Jonah Chanticleer 公鸡: Google Maps and Google Docs

Almost a year ago, I wrote about making peace with Javascript and my success with the Google Maps/Docs tutorial. My karma being what it is, Google introduced a method that allows people to collaborate on a map, so my entire reason for learning how to power a Google map via a Google Docs spreadsheet became moot.

I've noticed a sudden spike in traffic to the old page about Google Maps/Docs (no idea why-- please feel free to enlighten me in the comments), so I figured I'd better save folks some time and frustration by providing a link to the collaboration piece I mentioned.

Google Maps and Gasoline

Can Google Maps help you conserve gasoline?

Let's say you are planning to drive on an extended trip-- perhaps from Washington, DC to Montreal, Canada, for example. You might go to Google Maps to get your travel directions.
In addition to the various roads and turns to make, Google Maps provides you with the approximate distance (610 miles) and estimated duration (10 hours) of the trip.

Although Google doesn't show you multiple routes to your destination, per se-- you can "grab" the path and adjust it to avoid certain roads. If you kept an eye on the time (first and foremost) and the distance (secondary, I should think), that'd give you enough raw data to determine which route should use less gas.

If someone wanted to get really sharp about it, they'd create some Google Maps mashup with one of those Gas Buddy type web sites-- and then integrate the method above so as to take you through destinations with the cheapest gasoline prices.

And, if I thought of it-- odds are someone else thought of it before I did. Someone smarter and with bigger web programming chops. This might already exist out there somewhere-- it's just a matter of finding it.

Google Maps and Google Docs

This may be a case of the technology progressing faster than I can learn it, but I read a blog entry months ago about creating customized Google Maps without having a web host or database. The idea is that you can use a Google Docs spreadsheet to "power" the mapping engine.

I have to admit, I couldn't get it to work when I tried it several months ago-- but now that I have taken a class on Ajax and "made peace" with Javascript, I thought I'd come back and take another stab at it. This time, I was able to get it up and running in less than an hour.

The intriguing part is that you can share out Google Docs with others and allow them to collaborate on the spreadsheet document . . . which means other people can add/delete/update locations on your map without even having to know any code. Pretty cool concept, don't you think?

Of course, now that it is possible to collaborate directly in Google Maps, it's all sort of a moot point-- but at least I know I was able to figure it out.