Gmap4 - Enhanced Google Map viewer with topographic maps

Cartography, maps, navigation, GPS and more.
Joseph Elfelt
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Re: Gmap4 - Enhanced Google Map viewer with topographic maps

Post by Joseph Elfelt » May 17th, 2018, 8:54 am

The feds have a free seamless basemap. It is their digital topo map.
See it below. As you zoom in more detailed data appears. For more info on how they are crowd sourcing this map see
https://nationalmap.gov/TheNationalMapCorps/index.html


Joseph Elfelt
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Joined: September 3rd, 2010, 10:24 am
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Re: Gmap4 - Enhanced Google Map viewer with topographic maps

Post by Joseph Elfelt » May 17th, 2018, 3:29 pm

Here is a one of Google's demo maps. You can view the source code.

https://mappingsupport.com/test/google_traffic.html

I used Firefox and opened the map. Then I did:
1. Click 3 bars in upper right
2. Click web developer
3. Click network
4. Reload the page.

For the reload, a display below the map shows what is cached and what is not cached.
The second line in that display shows that a good chunk of Google's API is not cached.

I am convinced that reloading the map will be counted by Google as another load of their API.

Since it is important that I not be at risk of pissing Google off, I have no plans to cache their API.

The next thing I need to do is read up on how to do my own server-side application logging. That seems to be the only way I can count how many times Gmap4 is opened or reloaded. Each such event is 1 Google map API download.

I have been using StatCounter but it turns out that for various reasons that software is likely undercounting the number of times Gmap4 starts and thus undercounting API downloads.

Joseph Elfelt
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Re: Gmap4 - Enhanced Google Map viewer with topographic maps

Post by Joseph Elfelt » June 27th, 2018, 8:12 am

I finally heard back from Google. Yes, they are allocating me more free API downloads. No, it is not nearly enough. For more info you can click “Gmap4 news” in the lower left corner of the map.
https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php

Work starts today to produce a new map using Leaflet. The new name will be GISsurfer. In broad strokes the goal is to replicate the features of Gmap4 minus the 4 Google basemaps.

The first version of GISsurfer will display a very basic wildland fire map.

Joseph Elfelt
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Re: Gmap4 - Enhanced Google Map viewer with topographic maps

Post by Joseph Elfelt » July 10th, 2018, 6:40 am

On July 16th I will launch GISsurfer which is the Gmap4 replacement. This uses the free open-source Leaflet map API.
Priority #1: Basic wildland fire maps
Priority #2: Congressional district maps (Indivisible wants these)

In broad strokes, my goal is to replicate most of the Gmap4 features.

Hmmm.... An idea is hatching
It would be nice if there was a way to breath a bit of life into all the old Gmap4 links and embedded maps.

Gmap4 will actually continue but only for 2 narrow use cases, neither of which benefits this site.
To accomplish that, I tweaked the code so that starting the evening of July 15 the Google map API will only load if certain conditions are met.
If those conditions are not met, the user will see a message. That message could include a GISsurfer link. Of course it will be awhile before GISsurfer is able to habla the same link parameters as Gmap4.

Note that I cannot do a global redirect Gmap4 --> GISsurfer since that would break the 2 use cases that will continue to use Gmap4.

So the big picture goal is to provide some kind of bridge between all the Gmap4 links floating around out there and GIS surfer.

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aiwetir
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Re: Gmap4 - Enhanced Google Map viewer with topographic maps

Post by aiwetir » July 10th, 2018, 10:12 am

Could you not use PHP (or maybe JS) to POST those Gmap4 parameters over to GISsurfer?
- Michael

Joseph Elfelt
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Re: Gmap4 - Enhanced Google Map viewer with topographic maps

Post by Joseph Elfelt » July 11th, 2018, 3:54 am

aiwetir wrote:
July 10th, 2018, 10:12 am
Could you not use PHP (or maybe JS) to POST those Gmap4 parameters over to GISsurfer?
Yes, but....

It will be awhile before GISsurfer understands the same parameters.
So at least for some period of time, Gmap4 links and embedded maps will display a message.

Priority #3 - If someone clicks a Gmap4 link can my PHP code launch GISsurfer?

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