Google Maps Application Programming Interface Research Articles

Crowd Sourcing for Conservation: Web 2.0 a Powerful Tool for Biologists

The advent and adoption of Web 2.0 technologies offers a powerful approach to enhancing the capture of information in natural resource ecology, notably community knowledge of species distributions. Such information has previously been collected using, for example, postal surveys; these are typically inefficient, with low response rates, high costs, and requiring respondents to be spatially literate. Here we describe an example, using the Google Maps Application Programming Interface, to discuss the opportunities such tools provide to conservation biology. Toad Tracker was created as a prototype to demonstrate the utility of this technology to document the distribution of an invasive vertebrate pest species, the cane toad, within Australia. While the technological aspects of this tool are satisfactory, manager resistance towards its use raises issues around the public nature of the technology, the collaborative (non-expert) role in data collection, and data ownership. We conclude in suggesting that, for such tools to be accepted by non-innovation adopters, work is required on both the technological aspects and, importantly, a cultural change is required to create an environment of acceptance of the shifting relationship between authority, expertise and knowledge.

A novel web-based system for tropical cyclone analysis and prediction

A web-based system is developed for the analysis and prediction of tropical cyclones, particularly their landfalls and recurvatures. To facilitate accessibility to the system, its development is based on Google Maps application programming interface (API), Java and client/server architecture. In addition to the construction of a powerful query system for the multi-source, multi-scale and multi-level tropical cyclone database, data mining approach and dynamic modelling approach have been implemented and integrated for effective and efficient analysis, prediction and visualization of tropical cyclone movements. The system can be accessed worldwide by researchers, professionals and the general public. It is thus a powerful system for research, real-life application and knowledge dissemination. Its extensibility and user-friendliness pave the road for further development and enable more in-depth analysis and real-time operation.

LAV@HAZARD: a web-GIS interface for volcanic hazard assessment

Satellite data, radiative power of hot spots as measured with remote sensing, historical records, on site geological surveys, digital elevation model data, and simulation results together provide a massive data source to investigate the behavior of active volcanoes like Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy) over recent times. The integration of these heterogeneous data into a coherent visualization framework is important for their practical exploitation. It is crucial to fill in the gap between experimental and numerical data, and the direct human perception of their meaning. Indeed, the people in charge of safety planning of an area need to be able to quickly assess hazards and other relevant issues even during critical situations. With this in mind, we developed LAV@HAZARD, a web-based geographic information system that provides an interface for the collection of all of the products coming from the LAVA project research activities. LAV@HAZARD is based on Google Maps application programming interface, a choice motivated by its ease of use and the user-friendly interactive environment it provides. In particular, the web structure consists of four modules for satellite applications (time-space evolution of hot spots, radiant flux and effusion rate), hazard map visualization, a database of ca. 30,000 lava-flow simulations, and real-time scenario forecasting by MAGFLOW on Compute Unified Device Architecture.

Estimating O–D travel time matrix by Google Maps API: implementation, advantages, and implications

Many spatial analysis tasks call for the use of travel time between multiple origins and destinations, that is, O–D travel time matrix. Commercial geographical information systems (GIS) software requires the input of a well-defined road network dataset and significant efforts in implementing the task. However, road network data are often outdated, miss critical road condition details, or are expensive to acquire; and skillful usage of related software is a major obstacle for researchers without advanced training in GIS. This research develops a desktop tool for implementing the task by calling the Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API). By doing so, we are able to tap into the dynamically updated transportation network data and the routing rules maintained by Google and obtain a reliable estimate of O–D travel time matrix. The results are compared with those computed by the ArcGIS Network Analyst module to demonstrate its advantages. A case study in accessibility analysis is presented to illustrate the implications.

Optimization of preventive health care facility locations.

BackgroundPreventive health care programs can save lives and contribute to a better quality of life by diagnosing serious medical conditions early. The Preventive Health Care Facility Location (PHCFL) problem is to identify optimal locations for preventive health care facilities so as to maximize participation. When identifying locations for preventive health care facilities, we need to consider the characteristics of the preventive health care services. First, people should have more flexibility to select service locations. Second, each preventive health care facility needs to have a minimum number of clients in order to retain accreditation.ResultsThis paper presents a new methodology for solving the PHCFL problem. In order to capture the characteristics of preventive health care services, we define a new accessibility measurement that combines the two-step floating catchment area method, distance factor, and the Huff-based competitive model. We assume that the accessibility of preventive health care services is a major determinant for participation in the service. Based on the new accessibility measurement, the PHCFL problem is formalized as a bi-objective model based on efficiency and coverage. The bi-objective model is solved using the Interchange algorithm. In order to accelerate the solving process, we implement the Interchange algorithm by building two new data structures, which captures the spatial structure of the PHCFL problem. In addition, in order to measure the spatial barrier between clients and preventive health care facilities accurately and dynamically, this paper estimates travelling distance and travelling time by calling the Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API).ConclusionsExperiments based on a real application for the Alberta breast cancer screening program show that our work can increase the accessibility of breast cancer screening services in the province.

