Google Maps Adds Static Image API
Google Maps now offers a means for websites wishing to use its API in their applications to retrieve static images, instead of serving up a full-on active Google Maps environment. The Static Maps API is as simple as possible just a URL containing lattitude, longtitude, image size, zoom level, type of map, and what color you want optional pushpins to be, plus your API key.
Requests are limited to 1,000 per day, per API key, but that means 1,000 seperate requests. If the same image is served half a million times, it only counts as one request, which means it’s pretty safe for use in articles or a page showing the location of a business, but not necessarilly in a large production environment. Map types are limited to standard road maps and special mobile-formatted versions of the road maps, designed for readability on smaller screens, but no sattelite of hybrid maps.
Images are served as GIFs, not the PNGs Google Maps uses, which is a curious choice. Google certainly isn’t saving any bandwidth over that decision.
An example image URL:
http://maps.google.com/staticmap?center=40.714728,-73.998672&zoom=14&size=512×512&maptype=mobile&markers=40.702147,-74.015794,blues%7C40.711614,-74.012318,greeng%7C40.718217,-73.998284,redc&key=MAPS_API_KEY
Results in this image:
