Mapping Hacks

When Schuyler first created the Geocoder.us web site he embedded maps from the Tiger Map Server. This is a project of the US Census bureau that provides free maps and free map data. All in all it is very very cool. The maps are not as pretty as some of the commercial offerings, but when he wrote the code there was not a Free as in Beer source of maps that were both pretty and free.

The Tiger maps are Free. Well now that Google has a new API, and the maps are at least free as in beer, it seemed fitting to provide a Google Maps option to the geocoder. To see it in action you can geocode the White House.

Compare that with the original Tiger version of the same address.

I share in some of the general concern that having such a darned pretty source of ‘free’ maps may slow development of truly free mapping applications, but damn, the API is so nice, and the maps are so pretty. I console myself with the thought that Google is bringing in _lots_ of new geowankers, who are learning all about extents and tiles and map imagery, and who will eventually reach some limit of Google Maps, such as the lack of topographic data, and then take their new knowledge and push into more open solutions (well, assuming that Google doesn’t just keep pushing the limits of what they’ll provide for free!).

In reality, I think that Google is getting new users, not taking existing ones. The old school applications, like Map Server, may lose some users whose needs are met by Google, but most Mapserver applications are doing things that Google Maps just isn’t doing (yet).

Posted in services |

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.