Even though Google Maps is not the most highly trafficked online map site,9 it is (according
to Programmableweb.com), the application is often used in mashups.
URL Language of Google Maps
Understanding the syntax and semantics of URLs in Google Maps will help you better recombine
the functionality of the standard Google Maps site. Consider an example: I have an address
I want to locate??”for instance, the address of the White House (1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington,
D.C.). I go to Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/) and type 1600 Pennsylvania
Ave,Washington,DC into the search box to get a map. I get the URL for the map by examining
the ???Link to this page??? link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=1600+Pennsylvania+Ave,+Washington,+DC&
sll=36.60585,-121.858956&sspn=0.006313,0.01133&ie=UTF8&z=16&om=1&iwloc=addr
CHAPTER 2 ?– UNCOVERING THE MASHUP POTENTIAL OF WEB SITES 49
8. http://www.google.com/apis/maps/
9. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070405/ap_on_hi_te/google_maps??”???Google??™s maps already are a big
draw, with 22.2 million U.S. visitors during February, according to the most recent data available from
comScore Media Metrix. That ranked Google Maps third in its category, trailing AOL??™s Mapquest (45.1
million visitors) and Yahoo (29.1 million visitors).???
What do the various parameters in the URL mean? Table 2-4 draws from the Google Maps
Parameters page of the Mapki wiki.
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