Forum Index > Trail Talk > Policy change at Google likely means the end of Gmap4
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Joey
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Joey
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PostFri May 11, 2018 4:54 am 
Last week Google announced a major price increase for all maps that use the Google Map API (Application Program Interface). This includes Gmap4 and other popular browser-based map apps. Each time a map is opened, the API code is downloaded from Google’s servers to the user’s browser. Currently Google allows a map to be opened 25,000 times per day for free. After that the map stops working until the next day when the map gets another allocation of 25,000 daily API downloads. If the pay wall is hit the map developer has the option of buying more API downloads to keep the map going that same day. Starting June 11th the amount of free API downloads is being slashed from 25,000/day to 28,000/month. On average the new limit is roughly 900/day. Additional API downloads can be purchased at the rate of $7 per 1,000. In the last 30 days Gmap4 downloaded the Google map API about 220,000 times. Under the new scheme that would have cost me ~$1,300. Last year during the California wildland fires Google became aware of my wildland fire map which had hit their 25,000/day pay wall. Google contacted me with the cheery news they were raising my API allocation to 250,000/day. Later that API allocation was raised to 1,000,000/day where it remains as I type. Under the new policies Google will grant more API downloads for disaster maps but the tone of their documentation indicates they have really tightened this up. Plus Gmap4 is used for a mixture of disaster/recreation/education/etc maps. I will apply under the new policies for more API downloads based on the disaster mapping I do but I fully expect the Gmap4 we know today is going away. On the other hand, I have always wanted to learn the open source Leaflet map API. Joseph Elfelt

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thunderhead
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PostFri May 11, 2018 8:30 am 
I have heard good things about leaflet... but I havent had time to dig into deeply. Thats a bummer! There are a lot of cool pages that could get hit in addition to yours. Hillmap, WTA... I think both those use google.

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geyer
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PostFri May 11, 2018 9:54 am 
Does this still apply if you use "Google My Maps" https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/ ? That is how I embed trip report maps. And for more detailed planning needs, I always use CalTopo.

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Joey
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Joey
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PostFri May 11, 2018 9:57 am 
1. It does *not* apply to Google MyMaps 2. It *does* apply to CalTopo and to all other maps that are based on the Google map API. Edit: I just looked again at CalTopo. It looks like Matt is already using more then one API. In other words, it looks like CalTopo does not load the Google map API unless you tell CalTopo to display a Google basemap. Thus, Matt could simply delete the Google basemaps and all the rest of his stuff would work with whatever non-Google API he is using.

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zephyr
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zephyr
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PostFri May 11, 2018 4:38 pm 
Joey wrote:
but I fully expect the Gmap4 we know today is going away.
Good grief! This is horrible news. Gmap4 is my "go to" place. frown.gif Thanks, Joey for the wonderful work you have been doing and continue to do. I love Gmap4. ~z

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fourteen410
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PostFri May 11, 2018 5:16 pm 
Joey wrote:
In other words, it looks like CalTopo does not load the Google map API unless you tell CalTopo to display a Google basemap. Thus, Matt could simply delete the Google basemaps and all the rest of his stuff would work with whatever non-Google API he is using.
Ugh. The google satellite basemap feature is really helpful when planning trips.

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geyer
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geyer
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PostFri May 11, 2018 5:50 pm 
fourteen410 wrote:
Ugh. The google satellite basemap feature is really helpful when planning trips.
You can probably still use NAIP 2013-2015 Aerial Imagery

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Joey
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Joey
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PostFri May 11, 2018 6:32 pm 
As someone mentioned to me in a PM, "it's the end of an era".

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fourteen410
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PostFri May 11, 2018 9:53 pm 
geyer wrote:
fourteen410 wrote:
Ugh. The google satellite basemap feature is really helpful when planning trips.
You can probably still use NAIP 2013-2015 Aerial Imagery
Good point. Thanks.

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contour5
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PostFri May 11, 2018 11:25 pm 
They should be paying you. Gmap4 has been like a magic lantern to me for many years now. It occupies a position of prestige, at dead center in the bookmarks toolbar of my outdated Firefox web browser. Maybe change the name to FireMap4 and hope for a miracle? Thanks for your amazing contribution, Joey.

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DigitalJanitor
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DigitalJanitor
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PostSat May 12, 2018 10:27 am 
UG. This gives me a whole lot of sad. Gmap4 has become one of my all time favorite mapping tools. frown.gif

~Mom jeans on wheels
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fourteen410
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PostTue May 15, 2018 2:16 pm 
contour5 wrote:
Thanks for your amazing contribution, Joey.
I've always been curious about this - was Joey involved in the development of gmap4?

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Joey
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Joey
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PostTue May 15, 2018 2:37 pm 
Joey = Gmap4 agree.gif

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iron
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iron
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PostTue May 15, 2018 3:05 pm 
boo.

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zephyr
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zephyr
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PostTue May 15, 2018 4:31 pm 
contour5 wrote:
Gmap4 has been like a magic lantern to me for many years now. It occupies a position of prestige, at dead center in the bookmarks toolbar of my outdated Firefox web browser.
Mine too, except my browser is not outdated. wink.gif I love the "position of prestige" part though. ~z

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