Chapter 41. Creating Google Map Mashups

In the previous chapter we discussed how developers can incorporate Google search into their applications using the Google Webs API. Search isn't the only Google feature you can incorporate, however; Google also lets you use the company's massive Google Maps database to add custom maps to your applications and web pages.

When you create a custom Google map, you're creating what is called a map mashup. That's because you're mashing together a Google map with your own personal data. That data might simply be a set of coordinates so that you map a specific location, or it might be a collection of locations that you want to display on a map.

The nice thing about creating custom Google maps is that you don't have to use a fancy programming language like Perl or C#. To create a custom Google map, all you need is a basic knowledge of HTML and JavaScript; it's not that hard, as you'll soon learn.