Google Geo Developers Blog
googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com · Company blog · on HN since 2008
Google's official blog for Maps developers, announcing API changes, new features, pricing, and product deprecations.
What HN saysHN links it for Maps API announcements, including styled maps, elevation data, Google Earth deprecation, and pricing changes that pushed some developers to OpenStreetMap.
51HN people shared it
13linked it in comments
47stories submitted
221story points
10 years agolast shared
2008people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Google Maps API gets usage limits4 people · 18 points · first shared 2011 · 10 comments on HN
- 2The New Google Maps SDK for iOS4 people · 13 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 3Predicting the Future with Google Maps APIs2 people · 37 points · first shared 2015 · 3 comments on HN
- 4Lower pricing and simplified limits with the Google Maps API2 people · 8 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 5Google Maps launches Styled Maps; reskin base Google Map2 people · 6 points · first shared 2010 · discussion on HN
- 6Google Maps APIs over SSL now available to all2 people · 5 points · first shared 2011 · discussion on HN
- 7Ain't No Mountain High Enough...Google Maps API now has Elevation2 people · 3 points · first shared 2010 · discussion on HN
- 8New Google Geocoding Web Service1 people · 47 points · first shared 2010 · 15 comments on HN
- 9Here come Ads on Google Maps (API)1 people · 10 points · first shared 2011 · 2 comments on HN
- 10Announcing Deprecation of the Google Earth API1 people · 7 points · first shared 2014 · 3 comments on HN
- 11Google Geo Developers Blog: Interactive Data Layers in the JavaScript Maps API1 people · 5 points · first shared 2015 · 1 comments on HN
- 12Google Maps SDK for iOS1 people · 5 points · first shared 2012 · discussion on HN
- 13Google Maps API now offers reverse geocoding1 people · 4 points · first shared 2008 · discussion on HN
- 14Google Maps API Utility Libraries Moving to GitHub1 people · 4 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
- 15GeoJSON support for Google’s JavaScript Maps API1 people · 3 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
dave1010uk · 2011-09-02
The Google Maps API lets you style maps too [1]. You can change colors and show/hide different map features. There's also a wizard [2] to make styling easier. You can get some very interesting effects [3].
[1] http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2010/05/add-touch-of-style-to-…
[2] http://gmaps-samples-v3.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/styledmaps/wizard/ind…
[3] http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2010/10/five-great-styled-maps…
sjg · 2014-12-16
I presume that there maybe something to replace it in the future but its anyones guess.
From http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/announcing-deprecati…
"Google Earth has a proud legacy, which continues with the new Google Earth for Android, powered by a brand new renderer. 3D is in our blood, and while we can’t announce anything just now, we look forward to sharing more exciting product news in the future."
e15ctr0n · 2014-03-25
Anyone remember how Google toyed with the pricing on its Maps API?
In October 2011, Google upped its Maps API pricing to $4+ for 1,000 map loads [1]. Developers rebelled and switched over to OpenStreet Map [2]. Eight months later, Google dropped the price to $0.50 for 1,000 map loads [3].
[1] http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2011/10/introduction-of-usage-…
[2] http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/09/google-maps-api-vs-openstreetmap/
[3] http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/22/google-maps-api-gets-massive-price-cu…
What's to say the GCE pricing won't also yo-yo like this?
bambax · 2014-02-11
> Sounds awesome if you can get a trip planner working in JS
It was really a horrible hack that took into account only lines and stops (no trip times, transfer times, schedule, etc.) but as a simple visual app, and in the context of a hackathon, it worked.
It was even featured as "Google Map of the week" on the Google Geo blog before it was even showed to RATP
http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.fr/2013/08/interactive-map-of-pari…
But now we need to "muscle up" the routing part and so are leaving JS completely (however if the data can be reduced significantly it would be interesting to go back to it someday).
OTP is much too big to ever migrate on a mobile device; will definitely check out rrrr; what do you use yourself?
toomuchtodo · 2013-05-08
How are you pulling the elevation data? I ask only so that I can go collect elevation data where it doesn't exist.
EDIT: Disregard. Found the elevation data:
http://blog.programmableweb.com/2010/03/25/google-launches-maps-elevat…
http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2010/03/aint-no-mountain-high-…
packetslave · 2012-12-13
Maps SDK was released as well: http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-new-way-to-add-googl…
davidwhodge · 2012-12-13
They are vector based maps. Confirmed on their blog post about the SDK release alongside the app. http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-new-way-to-add-googl…
also if you watch the loading closely you can tell.
capo · 2012-10-03
It's mostly free actually, and the pricing is very flexible otherwise: http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2012/06/lower-pricing-and-simp…
huxley · 2012-09-12
Mapping is a growing part of the iOS SDK, I can understand Apple not wanting to be dependent on Google for that, particularly after Google started demanding significantly increased fees for Google Maps API usage:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/technology/many-sites-chart-a-new-co…
Google walked back some of the worst effects of the changes:
http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.ca/2012/06/lower-pricing-and-simpl…
but by then the damage had been done in terms of Apple's (and developers') perception of the Google API.
Maxious · 2012-08-29
I didn't know Google finally released the transit API! http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2012/06/public-transit-routing…
chrisbroadfoot · 2012-06-24
It was added in March 2011 :) http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2011/03/maps-apis-over-ssl-now…
GBKS · 2011-11-13
Will you eventually have to pay for usage of Google Maps (http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2011/10/introduction-of-usage-… if you go over 25000 views per day?
I'm asking because I'm cooking up a similar concept, and the upcoming price increase of Google Maps makes me a bit hesitant to use them.
The Google Maps Premier page, where my only option is to "Contact Sales" also doesn't seem very friendly to small sites and apps (http://www.google.com/enterprise/earthmaps/maps.html).
bcl · 2011-10-27
Actual announcement here - http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2011/10/introduction-of-usage-…
Doesn't really need a blog to translate it.