The Rise of Graffiti on Google Maps

Red Bull Street View Art

Red Bull are using Google Maps and Google Street View to present a crowd-sourced map of street art from around the world.

Using the map you can search for graffiti directly from the map and click on the map markers to view a Street View image of the art. The site includes quick links to the 'most viewed' and the 'latest additions' to the map. There are also quick links to works by popular graffiti artists such as Banksy and Keith Haring.

Adding your own finds to the map is very easy. It just involves finding the right location on the map and dragging the Street View to grab the best shot of the street art that you wish to submit.

Graffiti Maps From the Archives

• StreetArtLocator - user contributed map of street art
• South Central LA Graffiti Map - graffiti in South Central, LA
• Graff Map - map of graffiti locations around the world

Via: Street View Funny

Daeth and Taxes on Google Maps

Ya Puedes Pagar tu Predial

The Municipal de Mazatlán in México have used Google Maps to show all the locations where citizens can pay their property tax.

Users of the map can select from a list of the locations that will accept property tax payments and then view the location on a Google Map and in Street View. The full address of each listing is also displayed beside the map.

Citizens of Mazatlán may not like paying their taxes but I think they will appreciate the usability and design of this Google Map.

Comparing Crime with Google Maps

Crime Maps

The Guardian have teamed up with SpatialKey to create a great Google Maps application that allows you to compare crime statistics in two different UK locations or compare two different crime statistics at the same location.

The application places two Google Maps side by side. You can enter two different locations and compare December's crime statistics as a heat map at each location. You can select from a number of crime categories and can even compare the statistics for two different categories at the same location.

The crime is displayed in the form of a heat map. If you roll-over either map the total crime at the specific location is shown in figures. If you click on the map an information window opens displaying the designated location from which the crime statistics were collected.

Real-Time Egyptian Tweets on Google Maps

Egypt in Tweets

This great application for viewing Tweets related to the Egyptian protests was released at the height of the crisis at the beginning of last week. Unfortunately, I spent last week incommunicado (I had a great week skiing in the French Alps, thanks for asking) so I'm posting this a little late. However now that Mubarak has resigned it is a great resource for keeping up-to-date with the emerging new political forces and new government.

The application shows geo-coded Tweets related to Egypt on a Google Map. The Tweets are colour-coded by hashtag, for example #tahrir, #cairo and #freedom. The latest Tweets are also streamed across the bottom of the map, which means you can read the latest news from the Twittersphere in real-time directly from the map.

A Personal Travel Agent with Google Maps

YourTour

YourTour aims to be your personal digital travel agent by helping you create personalised travel itineraries in France, Spain and Florida, in just 15 seconds!

After answering a few basic questions about your trip (like when and where you want to go), you will receive a recommended tour proposal. The proposal includes a detailed itinerary of tourist attractions and hotel accommodations, all displayed on Google Maps.

You can specify your preferences (budget, activity types, specific attractions or hotels, etc.) and receive an updated, more personalised tour proposal. Once you are happy with your tour you can even book all of the hotels in a single click.

Google Maps Valentine Cards

Map Your Valentine

Tell someone that you love them with Google Maps.

Map Your Valentine is a valentine card creator that allows you to send a card to a loved one with your chosen map view or Street View from Google Maps.

Using the card generator you can choose your map view, write a message and then enter the e-mail address of your special loved one. You can use the map view from anywhere on Earth (how about the Taj Mahal or the Egyptian pyramids?) or you can select a Street View where available (for example, the Eiffel Tower or Buckingham Palace).

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Monetize Your Google Maps

Google Maps developers can now monetize Google Maps API v3 maps with Google Ads.

The new Maps Ad Unit overlays relevant AdSense ads on a map. Developers can control where on the map the ads are placed, and the ads shown are based on the current map location.

To get more help implementing the new Maps Ad Unit view the Google Maps API v3 documentation. The documentation includes a good example that allows you to view the different AdSense units at different positions on a Google Map.

Via: Google Geo Developers Blog

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A Google Map Solar Energy Calculator

Solar Energy Calculator

This Google Map from the UC San Diego allows you to calculate the monthly and annual solar energy impinging upon a 1 m² tilted plane in San Diego. At the moment the map only works for San Diego addresses but support for additional regions will be available soon.

To work out the solar energy of an area just click on the desired location on the map and enter the panel tilt and panel azimuth into the form. The map will then calculate solar energy incident per square meter at that location and show the results for each month.

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Your Trash on a Google Map

VanTrash

If you live in Vancouver you now have no excuse for forgetting to put out your trash for collection. The city have developed this Google Maps mashup to inform residents about when their trash will be collected.

The map shows the regions for the city's trash pick-ups. If you click on a region you can then download the pick-up dates to your Google calendar or to Outlook. It is also possible to set up Twitter or email reminders informing you to put your trash out the night before the collection is due.

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A Great Google Maps Store Locator

The euroShell Card Truck Network

The euroShell Card Truck Network is a great example of how to do a store locator map extremely well.

Shell have used Google Maps to display the locations of their gas stations throughout Europe. Nothing new there. However Shell have allowed the user to filter the map by a number of options to ensure that the customer can always find the services that they require. The filters include shops, restaurants, showers and guarded parking.

The map also includes options to plan a route and to download the created maps or GPS files.