Mountain View, California – While Apple continues to review its maps strategy, but search engine leader Google in its never-ending quest to dominate the global mapping scene only seems to get more well-rounded, has just rolled out a new pair of APIs designed to help organizations build their own location-enabled applications.
Going forward, today’s release is targeted towards developers in the form of two new APIs for businesses who want to develop their own location-enabled apps: the Google Maps Tracks API and the Google Maps Geolocation API – with different features that will allow them to be location aware – in a way that location information not just relegated to GPS.
The first is Google Maps Tracks API, which empowers developers with the ability to concoct apps that can store, display and analyze GPS data on a map. In other words, those in need of a geofencing program – fleet managers and the like – need look no further. The second of two releases today works with Google Maps Geolocation API, which “enables an application or device to determine its own location without the use of GPS by looking up the locations of nearby WiFi access points and cell towers.”
According to the official blog, here is a breakdown on the two APIs:
- The Google Maps Tracks API lets organizations build apps that can store, display and analyze GPS data on a map. It’s built on top of Google’s cloud infrastructure, and includes geo-fencing, or a virtual perimeter representing a geographic region.
- The Google Maps Geolocation API lets organizations build apps or devices that determine their own location without the use of GPS, by looking up the locations of nearby wifi access points and cell towers. This can save battery life for devices, by limiting GPS usage, and it lets the device work indoors and in remote areas, according to Google.
On the other hand, Google Maps product manager Nabil Naghdy explained on the official Google Enterprise blog on Wednesday that “map-based information is useful for any business that relies on a fleet of vehicles, employees who travel, or other mobile resources.”
More so, “The Google Maps Tracks API, for example, can provide a fleet management company with tools for analyzing data from past and present deliveries. By viewing routing information on a familiar Google Map, they can precisely determine which routes can save time and fuel. Using the Google Maps Geolocation API, the fleet management company can equip its vehicles with advanced positioning capabilities. Even in dense city blocks where GPS dropout is common, a dispatcher can still locate its fleet.”
Expounding further on the nifty features of the two API’s: “The Google Maps Tracks API allows businesses to take advantage of a technique called geo-fencing, where a company can create a virtual region on a map to notify a device when it enters or exits a predefined area,” adds Naghdy. “For instance, the same fleet management company could set up notifications that would automatically alert drivers whenever they were 10 miles outside their delivery territory and need to turn around. Automated notifications could reduce dependence on a central dispatcher, allowing the delivery company to use their employees more efficiently.”
Besides, according to the company, more than 800,000 developers worldwide use Google Maps APIs to develop their own applications based on the unique potentials of Google Maps. With the launch of Google Maps Tracks API and Google Maps Geolocation API, companies can use real-time location-based information to make their operation run more smoothly and efficiently.
These Google Maps APIs are available for businesses now.
Image via The Official Google Enterprise Blog.