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Extending the Google Maps API for Event Animation Mashups
Abstract and Figures
There is an unfortunate preconception among trained cartographers that mashups—Google-based or otherwise—represent a bastardization of the discipline, with the overcrowded push-pin map becoming the straw man (or straw map) of every Cartography lecture and conference presentation. However, mashups are becoming ubiquitous and today are perhaps the most recognizable map form on the Internet. The cartographic community needs to get serious about mashups, rather than dismiss them as the flavor of the week. We should be the guiding voice, rather than the skeptical outsiders. To be fair, many trained cartographers are doing wonderful things with mashups, but even they need to be more active in extending the API and releasing their source code (for an example of good open source practice published in this journal, see Peterson, 2008). If we do not do this, all of the sound cartographic knowledge generated during the past century will be shredded by a cloud of pushpins.
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... Many of the software applications have invested in Google Map API services through the addition of the software and the integration of many of the programming languages. This is called the mashups which means mixing many programming languages with Google maps for applications that have additional characteristics as needed [5]. Among the projects that used Oracle and SQL is the design of a site to identify earthquakes and volcanoes, also design a website to display and search for the types of gardens and their places in America [6]. ...
Online mapping applications have undergone a radical change as a result of the widespread use of the Internet,and an interested in the developing of the online mapping services due to the use of the Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API), Yahoo Maps API, and ESRI ArcGIS API, as well as the support for maps by operating systems on tablets and smartphones. One of the most helpful technologies for identifying locations and providing information about roads is online mapping. Although these applications are simple to use, they have a limited amount of the data that may be inaccurate, and the mapping technology does not have sophisticated or detailed characteristics of the required places. As a result, developers and programmers use maps as a platform to create features that are tailored to the needs of the user by using various programming languages. The goal of this paper is to develop the Google API by connecting it to a local, private database that houses data that is regularly gathered and developed. It also aims to create opportunities that make it easier for clients to access information stored on particular servers that can provide a variety of locations and details in order to meet their needs.
... At the same time Google Maps reached mobile phones in USA and desktop computers in UK (as the first country in Europe). Launching API was a crucial decision for increasing popularity of Google Maps (McConchie, 2008;Roth and Ross, 2009;Peterson, 2012). API is a set of code libraries made available by its creators to provide other users the access to the opportunities offered by the application (Boulos, 2005, Medynska-Gulij, 2012Muehlenhaus, 2014). ...
In this article the author follows progressive evolution in web design that has been observed in Google Maps over the last 13 years (2005-2018). The analysis includes the graphic presentation of buttons, their layout and the changes in the functionality of the website. The results of the analysis corroborate the argument that it is possible to adapt the existing concept of progressive evolution, to the needs of Internet cartography. In the process of the analysis several crucial changes were spotted, such as the fact that as a result of the technological advancement the need to scroll the map with up, down, left and down buttons disappeared, being supplanted by the dragging function. In article all the discussed changes in Google Maps as an application for desktop computers and laptops, as well as a mobile application, prove that the product has been constantly improved. In the author's opinion, the crucial aspect is to enrich the web map in the non-invasive way to make it as user-friendly and easy to use as possible. The synthetic juxtaposition allowed one to highlight the evolution, considered by the author an important feature of the non-invasive way of introducing changes. The author notes that progressive evolution on Google Maps and other internet maps will continue. It is important that the user's needs are noticed during these changes.
... Moreover, they can visualize the relationships between the different data sources, such as the nature of items stored on the same web host. For instance, Roth and Ross (2009) is based on Google maps and a list of top-ranked high schools in order to generate a map with the top-ranked high school directly on the map. ...
