Online Maps with APIs and WebServices pp 3-12 | Cite as
Online Mapping with APIs
Abstract
Bringing maps to users has been made much easier with the World Wide Web. Millions of maps now make their way through a world-wide network of computers. A major change occurred in 2005 in how those maps were delivered when Google Maps implemented a tile-based mapping system based on AJAX that facilitated interactive zooming and panning. The following year, an Application Programmer Interface (API) was released that gave programmers access to the underlying mapping functions. It was now possible to place data on top of the Google base map and make this map available to anyone. This system was created at tremendous expense. It is calculated that the number of tiles required at 20 zoom levels is nearly 1.5 trillion. At 15 KB per tile, this equates to 20 Petabytes or 20,480 TB and a data storage cost of between US $2 million and US $2 billion per data center. This expenditure indicates the level of importance that online companies place on maps. It also represents a shift in how maps of all kinds are delivered to users. Mobile devices are a further indication of this change in map delivery.
Keywords
Mobile Phone Cell Phone Application Programmer Interface Online Mapping Mobile Phone NetworkReferences
- Bray H (2008) GPS turns cell phones into powerful navigators. Boston Globe, April 17Google Scholar
- Duvander, Adam (2010) Map Scripting 101: An example-driven guide to building interactive maps with Bing, Yahoo!, and Google Maps. San Francisco: No Starch Press.Google Scholar
- Computer Industry Almanac (2005) China tops cellular subscriber top 15 ranking. http://www.c-i-a.com/pr0905.htm
- Garrett JJ (2005) Ajax: a new approach to web applications. AdaptivePath.com, Feb. 18. http://www.adaptivepath.com/ideas/essays/archives/000385.php. Accessed 19 June 2008
- Google Maps JavaScript API V3 Basics (2011) (search: Google Maps Javascript API V3 Basics)Google Scholar
- GPS World (2007) FCC to require full E911 adherence by 2012. GPS World, 12 Sep 2007Google Scholar
- Open Geospatial Consortium (2011) OGC standards and specifications. http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards