Since we introduced the ability to embed the new Google Maps, a growing number of sites across the web have been helping their visitors visualize and remember places, using maps built for them. However, we know that many sites require multiple maps, and repeatedly generating them can be a challenge.

Today we're making this easier by launching the Google Maps Embed API, giving developers the ability to generate HTML snippets that embed Google Maps within their own website. Using the API to take control of your embedded maps, you can now effortlessly customize the location and appearance of the map with a handful of simple URL parameters.

For example, our friends at the Guggenheim in New York are using the Google Maps Embed API, allowing visitors to save the location to Google Maps directly from the website. Visitors can then quickly plan their day and navigate to the museum by pulling up their saved places on any device with Google Maps.

Over in San Francisco, SFMOMA is using the Google Maps Embed API to show the museum’s temporary exhibit locations. Visitors can get easily get directions to these locations and save them to Google Maps for later viewing on any of their devices.

In addition, over the coming weeks, we’ll be updating existing classic Google Maps embeds to the new format so visitors can enjoy a consistent embedded Google Maps experience across the web. This also means that starting today, the Maps/Earth APIs Terms of Service will apply to all updated embedded Google Maps.

Finally, as with our existing embedded maps, the Google Maps Embed API is free and without limits, and the new API also includes the same on-map ad experience we introduced to embedded maps in November.

To get started, head over to our developers page and embed away!

Posted by Ben Greenwood and Ken Hoetmer, Product Managers, Google Maps APIs

A new version of the Google Maps Android API Utility Library is now available, which includes some cool new data visualisation features - marker clustering and heatmaps.

Marker Clustering

When you have a lot of data to show, it can be hard to keep your app from becoming cluttered and messy. One solution is to group nearby markers into a single marker (cluster marker). When viewed zoomed in, individual markers are shown. However, as the user zooms out, markers group together into a single cluster marker.

You can also easily customize the appearance of individual and clustered markers.




Left: clustered markers with default look
Right: custom rendering for clusters using the IconGenerator utility

Marker clustering is ideal for visualising a large number of elements on a map whilst minimising clutter. You see a concise summary of your data when zoomed out, and as the markers separate when you zoom in, you don't lose any detail from your data.

Heatmaps

Heatmaps are another new visualisation available in the utility library. Heatmaps represent geospatial data on a map by using different colours to represent areas with different concentrations of points - showing overall shape and concentration trends. Heatmaps are also known as "intensity maps".

For an overview of the heatmaps library, watch the video below:


You can use a heatmap to visualise any data set that has a geospatial component. For example, the below heatmap shows the population of cities around the world, with cities as points on the heatmap, weighted by population:



To get started with the Android Maps API Utility Library, view the setup guide - you can also view our guides on how to use the marker clustering and the heatmap features. For a summary of previously existing features in the utility library, view Chris Broadfoot's Maps Shortcuts video. As always, if you have any problems using the Android Maps API or the Utility Library, post to StackOverflow - our support page has the right tags to use.

Posted by Emma Yeap and Iris Uy, Engineering Practicum interns at Google Sydney

A new release of the Google Maps SDK for iOS is now available! Read on to find out about the new features included in v1.7.

Gradient Polylines

In this release we’ve included gradient polylines which allow you to apply different colors to different segments of your polylines. This allows you to easily indicate changes along your polyline such as speed or elevation.

There are two options:

• the first is to have the color gradually changing into another color (gradient polyline),
• the second is to use different blocks of color along your polyline.

The example below visualizes the elevation along a route using a gradient polyline.

Structured Reverse Geocoding

In the past, our reverse geocoder, GMSGeocoder, has responded to a latitude/longitude request with the address as a formatted string. In v1.7, GMSGeocoder can return the address as a GMSAddress object, enabling you to easily access the different parts of an address without needing to parse a string. For example if you’re only interested in the country, this is available as address.country. Check out the developer guide for further information about the properties available to you.

URL Schemes & x-callback-url

The comgooglemaps URL scheme lets you launch Google Maps for iOS, displaying the map at a particular location and zoom level, showing the results of a search, or showing directions. In addition to driving, public transit and walking directions, we’ve now added biking directions to the URL scheme.

There may be times, though, when you want to open Google Maps for iOS directly from within your app, but also want to provide the ability for users to easily return to your app via a back button when they are finished. X-callback-url, an open specification for inter-app communication and messaging between iOS apps, lets you do just that. We’ve documented how to use x-callback-url to launch Google Maps for iOS, and also how to help guide users back to your app when they are ready.

High fidelity 3D buildings

Finally, some of you may know that Google Maps for iOS now has some higher fidelity 3D buildings. If you’d like your app to have access to these 3D buildings, you’ll need to upgrade to v1.7 of the Google Maps SDK for iOS. Check out our favorite, the Eiffel Tower!


We’ve also included a few bug fixes which you can read about in the release notes.

We’re always interested to hear how you’re using the Maps APIs, so let us know if you’ve got something cool to show by tagging +Google Maps API on your posts (or comment right here). For technical questions that aren’t answered in the developer documentation, check out the Google Maps developer community on Stack Overflow. Don’t forget to tell us what you’d like to see in the next release using the Google Maps API issue tracker.

