Book Image

Google Maps JavaScript API Cookbook

Book Image

Google Maps JavaScript API Cookbook

Overview of this book

Day by day, the use of location data is becoming more and more popular, and Google is one of the main game changers in this area. The Google Maps JavaScript API is one of the most functional and robust mapping APIs used among Geo developers. With Google Maps, you can build location-based apps, maps for mobile apps, visualize geospatial data, and customize your own maps.Google Maps JavaScript API Cookbook is a practical, hands-on guide that provides you with a number of clear, step-by-step recipes that will help you to unleash the capabilities of the Google Maps JavaScript API in conjunction with open source or commercial GIS servers and services through a number of practical examples of real world scenarios. This book begins by covering the essentials of including simple maps for Web and mobile, adding vector and raster layers, styling your own base maps, creating your own controls and responding to events, and including your own events.You will learn how to integrate open source or commercial GIS servers and services including ArcGIS Server, GeoServer, CartoDB, Fusion Tables, and Google Maps Engine with the Google Maps JavaScript API. You will also extend the Google Maps JavaScript API to push its capabilities to the limit with additional libraries and services including geometry, AdSense, geocoding, directions, and StreetView.This book covers everything you need to know about creating a web map or GIS applications using the Google Maps JavaScript API on multiple platforms.
Table of Contents (15 chapters)
Google Maps JavaScript API Cookbook
Credits
About the Authors
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Introduction


This chapter is about vector layers, which are completely different from raster layers. This chapter gives you the most common and important recipes that you may need while working with the Google Maps JavaScript API.

In the GIS world, both the vector and raster layers are used in different cases. Vectors are used for representing the Earth's features in most cases. For example, Points of Interest (POI), such as coffee shops or restaurants, are shown with points; rivers or roads are shown with polylines; and parks or buildings are shown with polygons. As it is seen here, there are three different vector types: point, polyline, and polygon. Remember that all vectors consist of points, which are the building blocks of vectors.

In the Google Maps JavaScript API, all types of vectors are called overlays. In addition to vectors, popups and symbols are also included in overlays. All the recipes related to them are included in this chapter.

Maps are mostly used for visualization, so...