Hacking Google Maps and Google Earth (ExtremeTech)

The Google Local

Interface

B

efore looking at specific examples of how to customize the Google

Maps system, it’s a good idea to become familiar with what informa-

tion and facilities are available to you when viewing a Google Maps

page.

Google Local is the name of the web site provided by Google that uses the

Google Maps Application Programmer Interface (API) to describe infor-

mation, locations, and routes within a map. By examining how to use

Google Local, you can obtain a good idea of what the Google Maps API is

capable of achieving. This chapter examines the Google Local interface and

its components and what you can do within the confines of the Google

Maps system when developing applications.

System Requirements

Google Maps uses a combination of HTML, JavaScript, maps, and interac-

tive elements. As with any new product, keep in mind that bugs and minor

problems may affect your interaction with the application.

At the time of this writing, Google Maps was known to work with the fol-

lowing web browsers (minimum supported version numbers are shown):

➤Internet Explorer 6.0+

➤Firefox 0.8+

➤Safari 1.2.4+

➤Netscape 7.1+

➤Mozilla 1.4+

➤Opera 8.02+

You should be aware, however, that the list of supported browsers, version

numbers, and, sometimes, platforms may change.

̨Find out how to

interact with

Google Maps

̨Learn about the

three types of maps

̨Understand the

importance of

various markers

chapter

in this chapter