Virtual Field Trips: Using Google Maps to Support Online Learning and Teaching of the History of Astronomy

I report on a pilot study on the use of Google Maps to provide virtual field trips as a component of a wholly online graduate course on the history of astronomy. The Astronomical Tourist Web site (http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/sao/tourist), themed around the role that specific locations on Earth have contributed to the development of astronomical knowledge, was created using the Google Maps application programming interface. Students used this Web site as a component of their assessment and to help motivate and support online discussions. The site also aims to help build a stronger online community among geographically distributed students as they share in the creation of an Internet resource that will be used and enhanced by others over time. I describe the structure of the Web site and how it was integrated into student essays, and I provide a summary of student responses to this new learning and teaching approach. This project is an example of how Web 2.0 applications can be used to build new learning environments.

Choropleth Google Maps

Introduced in 2005, Google Maps offers 18 maps of the world at different scales, varying from approximately 1:85 million to 1:4,800 at the equator at a screen resolution of 100 dpi. Each map has been tiled into individual raster squares that are downloaded separately, often from different servers. A typical Google Map might download map tiles from seven or eight different IP addresses, each associated with a different server that could be located in different Google data centers. Subdividing the map into tiles improves the perceived map download time and allows the map to be easily panned. Google Maps also makes use of the Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) server/client technology that maintains a constant connection to the map server, a major improvement in server/client performance. Maps and imagery in Google Maps have been projected with the Mercator projection. The limitations of this projection have been well-documented, and its distorted depiction of the world has been a major cause for concern. For example, Greenland is represented as being larger than Africa when, in fact, Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland. Scale varies continuously from the equator to the polar areas. Changes in scale in the Google Maps display can be observed by examining the scale bar when moving north or south from the equator. The change in map scale is particularly noticeable at the extreme latitudes. The distortion caused by the Mercator projection is not noticeable with larger scale maps. In 2006, Google introduced an Application Programming Interface (API) that includes a series of functions that may be invoked by the user. These functions control the appearance of the map, including the scale, position, and any added information in the form of points, lines, or areas. The API makes it possible to incorporate Google Maps on Web sites, and to overlay information from other sources – a process referred to as a “map mashup.” One application of the Google Maps API is the construction of choropleth maps by super-imposing shadings. Current examples include maps of London by the UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) and election result maps by county or state (see Web Resources). The UCL CASA provides Google Map Creator, a freeware application for thematic mapping with Google Maps (see Web Resources). One advantage of choropleth mapping with Google is that the underlying map can remain visible, providing some geographic context to the representation of the data. Normally, thematic maps lack the necessary background map to properly interpret the locational component. While it can be argued that stripping background information may result in the better formation of spatial patterns by the map user, providing more locational information may be viewed as a necessary component for all thematic maps. The purpose here is to demonstrate how choropleth maps can be made with Google Maps.

A Web-Based Interactive Mapping System of State Wide School Performance: Integrating Google Maps Api Technology into Educational Achievement Data

Google Maps API (Application Programming Interface), released in late June 2005 by Google, is an amazing technology that allows users to embed Google Maps in their own Web pages with JavaScript. Google Maps API has accelerated the development of new Google Maps based applications. This article reports a Web-based interactive mapping system building with Google Maps API, to map all Arkansas public schools and linking the school on the Google map with its longitudinal educational achievement database. The goal of this system is to disseminate the longitudinal statistical summaries of school performance produced by experts with the school geographical information to public users. Educators can use this interactive mapping system for local educational research, and for analyses of school improvement through accessing the longitudinal educational achievement data. Parents can use this system to get information for deciding which school would provide the best educational environment, so that they can choose the best and nearest school for their children.

Web GIS in practice III: creating a simple interactive map of England's Strategic Health Authorities using Google Maps API, Google Earth KML, and MSN Virtual Earth Map Control

This eye-opener article aims at introducing the health GIS community to the emerging online consumer geoinformatics services from Google and Microsoft (MSN), and their potential utility in creating custom online interactive health maps. Using the programmable interfaces provided by Google and MSN, we created three interactive demonstrator maps of England's Strategic Health Authorities. These can be browsed online at – Google Maps API (Application Programming Interface) version, – Google Earth KML (Keyhole Markup Language) version, and – MSN Virtual Earth Map Control version. Google and MSN's worldwide distribution of "free" geospatial tools, imagery, and maps is to be commended as a significant step towards the ultimate "wikification" of maps and GIS. A discussion is provided of these emerging online mapping trends, their expected future implications and development directions, and associated individual privacy, national security and copyrights issues. Although ESRI have announced their planned response to Google (and MSN), it remains to be seen how their envisaged plans will materialize and compare to the offerings from Google and MSN, and also how Google and MSN mapping tools will further evolve in the near future.