This book takes a developer's perspective, showing how to integrate Google Maps mapping features into their Rails-driven Web applications. The book shows how to draw on outside data sources for geocoding, and to encourage interactive features like community-driven maps.

The Google Maps API is a showcase example of the Web 2.0 development paradigm, designed to be invitingly simple for third-party developers to incorporate dynamic mapping services into Web applications. Interest in Google Maps is so strong that it arguably sparked the mashup phenomenon, along with websites such as gmapsmania.com, which highlights some exciting applications using the mapping API in conjunction with a variety of other data sources. Beginning Google Maps Applications with Rails and Ajax takes a developer's perspective, showing how to integrate mapping features into their Rails-driven Web applications. The book shows how to draw upon a variety of data sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau's TIGER/Line data and Google's own geocoding feature to build comprehensive geocoding services for mapping many locations around the world. The book includes guided examples demonstrating how to encourage user interaction such as pinpointing map locations, adding comments, and building community-driven maps.

The first book to comprehensively introduce the Google Maps application development using the Rails development framework Readers are introduced to the very latest changes to the Google Maps API, embodied in the version 2 release Authored by four developers actively involved in the creation of location-based mapping services

Autorentext
Andre Lewis has been working with technology for the last nine years. His experience ranges from large-scale enterprise consulting with Accenture to startup ventures and open source projects. During "Web 1.0," Andre helped architect coolboard.com, one of the top 50 trafficked Internet sites in 2000. He currently runs his own business, developing Ruby on Rails applications and consulting on Web 2.0 technologies. He also runs hotspotr.com, a community-driven site for WiFi cafes. He blogs about technology, work, and general interests at http://earthcode.com. From time to time, Andre gives presentations to San Francisco-area technology groups, including SDForum and the SF Ruby meetup. Andre lives and works in San Francisco, California. When he's not working with clients or exploring the latest technologies, he likes to mountain bike, camp, and ride his motorcycle.

Inhalt
Your First Google Maps.- Google Maps and Rails.- Getting Started.- Interacting with the User and the Server.- Geocoding Addresses.- Beyond the Basics.- Manipulating Third-Party Data.- Improving the User Interface.- Optimizing and Scaling for Large Data Sets.- What's Next for the Google Maps API?.- Advanced Map Features and Methods.- Advanced Tips and Tricks.- Lines, Lengths, and Areas.- Advanced Geocoding Topics.