Archived:How to use Google Static Maps data in mobile applications
This article explains how to use Google Maps data in a mobile application. Google Maps offers REST services that allow accessing its data with simple HTTP requests, so they can be easily integrated into mobile applications.
13 Jul
2008
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Since this article was written, alternative Map Tile caching solutions for Java ME have become available. Map Tile caching solutions such as the Nokia Maps API for Java ME have several advantages over static mapping solutions such as the static Google Maps API including:
- Static mapping services such as the Google Static Maps API or Nokia's RESTful Map API do not cache or tile the images when requested, therefore each request involves a round trip to the server. If the map on a mobile application needs to be refreshed at any time, using a caching library will result in a reduction in network traffic after around three maps have been displayed. An explanation of this can be found here
- As the name implies, Google's Static Maps API can only retrieve over http static images for a requested coordinate point, image size, image type and zoom level. Newer libraries offer additional functionality out of the box offering dynamic Map content and touch support, where the user can move around his/her current position, zoom in, zoom out, modify the view mode to satellite or translate an address to a coordinate point and show that on the map, among others. This abstraction of the underlying functionality is hidden from the developer,os much less coding is needed in order to achieve the same result .
Additionally the following points apply in favour of Nokia Maps when comparing to Google Maps:
- No legal restrictions of using the API outside a web browser application or need to provide a link to the native Google Maps App (if there is one), or to Google Maps (if there isn't one). See Terms of Service below.
- Higher free daily request limits. Nokia Maps API for Java ME supports up to 50,000 render requests per day and per unique IP address (as of January 2012), for Nokia Developer registered users (free of charge) while the limit for Google's Static Maps API is currently 1000 unique (different) image requests per viewer per day.
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Sign up for a Google Maps API key
NOTE: Usage of this code with the free Google Maps API Key breaks Google's Terms and Conditions (section 10.8). You should purchase an Enterprise License if you wish to use the Google Maps API as shown in this example.
First you need to sign up on this page:
http://code.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html
Once you have signed up, you get a key (a simple string) that you can use for all your queries to Google Maps services.
Google Static Maps API no longer requires a Maps API key
For updated information on Google Static Maps API, please visit http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/staticmaps/
Static maps
Standard Google Maps code is suitable for Web applications. However, it includes a lot of Ajax functionalities that are not really useful if you are building a mobile application. The solution is to use the static maps service that allows retrieving single images that can easily be used in mobile applications.
The static maps service supports different image formats (png32, GIF, JPG) and customizable image size, so you can get perfect images for all purposes. For example, if you want to retrieve the location at:
- latitude: 41.867878
- longitude: 12.471516
You can simply retrieve this URL with an HTTP GET request:
http://maps.google.com/staticmap?center=41.867878,12.471516&format=png32&zoom=8&size=240x320&key=<API_KEY>
This way you will get a PNG32 image with a width of 240 pixels and a height of 320 pixels, centered at point (41.867878,12.471516), and with a zoom level of 8 (the zoom range is from 0 to a maximum level of 19)
Geocode an address
From Google Maps docs:
Geocoding is the process of converting addresses (such as "1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA") into geographic coordinates (like latitude 37.423021 and longitude -122.083739)
The following example describes building an application that displays the address typed by the end user. First you need to geocode its address into geographic coordinates.
To do this, Google Maps offers another REST service that can easily be accessed with simple HTTP requests.
If you want to geocode this address
Leicester Square, London
Request this URL from your code
http://maps.google.com/maps/geo?q=Leicester%20Square,%20London&output=csv&key=<API_KEY>
and you will get this output:
200,6,51.510605,-0.130728
Where:
- The first number is a code, which in this case (200) means that geocoding has been successfull (for a full list of status codes see: [1])
- The second number gives a measure of the geocoding accuracy (from 0 to 9 - maximum accuracy)
- The 3rd and 4th numbers represent latitude and longitude of the geocoded address, so these are the coordinates used to retrieve the map through the static map service.
