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Joey verrry senior member
Joined: 05 Jun 2005 Posts: 2794 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
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Joey
verrry senior member
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Fri May 11, 2018 4:54 am
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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 Member
Joined: 14 Oct 2015 Posts: 1511 | TRs | Pics
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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 Member
Joined: 23 May 2017 Posts: 462 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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geyer
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Fri May 11, 2018 9:54 am
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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 verrry senior member
Joined: 05 Jun 2005 Posts: 2794 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
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Joey
verrry senior member
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Fri May 11, 2018 9:57 am
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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 aka friendly hiker
Joined: 21 Jun 2009 Posts: 3361 | TRs | Pics Location: West Seattle |
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zephyr
aka friendly hiker
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Fri May 11, 2018 4:38 pm
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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. Thanks, Joey for the wonderful work you have been doing and continue to do. I love Gmap4. ~z
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fourteen410 Member
Joined: 23 May 2008 Posts: 2622 | TRs | Pics
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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 Member
Joined: 23 May 2017 Posts: 462 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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geyer
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Fri May 11, 2018 5:50 pm
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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 verrry senior member
Joined: 05 Jun 2005 Posts: 2794 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
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Joey
verrry senior member
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Fri May 11, 2018 6:32 pm
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As someone mentioned to me in a PM, "it's the end of an era".
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fourteen410 Member
Joined: 23 May 2008 Posts: 2622 | TRs | Pics
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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 Member
Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 2962 | TRs | Pics
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contour5
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Fri May 11, 2018 11:25 pm
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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 Dirt hippie
Joined: 20 May 2012 Posts: 792 | TRs | Pics
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UG.
This gives me a whole lot of sad. Gmap4 has become one of my all time favorite mapping tools.
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fourteen410 Member
Joined: 23 May 2008 Posts: 2622 | TRs | Pics
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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 verrry senior member
Joined: 05 Jun 2005 Posts: 2794 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
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Joey
verrry senior member
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Tue May 15, 2018 2:37 pm
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Joey = Gmap4
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iron Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 6391 | TRs | Pics Location: southeast kootenays |
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iron
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Tue May 15, 2018 3:05 pm
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zephyr aka friendly hiker
Joined: 21 Jun 2009 Posts: 3361 | TRs | Pics Location: West Seattle |
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zephyr
aka friendly hiker
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Tue May 15, 2018 4:31 pm
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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. I love the "position of prestige" part though. ~z
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