Google Geocoder Suggests (Esa's Experiments)

Google Geocoder Suggests (Esa's Experiments)

Google has had the 'suggest' option on the main site for a while, yet when you go to the maps you need to know your destination, now you can get help with a geocoder extended with a suggest.

Ahead of the game with Google Map API is Esa with his impressive well thought out experiments.


The example above typing in Bri... suggests 10 locations in Google's Geocoder that are located.
Very clean,very fast and extremely useful.
http://koti.mbnet.fi/ojalesa/boundsbox/geocode_basic_3.htm

Without a Search button - http://koti.mbnet.fi/ojalesa/boundsbox/geocode_basic.htm

*Geocoders are not perfect, they should never be trusted, they are as only good as the accuracy of the original data they were derived from.

Custom Map Types:

Custom map Types - here Google Maps with Traffic is synchronised with OpenStreetMap

• Image map type, like OpenStreetMap tiles in the example page
• Image overlay map type, like the Traffic tiles in the example page
• Non-image tile based map type

http://koti.mbnet.fi/ojalesa/v3/osm_dual.htm

Image Map Type behaves just like the standard map types. Image Overlay tiles are displayed on top of the Image Map Types.
The non-image map type makes it possible to create tile layers with SVG, canvas or any html elements.


The v3 Geocoder has extent (Bounding Box) optional, Esa makes this visual with his Bounding Box Page, can be useful narrowing search requests within a specific area.

http://esa.easypagez.com/v3boundsbox/

Sources:
http://koti.mbnet.fi/ojalesa/exam/index.html
(many other examples too)

http://nuppineulat.blogspot.com/ (Finnish)
http://apitricks.blogspot.com/ (English)

Many thanks to Esa for creating the examples and making them available to budding developers.

Google API Geocoder Updates [ExtendedData]

Google API Geocoder Updates [ExtendedData]

Update 13/01/2009

Google chrome users will be happy to know if you update to version (2.0.156.1)
your get the bounding box response from the Google Geocoder.


How to get Google Chrome 2 (Beta)?
http://dev.chromium.org/getting-involved/dev-channel

---------------------------------------------------------

Google Developers have been promising this for a few months now but finally it has made it to the real world. The Bounding Box has made it to the geocoder.

What is new?
Google Maps API Group has a suggestion/requests/issue tracker and one was for the bounding box (SW Corner and NE Corner) to be return when a geocode is sent to the google geocoding servers

Now you get the bounding box not just the centre coordinates

http://maps.google.com/maps/geo?output=jsonl&oe=utf-8&q=10%20Downing%20Street,%20Westminster,%20London&gl=uk&key=ABQIAAAA5heAddVpewIi0Vy-FvLfBBQ6SKP0Jc9Qt0dvx

now returns:

{
"name": "10 Downing Street, Westminster, London",
"Status": {
"code": 200,
"request": "geocode"
},
"Placemark": [ {
"id": "p1",
"address": "10 Downing Street, Westminster, London, UK",
"AddressDetails": {"Country": {"CountryNameCode": "GB","CountryName":
"United Kingdom","AdministrativeArea": {"AdministrativeAreaName":
"Greater London","Locality": {"LocalityName": "London","PostalCode":
{"PostalCodeNumber": "SW1A 2","AddressLine":["10 Downing Street"]}}}}
,"Accuracy": 9},
    "ExtendedData": {
      "LatLonBox": {
        "north": 51.5063886,
        "south": 51.5000934,
        "east": -0.1238814,
        "west": -0.1301766
   }
},
"Point": {
"coordinates": [ -0.1270290, 51.5032410, 0 ]
}
} ]
}

Why the fuss?
Well now this extra [Extended information] can be used to set zoom levels for your map.

"Now, in the KML/JSON outputs, you'll also get information about the
recommended bounding box associated with a geocode. You can then use
that along with map.getBoundsZoomLevel(GLatLngBounds) to set an
appropriate center and zoom after a geocode. "

Available
"in the HTTP Geocoder output and JS/Flash Geocoder functions."
Not Available currently in the static api.

Source:
http://groups.google.com/group/Google-Maps-API/browse_thread/thread/b95422a18f8701ed?hl=en#

Well Done Google Map API Team

Potential Future Requests
Altitude (feet or metres)
Time Zone (+1GMT -7 GMT etc)
Standardize the output between formats
Translate place names (Local >English or English to Local)
Accuracy of Rooftop geocoding response
Sea/Ocean Geocoder (Atlantic, Black Sea etc)