The Google Maps API remains one of the showcase examples of the Web 2.0 development paradigm, making it fairly trivial for third-party developers to incorporate dynamic mapping services into Web applications. In fact, interest in the Google service is so strong that it arguably sparked the mashup phenomenon, along with a number of websites such as http://www.gmapsmania.com intended to highlight some of the exciting applications developers are building using the mapping API in conjunction with a variety of other data sources. Beginning Google Maps Applications with Rails and Ajax is the first book to comprehensively introduce the service from a developer-perspective, showing readers how they can integrate mapping features into their Rails-driven Web applications. Proceeding far beyond simplistic map display, readers are shown how to draw upon a variety of data sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau’s TIGER/Line data and Google's own geocoding feature to build comprehensive geocoding services for mapping many locations around the world. Readers are also guided through various examples demonstrating how to encourage user interaction such as pinpointing map locations, adding comments, and building community-driven maps.
Author(s): Andre Lewis, Michael Purvis, Jeffrey Sambells, Cameron Turner,
Edition: 1st ed. 2007. Corr. 2nd printing
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 373
1590597877......Page 1
Contents......Page 5
About the Authors......Page 14
About the Technical Reviewer......Page 16
PART 1: Your First Google Maps......Page 17
CHAPTER 1: Google Maps and Rails......Page 18
KML: Your First Map......Page 19
Wayfaring: Your Second Map......Page 20
Got Rails?......Page 25
What's Next?......Page 26
On JavaScript, Helpers, and Plug-ins......Page 28
The First Map......Page 29
Basic User Interaction......Page 38
A List of Points......Page 43
Summary......Page 47
Adding Interactivity......Page 48
Going on a Treasure Hunt......Page 49
Reviewing Application Structure......Page 50
Building on Your Application......Page 51
Creating the Map and Marking Points......Page 53
Listening to User Events......Page 54
Asking for More Information with an Info Window......Page 57
Implementing Ajax......Page 67
Retrieving Markers from the Server......Page 74
Adding Some Flair......Page 77
Ajax with Prototype......Page 80
Summary......Page 82
Preparing the Address Data......Page 83
Using Geocoding Web Services......Page 87
Persisting Lookups......Page 106
Building a Store Location Map......Page 107
Summary......Page 110
PART 2: Beyond the Basics......Page 111
Using Downloadable Text Files......Page 112
Screen Scraping......Page 128
Summary......Page 134
CHAPTER 6: Improving the User Interface......Page 135
CSS: A Touch of Style......Page 136
Scripted Style......Page 145
Data Point Filtering......Page 153
RJS and Draggable Toolbars......Page 156
Summary......Page 157
Understanding the Limitations......Page 158
Streamlining Server-Client Communications......Page 159
Optimizing Server-Side Processing......Page 161
Optimizing the Client-Side User Experience......Page 193
Summary......Page 205
Driving Directions......Page 207
Integrated Google Services......Page 208
More Data Layers......Page 210
Interface Improvements......Page 212
Summary......Page 214
PART 3: Advanced Map Features and Methods......Page 215
Debugging Maps......Page 216
Interacting with the Map from the API......Page 217
Creating Map Objects with GOverlay......Page 221
Creating Custom Controls......Page 227
Adding Tabs to Info Windows......Page 230
Creating a Custom Info Window......Page 233
Implementing Your Own Map Type, Tiles, and Projection......Page 244
Summary......Page 267
Starting Flat......Page 269
Moving to Spheres......Page 274
Working with Polylines......Page 282
What About UTM Coordinates?......Page 290
Running Afoul of the Date Line......Page 292
Summary......Page 293
Where Does the Data Come From?......Page 294
Geocoding Based on Postal Codes......Page 299
Using the TIGER/Line Data......Page 303
Summary......Page 319
PART 4: Appendixes......Page 320
Knowing What to Look For: Search Tips......Page 321
The Cat Came Back: Revisiting the TIGER/Line......Page 322
Airports in TIGER/Line......Page 324
Shake, Rattle, and Roll: The NOAA Goldmine......Page 325
For the Space Aficionado in You......Page 327
class GMap2......Page 329
class GMapOptions......Page 335
class GKeyboardHandler......Page 336
interface GOverlay......Page 337
class GInfoWindow......Page 338
class GMarker......Page 339
class GMarkerOptions......Page 341
class GPolyline......Page 342
class GIcon......Page 343
class GSize......Page 344
class GBounds......Page 345
class GLatLng......Page 346
interface GControl......Page 347
class GControlPosition......Page 348
class GMapType......Page 349
class GMapTypeOptions......Page 350
interface GTileLayer......Page 351
class GCopyright......Page 352
interface GProjection......Page 353
namespace GEvent......Page 354
class GEventListener......Page 355
namespace GLog......Page 356
class GDraggableObject......Page 357
class GClientGeocoder......Page 358
class GGeocodeCache......Page 359
class GMarkerManager......Page 360
Functions......Page 361
C......Page 362
F......Page 363
G......Page 364
I......Page 365
L......Page 366
O......Page 367
S......Page 368
U......Page 369
Z......Page 370