As you can see, there is an 'output' parameter in the geocode request. This means that you can choose the output format you prefer. The supported formats are:
- xml
- kml (same as xml, but with different Content-Type)
- json (not really useful for mobile apps)
- csv (comma-separated values)
Proxy server, usage limits
Since your Google Maps API key is bound to a specific URL, in order to access map services you need to setup a proxy server that will receive HTTP requests from the mobile application and forward them to Google Maps REST URLs, returning Google responses to mobile clients.
(as pointed out in the Comment page, this is not a fully clear point yet)
Also, be aware that there is a limit to the number of requests, both for static maps and geocode service, you can do each day. For personal uses they are more than enough, but you need to keep this issue in mind if you plan to develop commercial services.
Sample application
A sample J2ME application, using the approach described here, is available on this page: Google Maps J2ME Test
Google Maps J2ME API source code used in this example is also available here: Google Static Maps API in Java ME
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for what i have seen using it, the proxy part is not necessary. I haven't given a url while registering, and i use both the static map api and the geocoding api.
Also note that there is an undocumented api that is actually used for the mobile google maps web site, that contains less functionnalities, but that does not require a registration.
Good to know this. From my researches, I've never found a clear answer to this topic, since there's no coverage of Google Maps data usage within mobile applications. Do you have some related links that could be useful to clarify a bit?
About the undocumented API, can you give some more details?
Thanks,
--jappit 12:34, 14 May 2008 (EEST)
Note that using Google maps (tiles or static maps, no difference) in mobile application is legally violation their Terms of Service. They just do not license maps even for Enterprise maps offers. I have asked this from their salesmen, and I know that for some J2ME projects had to stop using Google maps as Google legal department wrote to have their map removed. So take care. For legal mobile mapping I would suggest to use CC licensed OpenStreetmap.org, or you must license map from e.g. Navteq or Teleatlas.
I also read the terms of services and saw that mobile applications are not acceptable. Anyway, one efficient MIDP implementation is to generate the URL string for the map, and pass it as a midlet platform request so the S60 browser will display the image and allow you to zoom and save the file. This saves the application developer from creating code for the canvas and rendering the image file. e.g.: yourmidlet.platformRequest ( url-string );
1. Sorry, the last comment confused me a little bit. Is it a workaround to make it legally (I don't think so...) or just to ease the illegal development?
2. Concerning the first comment, what do you mean "register without a url"? Why can't i do it? What did you provide in the corresponding text field?
3. So, could anybody explain a bit more descriptively how the proxy should be set up? For example by changing: return "http://maps.google.com/staticmap?center=" + lat + "," + lng + "&format=" + format + "&zoom=" + zoom + "&size=" + width + "x" + height + "&key=" + apiKey; in the sample code with: return "http://myserver..... ; and then calling maps.google.com from myserver?
4. Does anybody know if j2memap uses the data from google maps legally? (I will also ask this question in the j2memap forum, of course. I just saw there a relevant question that remains unanswered).
If i have to paste these questions in a forum instead of this place, forgive me and help me to transfer them there. Thanks, Apostolos.
http://code.google.com/apis/maps/faq.html#tos_nonweb:
I'm not sure, but I believe any Flash application inside single person's private mobile phone is not a website? Is it?
My current investigation results. The FAQ is updated now:
So my conclusion is that you cannot use Google static maps in a mobile app, not even in WAP app.
J2MEMap (from 8motions) uses google (and all other) map services clearly illegally, another similar application got "cease and desist" letter long time ago and had to stop using google (http://www.mgmaps.com).
But, luckily the openstreetmap.org maps are better and better, and you can use these for free without limitation. Check out also this open source tool to do this in j2me: http://www.nutiteq.com.
--jaakl 14:21, 16 December 2008 (EET)
please refer to [www.guidebee.biz/gis.php] , Guidebee provides mobile map API on J2ME
--Guidebee 04:13, 27 August 2009 (UTC)