they got a bit too complicated for me. I'd like to embed the map into my school's wordpress.com blog.

We're willing to pay for an application, by the way, if it'll make things easier. Oh, and the calendar is supposed to be listing New York City's Literary Events, so there will be quite a lot of them. Any simple and quick ways of doing it?

Thanks!

PS, I'm not good with code. But I'm learning