GIS Weekly Review May 07, 2007 From: GISCafe
Previous Issues ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NAVTEQ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Review Article eMail Article Print Article Susan Smith - Managing Editor Google My Maps for the Non-Technical User April 30 - May 4, 2007 by Susan Smith A weekly summary of recently published GIS product and company news, featured downloads, customer wins, and coming events. Brought to you by GISCafi. Each week GISWeekly Review delivers to its readers news concerning the latest developments in the GIS industry, along with a selection of other articles that we feel you might find interesting. If we missed a story that you feel deserved to be included, please contact us! Questions? Feedback? Click here. Thank-you! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ADVERTISEMENT ESRI Welcome to GISWeekly! GISWeekly examines select top news each week, picks out worthwhile reading from around the web, and special interest items you might not find elsewhere. This issue will feature Industry News, Top News of the Week, Acquisitions/Alliances/Agreements, Announcements, Training, People, New Products, Around the Web and Events Calendar. GISWeekly welcomes letters and feedback from readers, so let us know what you think. Send your comments to me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Best wishes, Susan Smith, Managing Editor Industry News Google My Maps for the Non-Technical User by Susan Smith Although Google My Maps is aimed at the non-technical user, the announcement made significant waves in the GIS press in early April. On April 2, Google announced their new initiative of Google Maps, justly named Google My Maps. With My Maps average users with no technical skills can create their own custom maps and include text or photos or even embedded videos. Users will be able to directly contribute to Google Mapsâ search results with their custom maps, which is probably a large part of why Google has created this feature. Available for GIS users and IT professionals, are KML for developers and also Google Maps API. For Maps API, a user definitely must be a developer, and must know JavaScript and some programming. There is a Google Maps for the Enterprise that allows big companies to use Maps API. In contrast, the My Maps feature provides âa simple drag and drop interface that lets the non technical user create maps that are just as cool and interesting as those created by developers,â explained My Maps product manager, Jessica Lee. If this is the case, My Maps may ultimately make some software services unnecessary. With My Maps, you can choose to make your map public or unlisted. if you choose public, then it will be included in Google search results and anyone can search and find them, so millions of Google users will be able to look at your map and see the content youâve created . If you choose to make it unlisted, itâs like an unlisted phone number, the url is still public so all the maps automatically have a public url and it wonât be included in search. The only people who will know about your map are the people you tell about it. There is not yet a way to embed My Maps into your website. Currently thereâs no way to do a bulk import of data, thatâs something to which KML is more suited, said Lee. âIf you have a large amount of data, you could turn that into a KML file, which you can also display on Google Maps.â Users have asked for this feature. In order to use My Maps, go to Maps.Google.com, where youâll need to set up a Google account. You can drop a placemark on the map, draw a line, draw shapes, just like in regular Google Maps. When you click on one of these markers, or lines or shapes and it pops open a little balloon with more information inside it, and inside the balloon you could put any sort of text, add photos or embed YouTube/Google videos. If youâre a power user and know how to use html, you can use the full power of html to customize that balloon to whatever you want. Can you link to the balloons people have already put up there? âAll maps have a public url, so if you find a map you want to send to someone you can send them the link,â replied Lee. Can you copy a map that someone else started and add your own text and photos, etc. and create your own thing? âCurrently there is no easy way to do that although people have requested it.â Lee did add that you can copy things from Google search results pretty easily. If you do search for a business, or come across someone elseâs content in search results, thereâs a link that says âsave to my Mapsâ and that will let you save it to your own maps. 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Next Page ; You can find the full GISCafe event calendar here. To read more news, click here. -- Susan Smith, GISCafe.com Managing Editor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Review ArticleBe the first to review this article You are registered as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] CafeNews is a service for GIS professionals. GISCafe.com respects your online time and Internet privacy. Edit or Change my newsletter's profile details. Unsubscribe me from this newsletter. Copyright ) 2007, Internet Business Systems, Inc. â 496 Salmar Ave. Campbell, CA 95008 â 888-44-WEB-44 â All rights reserved.
