March 11, 2011

Open Street Maps and Google Maps APIs

by Oleg Dzhimiev

   

Both, Google Maps API and Open Layers API, are quite simple, though it can take some time to find a perfect example. The maps are added to the WebGL panorama view test page (read “Experimenting with WebGL panoramas”)

Description

The maps are embedded, so the sources are available.
There is a *.kml file with the points’ records that is read with PHP and the coordinates are passed to javascript. Then the points/markers are placed on maps. Markers’ events are:

  • ‘click’ – setting the current position
  • ‘mouseover’/’mouseout’ – highlighting

Notes

OpenLayers Library

  • Possible to have a Google Maps layer
  • Currently Markers Overlays are used (found first) but they are old and there are more advanced and better Vectors Overlays. For more info please visit this page.
  • Markers Overlays: didn’t find how to change the icon properties of a created marker except url – to change an icon to a different sized one – the marker is removed and recreated.
  • Markers Overlays: markers over Open Street Map being initialized and placed with correctly return wrong coordinates (not used but anyway).
  • Vectors Overlays: can’t display vectors over Open Street Map Layer so far.
  • Vectors Overlays: haven’t tried events.

Google Maps API

  • Need to generate a unique key for each particular website.
  • Didn’t find how to change the icon properties of a created marker except url – to change an icon to a different sized one – the marker is removed and recreated.

Some PHP

function parse_kml_file($kmlFile){
  if (!is_file($kmlFile)) return -1;
  $kml_contents = simplexml_load_file($kmlFile);
  //Document, PhotoOverlay, Camera, Icon, href, longitude & latitude are KML tags
  $PhotoOverlay = $kml_contents->Document->PhotoOverlay;
  $marker=array();
  $i=0;
  foreach($PhotoOverlay as $element) {
    $marker[$i]['longitude'] = $element->Camera->longitude;
    $marker[$i]['latitude'] = $element->Camera->latitude;
    $marker[$i]['href'] = $element->Icon->href;
    $i++;
  }
  return $marker;
}


2 responses to “Open Street Maps and Google Maps APIs”

  1. Xiaoxing says:

    Hello, can you provide the main parameters of your sensor in the sprical camera eyesis? thanks

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