We recently upgraded to Google Maps API version 3. This version has a lots of advantages for access over mobile devices, and offers general performance improvements.
Unfortunately the new version also comes with some quirks around printing. Apparently some browsers will require you enable the “Print background colors and images” in order to print properly. If you are having difficulty printing maps in BatchGeo try turning on this option in your browser.
Update
This appears to be a known issue with Google Maps Version 3. The only solution I have found is to try browsers other than Internet Explorer, such as Firefox or Chrome.
This feature was recommended to us from a user in Denmark. You can now “deep link” to individual markers in a map. To discover the relevant link for any given marker just click on it and the URL in your address bar will change.
Its true, you can’t import anything other than a KML or a GeoRSS feed directly into Google My Maps. However you can use BatchGeo to create a KML and then import it straight into Google My Maps.
Just paste your Excel spreadsheet into the BatchGeo tool, validate the columns, and start the geocoder. When the map is done click the “Download Google Earth” below the map and you will have your KML.
Of course you could also use BatchGeo to host your map too. In fact we’d love to hear why you’d rather put it on Google My Maps. We even prepared a short video describing why we think BatchGeo has advantages over Google My Maps.
UPDATE: I have increased the number of points to trigger this feature from 100 to 500.
Publishing a map with hundreds or even thousands of markers can be problematic. Your maps may look like they are drowning in a sea of markers. Yesterday we rolled out a new feature that will help publishers with this problem.
Maps containing over 300 points with no groups assigned will have marker clustering enabled. This feature is thanks to the Google Maps Utility library. Below is an example.
Please post feedback on this feature here. I am still trying to sort out when is the appropriate time to have this feature turn on. I would rather not have to make it a toggle as I am interested in keeping things as simple as possible from an end user standpoint.
For awhile now I have considered creating an API for developers to be able to access some of the technologies in BatchGeo. Sure you could go about using the Google Maps API directly, but geocoding using their API can be slow and troublesome. For instance they don’t offer any mechanisms for caching your geocodes beyond the context of a single user. It also requires you write complex JavaScript to create maps.
I’d envision an API that really hardly resembled one. It would allow you to write basic HTML to access BatchGeo’s mechanism of geocoding and saving to a web page. Once a page is saved you’d be able to update it by changing the source HTML.
My question is: Do you think an API would be useful to you, and what would you like to see in it? Assuming this is going to put greater strain on the server and might require additional hardware dedicated… Would you be willing to pay a monthly fee to support such an API?
Google My Maps has some great features, but when you really want to get serious about making maps… we think BatchGeo still has a leg up. Watch our video to see why.
We’ve heard from a number of users that they have problems with UK postcodes getting located. I always assumed it was something I wasn’t doing quite right, but it appears that there are a number of issues surrounding geocoding uk postcodes.
Apparently it has something to do with the “Royal Mail” service and copyrights. The UK would be smart to get this sorted out, zip code databases are a staple of open GIS in the U.S…. I am not sure why it would be different overseas.
I added a locator function to the saved maps so now you don’t even need to write any code to create a store locator for your web site.
Users will see the box in the upper right hand corner prompting them to “Find the closest” by entering an address, zip code, city, etc.. Actually even place names will work. And unlike most locators we actually show directions to the nearest location, not just where it is.
Has anyone else found a free store locator map creator that’s as easy to use as BatchGeo?
UPDATE: You can now disable the locator using a toggle on the Edit Map screen.