Some events, such as terrorism attacks, earthquakes, and other events that represent tipping points, remain engraved in our memories. Today, through social media, researchers attempt to propose approaches for event detection. However, they are confronted to certain challenges owing to the noise of data propagated throughout social media. In this paper, a new mashup based method for event detection from social media is proposed using hadoop framework. The suggested approach aims at detecting real-world events by exploiting data collected from different social media sites. Indeed, the detected events are characterized by such descriptive dimensions as topic, time and location. Moreover, our approach assures a bilingual event detection. In fact, the proposed approach is able to detect events in English and French languages. In addition, our approach provides a mashup based multidimensional visualization by combining different multimedia components so as to add more details to the detected events. Furthermore, in order to overcome the problems occurring from the processing of big data, we integrated our approach into the hadoop distributed system.
... Mashup is a term that originated in the music industry (Roth and Ross 2009). A mashup results when mixing a vocal track over an instrumental tune. ...
Map mashups are now common when presenting information in digital media. This paper explores the relation between the background information (basemap) and the information that is displayed over the basemap. Will the user be disturbed by the background when solving tasks related to the overlaid information? To answer this and other questions, a web-based experiment was prepared. The participants in the experiment were introduced to different tasks based on combinations of data primitives in the top layer. Three different basemaps were tested. In a focused part of the experiment, tasks related to the combination of area and points in the top layer were explored more closely. The experiment indicated that the tasks related to different coloured areas in combination with points of different colours were more time consuming to solve on a topographic map with many details.
... Animations are relatively underutilized in crime analysis (Brunsdon et al. 2007) due to lack of sophisticated, easy to use products and training and tools to produce them (Ratcliffe, 2010). The open source code library published by Roth, et al. (2010) will be employed in this project to create a custom animation with advanced features such as the interactive temporal histogram in addition to the requisite VCR controls (R. E. Roth 2009). This code library extends the Google Flash API and was formed from the code used to make the GEOVISTA CrimeViz application. ...
Crime continues to cast a shadow over citizen well-being in big cities today, while also imposing huge economic and social costs.
Timely understanding of how criminality emerges and how crime patterns evolve is crucial to anticipating crime, dealing with it
when it occurs and developing public confidence in the police service. Every day, about 10,000 crime incidents are reported by
citizens, recorded and geo-referenced in the London Metropolitan Police Service Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) database. The
unique nature of this dataset allows the patterns to be explored at particularly fine temporal granularity and at multiple spatial
resolutions. This study provides a framework for the exploratory spatio-temporal analysis of crime patterns that combines visual
inquiry tools (interactive animations, space-time cubes and map matrices) with cluster analysis (spatial-temporal scan statistics and
the self-organizing map). This framework is tested on the CAD dataset for the London Borough of Camden in March 2010. Patterns
of crime through space and time are discovered and the clustering methods were evaluated on their ability to facilitate the discovery
and interpretation of these patterns.
GIS experts often need to relate and compare heterogeneous geographical representations of the same region. For example, existing maps are compared to recent satellite imagery to update geographic databases, like OpenStreetMap. The means to do so, are, however often limited to data agnostic techniques such as overlaying the representations with some degree of translucency or swiping between layers. These techniques do not support users effectively in their tasks in domains such as crime analysis or urban planning. This thesis aims at proposing new interactive transitions to combine those multiple representations into one, either spatially (spatial multiplexing) or temporally (temporal multiplexing).To better understand the limits of existing approaches, this thesis first contribution is an evaluation of five interactive map comparison techniques. We characterise these techniques in terms of visual interference, user attention and scanning strategy. We evaluate them by asking participants to find differences between real satellite imagery and topographic maps, that we purposefully modified introducing six kinds of differences. Results suggest that techniques that superimpose the layers are more efficient than techniques that juxtapose them and that having a more motor driven scanning strategy can be beneficial for some tasks. Drawing from the evaluation results and interviews with GIS experts, the second contribution of this thesis is MapMosaic: a novel spatial multiplexing technique to combine geographical layers. This dynamic compositing model enables users to interactively create and manipulate local composites of multiple vector and raster map layers, taking into account the semantics and attribute values of objects and fields. We evaluate MapMosaic using two approaches: first we compare MapMosaic’s interaction model to QGIS’ (a widely used desktop GIS) and MAPublisher’ (a professional cartography tool) using the ‘Cognitive Dimensions’ framework and through an analytical comparison, suggesting that MapMosaic’s model is more flexible and can support users more effectively in their tasks. Secondly, we report on feedback obtained from experts, which further confirms the potential of MapMosaic, by describing precise scenarios where it could be useful. Spatial multiplexing can be very useful when comparing different geographical layers. However, time multiplexing might be more suitable to represent dynamics, as changes can be animated. This can be particularly useful when presenting evolution across satellite images, to illustrate effects of climate change or a natural disaster’s impact. Thus, the third contribution of this thesis is Baia: a framework to create advanced animated transitions, called animation plans, between pairs of before-and-after images. Baia relies on a pixel-based transition model that gives authors much expressive power, while keeping animations for common types of changes easy to create thanks to predefined animation primitives. We describe the model and the associated animation editor. We also report on two user studies: the first one suggests that advanced animations are perceived as more realistic and better at focusing viewer’s attention than monolithic blending, and the second one gathers feedback about the usability of Baia’s animation editor prototype.