Posted by Megan Boundey, Product Manager, Google Maps Mobile APIs

G’day and welcome to Fab Friday! It’s holiday time in many places around the world, and what better way to celebrate than to watch a series of videos. So kick back, relax, and snag some cool mapping skills.

Mano Marks presents an entire series in one go – four videos on getting started with the Google Maps JavaScript API. Here’s episode 1:


That rocks! Follow right along with the episodes 2, 3 and 4. Now you’re ready to map and roll.

See how to import data into Google Maps Engine with Josh Livni and Mark McDonald. Google Maps Engine (GME) provides an easy way to create and share maps, and to put data into the Google cloud. Josh and Mark walk through some Python examples, showing various ways to import vector and raster data into your GME account:


Tap the geospatial data in Freebase to put knowledge on your map. Freebase is a dataset of well-known facts about people, places, businesses, and other entities, derived from the web. Josh Livni and Ewa Gasperowicz show you how to query the Freebase API and get back information to put on a map:


Looking for some stylish color schemes for your maps? Want to simplify, hide, or highlight specific map features? Paul Saxman talks about Snazzy Maps by Atmist, a community-driven repository of map styles for Google Maps. Paul shows you how to add the custom map styles to your app using the Google Maps JavaScript API, and also how to contribute styles to Snazzy Maps yourself:


Ready for more shows from the Google Maps API team? Find them all at Google Developers Live.

Posted by Sarah Maddox, Maps Developer Relations team

Earlier today, we introduced a feature in the new Google Maps that enables you to embed a Google Map by copying and pasting an HTML snippet. Make sure you’re opted in, and then head over to Google Maps, click on the gear icon on the lower right, and give it a go.

Like the new Google Maps, embedded maps are now built for you. Your users can sign in to these maps to see relevant content, like their saved places from Google Maps. Conversely, they can also save a location from your embedded map for viewing on Google Maps for desktop or mobile.

To top it off, embedded maps are free of usage limits, so you don’t have to worry about quotas.

Finally, over the coming weeks we’ll be introducing a new ad experience we think is attractive for users of the new Google Maps embed. This new on-map design will allow relevant local businesses to connect with your users, similar to the ads you currently see in the new Google Maps and Google Maps for Mobile. As part of this release, we’ve also updated the Google Maps/Earth APIs Terms of Service to enable us to launch new APIs with advertising. Existing APIs and new APIs launched without advertising retain the requirement for Google to provide 90 days notice prior to including ads.

Happy embedding!

Posted by Ken Hoetmer, Product Manager, Google Maps API

• Better predictions with Google Places API Autocomplete
  
• New features for the Google Maps Android API v2
  
• Version 1.6 of the Google Maps SDK for iOS

And finally, Fab Friday isn’t complete without a video. This week we’ve got Mapping Big Data with Google's Cloud Platform, with Francesc Campoy Flores and Kurt Schwehr. Take a look:



Posted by Mano Marks, Maps Developer Relations team

While adding location-awareness to your application can bring tons of value and joy to your users, requiring them to type out full addresses or location queries often does the opposite. The Places API Autocomplete service, a feature of Google Places API and the Google Maps API v3’s Places Library, brings the same type-ahead-search technology from Google Maps to third party apps, helping you soothe some of your users’ address entry frustration.

To make autocomplete even more accurate and useful, we’re excited to announce an update that automatically biases predictions towards the user’s location based on the requester’s IP address. Now, results that are closer to the user will appear sooner in the API’s responses, saving users even more keystrokes and time. For a calendar app like Sunrise, where editing and adding locations quickly is important, this is a clear win for their users.


If you don’t want automatic location biasing via IP address, it can always be turned off by including other location biasing parameters in the autocomplete requests.

We’re also happy to announce our documentation now also includes a handy CSS guide to help developers add their own flair and style to the Autocomplete widgets.

With more accurate responses and customizability options, the Places API team is looking forward to more useful and beautiful autocomplete integrations. Please visit our developer documentation to learn more about the Places API. If you have technical questions, post them to the Google Maps API StackOverflow community, and if you have any feedback, please send it to us using the Google Maps API Issue Tracker.

Posted by Kevin Tran, Places API software engineer

Fab Friday is back this week! We’re now fully into October. It’s a good time to stay indoors and code up some maps. To help you do that, we’ve got some videos you can use.

First off, for the iOS developers, I’ve got a new playlist, Getting Started with the Google Maps SDK for iOS. This goes into much greater detail than previous videos along the same lines, walking you through step by step. I cover:

1. Setting up your development environment
2. Getting and testing an API key
3. Creating your first application

Here’s the playlist:

Next up, we have a Maps Live episode where Josh Livni and Felipe Hoffa give a glimpse into the future of air travel using Google Big Query and the Google Maps JavaScript API. Check out their video here:

That’s all for this week. Have a great weekend, and happy mapping!

Posted by Mano Marks, Maps Developer Relations Team