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

Getting directions for the given locations


Having directions between two or more locations has always been a favorite among users, car drivers, tourists, and so on. The need for navigation products either for driving, walking, or any other transit options is qualified by the sales of these products.

A good Directions service would need comprehensive road data with several attributes filled in such as the direction of traffic flow, turn restrictions, bridges, and underground tunnels. Hopefully, Google Maps has this data in the background; therefore, it is very natural for Google to include this functionality in Google Maps.

In Google Maps, directions is perhaps one of the most used features. It is also included in the Google Maps JavaScript API, giving developers the ability to generate directions programmatically between locations of their choice with a broad range of options.

In this recipe, firstly we will have the user enter an address or any location of a place, map them using the Geocoder...