There has seen increasing interest in developing online map services using Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API), Yahoo! Maps API, Microsoft Bing Maps API, Nokia Ovi Maps API, and ESRI ArcGIS API. However, such online map services are mainly “mashups” in nature, meaning that they utilize Maps API as a platform and combine other spatial data from multiple sources to create new services. The objective of this chapter is to demonstrate an online mapping application that focuses not only on the functionality to display points of interest with customized icons and the information associated with them, but also on the sophisticated functionalities for marker clustering, searching, filtering, and tabbed interface that offer the user the capability to manipulate the data, which is lacking in most documented web mapping services. A case study of developing an online map service to display the locations of hundreds of gardens on the Internet for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) People’s Garden initiative is presented. Google Maps API, Google Geocoder and other JavaScript libraries such as jQuery, XML, MarkerClusterer, Spry Framework for Ajax, all free and open source, are employed to develop this online map service. It is anticipated that the online map service demonstrated here can be used in most of the web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 7.0+, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.
This chapter focuses on database foundation concepts, advancements in spatial database theory, platforms, and applications relevant to the environmental field. Throughout the chapter, examples are provided for groundwater flow and transport modeling. However, the concepts illustrated are general and can be applied to other environmental media. The chapter provides a historical perspective of the emergence of spatial databases in environmental domain, and discusses the theoretical and historical aspects of spatial data management in geographic information system (GIS). A few popular technological solutions, rooted in the advancements of the relational data model, are briefly reviewed in the chapter, with attention given to both technical and economical/licensing implications. The chapter also discusses simple spatiotemporal database skeleton, generalized environmental spatiotemporal database skeleton and geographic mashups.
The Google Maps API represents a powerful mapping tool. By providing base maps and imagery at multiple scales as a backdrop, all manner of information can be added to the foreground of the map. While we have little control over the base map, Google provides a great deal of flexibility in what may be added on top of the map. With competition from sites like Microsoft Live and Yahoo! Maps, there will be a great deal of development in this area. It is unfortunate, however, that all of these online mapping sites are providing APIs that are incompatible with each other. There are a number of ways to speed the display of the map. The major approach, and the one favored by Google, is to pre-compile the map and convert it to a tiled representation at 18 different scales - just as is done for the base Google Map. This tiled map can be as quickly displayed as the base map.
Predictions of the 1960s about the computer's potential to change cartography are finally being fulfilled. Dynamic maps for vehicle navigation, interactive cartographic/statistical tools, and map animation are being investigated actively. As these new environments for mapping become available, we must reevaluate past questions about transformations from reality to data and data to map. In this paper, we consider these transformation questions in the context of statistical map animation. The issues discussed were raised in producing a “map movie” depicting the spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) over time. Jenks' data model concept is used as the basis for a typology of data models representing phenomena typically depicted by enumeration unit data. The typology is then used to evaluate symbolization decisions for AIDS incidence maps. Implications for symbol selection imposed by dynamic rather than static maps are considered, as are technical issues involved in producing the animation on a microcomputer platform. A hybrid symbolization method that we have termed the “chorodot” is suggested as a way to meet the constraints on symbolization imposed by animation and to represent the appropriate data model for AIDS incidence.
