Hello,

[It was suggested on the Fusion Tables forum that I post here to share a 
tool that might help some on this forum].

We've just built a free web app (
http://www.satpacktravel.com/build-your-own-map.html) that enables any 
business to generate their own Google Map that does all the 'normal' stuff 
you'd expect but also:

   - Is mobi-friendly - optimised quick loading for mobile browsers / 
   screen sizes, infowindows with tabs, one-touch dialling etc.
   - Is geo-located - detects / updates users location and provides routing 
   from their location to the business.
   - Shows business description, photo, contact details and uses the 
   businesses logo as their map marker. 
   - The user can select the initial zoom level, view type etc etc.
   - The built map runs Google Adsense maps on it.

We built it using the Maps V3 API but all the submitted data is stored 
online (and then pulled from) a Fusion Table. One thing that is quite 
different about our approach to other map making tools is that we generate 
and provide the *entire* webpage to be uploaded (or businesses can link to 
a version on our server). This is because if you just provide code snippets 
for embedding, this is often dropped in to a page that is not itself 
mobi-friendly. So the map is too small or doesn't work properly. Our pages 
are automatically generated and emailed out using content from the Fusion 
Table but contain complete Maps V3 API pages.

We only beta-launched last week and already 40+ SMEs here in South Africa 
have built their maps / microsites using it. And that's is with no 
proactive marketing, just viral. Having a mobi-friendly site here is v. 
important given more people access web from phone than PC. But because it 
all sits in cloud / uses Google Maps, Fusion Tables, Adsense etc. it works 
just as well anywhere in world.

Interestingly, some businesses say they will use it as their mobi-site 
pending investing a lot of money in a 'proper' one. In fact, given most 
people on a phone want just a snapshop and to get contact info/directions 
it makes a lot of sense to base the mobi-site around a map with automatic 
one-click routing.

Anyway, I hope this tool and its code might be of interest to some people 
here. Lots more info at www.satpacktravel.com. Please get in touch if have 
any questions. There's still quite a lot of work to do to optimise, but any 
suggestions or feedback very welcome.

Thanks.

Rob


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