The Secret to Eating Well in Chile

Soy Gourmet

Soy Gourmet is Chile's second most downloaded iPhone app. If you don't have an iPhone, don't worry, Soy Gourmet can also be accessed from your desktop.

Soy Gourmet is a great way to search and find restaurants in Chile. You can search for restaurants by type of cuisine, price and location and view the results on a Google Map.

Registered users of Soy Gourmet can rate individual restaurants and leave comments. Registered users also receive regular promotional offers.

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Introducing Google Map Libraries

Google Maps Javascript API V3 Geometry Library

One of the initial aims of V3 of the Google Maps API was to minimise the time it takes to load and display a Google Map. However if new features are added to the API and it grows in size the load time of the JavaScript grows as well.

The Google Maps team have therefore decided to implement libraries for the API. A library is a set of Maps API features that are only loaded when explicitly requested by the application. This request is added to the call to load the API, e.g.,

http://maps.google.com/maps/api/js?libraries=geometry

The Geometry Library is the first library to be added to the Google Maps API V3. The geometry library provides a set of utility functions for performing distance, heading, and area calculations in a spherical geometry, such as on the surface of the Earth, and also provides functions for handling encoded polylines.

Ed Parsons has provided a good explanation of why and how you might want to use the Geometry Library in a post called 'Because the world is not flat...'. You can also examine the library in more detail in the Maps API Documentation andReference.

Via: Google Geo Developers Blog

Iraq IED Attacks on Google Maps

BOOMsys

The rather unfortunately named BOOMsys is a Google Map of improvised explosive device incidents in Iraq.

BOOMsys actually stands for Basic Ordnance Observational Management System and they have created a very impressive map displaying all the improvised explosive device incidents in Iraq in 2006. The map features an animation control that allows you to view the data over the full year.

As well as the animation controls BOOMsys includes a calendar navigation control that allows you to view the incidents for any month, week or individual day. The size of the polygons shown on the map reflects the number of incidents recorded at that location.

Hat-tip: Street View Funny