Plug and Play Maps: Just Add Data
The big news of out Where 2.0 for many was Google’s new Google Maps Data API. That’s about storing, then calling and using geodata Google hosts for you. The API highlights the idea that visualization and raw data need not be “in the same place.” That makes this an excellent time to introduce Plug and Play Maps, something I first saw a year ago. The idea is simple, by putting just two lines of code into your website you can map some geodata with Google Maps. What kinds of data?
- spreadsheets or similar tabular files
- KML (“Google Earth”) files
- shapefiles
- data in a web database
One line of code sets up the Google Maps API key (you get that key from Google) and the other “points” the app at the data. With all the examples, it’s pretty simple for a non-programmer to figure out. There’s even a “designer” that will create some of the code for you, based on the location of the data. And, there’s an extension “how to” that explains most of the FAQs.
Plug and Play Maps come from GISmatters out of Amherst, Mass. Chris Duncan from the company tells me a screencast should be available shortly.
I know there are many ways to automagically create a Google Map, but this one gives you a lot of control and if you are looking to understand more about how programming works, this is a nice step forward. I think this would be a great app for students to use in their projects.