Event visualization holds the promise of alleviating information overload in human analysis and numerous tools and techniques have been developed and evaluated. However, previous work does not specifically address either the coordination of event dimensions with the types of tasks involved or the way that visualizing different event dimensions can benefit human analysis. In this paper, we propose a taxonomy of event visualization and present a methodology for evaluating a coordinated event visualization tool called COPLINK Spatio-Temporal Visualizer (STV). The taxonomy encompasses various event dimensions, application domains, visualization metaphors, evaluation methods and performance measures. The evaluation methodology examines different event dimensions and different task types, thus juxtaposing two important elements of evaluating a tool. To achieve both internal and external validity, a laboratory experiment with students and a field study with crime analysis experts were conducted. Findings of our usability study show that STV could support crime analysis involving multiple, coordinated event dimensions as effectively as it could analyze individual, uncoordinated event dimensions. STV was significantly more effective and efficient than Microsoft Excel in performing coordinated tasks and was significantly more efficient in doing uncoordinated tasks related to temporal, spatial and aggregated information. Also, STV had compared favorably with Excel in completing uncoordinated tasks related to temporal and spatial information, respectively. Subjects’ comments showed STV to be intuitive, useful and preferable to existing crime analysis methods.
In recent years major web services have opened their systems to outside use through the implementation of public APIs. As a result, web developers have begun to experiment with mashups - software applications that merge separate APIs and data sources into one integrated interface. Because the APIs and data sources are publicly available, in principle anyone can create a mashup. However, because relatively advanced programming languages are required to integrate these APIs, creating a mashup still requires considerable programming expertise. In this paper we share the results of an exploratory study of web developers and their experiences with building mashups. We profile the characteristics of mashup developers, examine the mashups they create, and the reasons they create mashups. From the results of this initial survey we outline a course for future research.
Over the last decade or more, geographic information systems (GIS) have proved themselves nimble and potent tools in myriad academic, civic, and political disciplines. A body of scholarship followed GIS on its rise to wider acceptance and adoption, however, that questioned its nature and the way its power was wielded. This scholarship ultimately produced various models for “GIS/2,” an amalgam of GIS's power and the grassroots democratic activity that might have been fostered by it but largely was not. This article revisits going models of GIS/2 and finds them to be so much vapourware compared to recent developments in online geospatial applications. The article argues that for all of the well-intentioned effort put into GIS/2 theory, the most progressive real-world candidate for GIS/2 has been produced only recently, by another rare combination indeed: two Austin, Texas, 20-somethings and the online search monolith Google.
The Google Maps mashup, a very twenty-first-century beast born of code from disparate Web applications, exhibits great potential to be a real live GIS/2. Moreover, there is one mashup in particular that, while perhaps not quite mature enough to realistically match 15 years of GIS/2 scholarship, is still possibly the finest working example yet of the ideas and concepts posited therein.
Cartographic visualisation tools aid exploration, but they are designed for, and used exclusively by, experts. A democratised visualisation tool will include second-generation users, and these non-specialists might also want to use the available computer technology to visualise their geographical data. In this paper, we argue that democratised GIS should have a functionality similar to visualisation tools and we forward our opinion on how these can be developed in order to do so. Our emphasis is on interactivity regarding representation methods and on elaborating principles for implementing map type selection in interfaces for democratised GISs.
This paper was the first initiative to try to define Web2.0 and understand its implications for the next generation of software, looking at both design patterns and business modes. Web 2.0 is the network as platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually-updated service that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an "architecture of participation," and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences.