Maps are Changing!

After more than ten years of using the Google Maps Javascript api, I’m forced to look elsewhere. During the development of the Comelicotrekking.com site I had to deal too many times with the corporate policies of the big G, in simple terms Google is known for its sudden closures of entire projects. If on the one hand they provide Tools, Applications and Documentation that are very useful for novice users, on the other hand they do not think twice about cutting entire dead branches that do not yield what they should, or judged obsolete.

In first touch toPanoramio, a vast community dedicated to publishing flat photos on Google Earth. Closed, those who complied in time were able to move their material to their account and continued to be available without many stories or variations, (unless it was linked elsewhere as in my case, which forced me to replace the domain in all the links used) those who woke up late attacked and their work ended up in the digital toilet.

Then the same fate befell Street View, another community that aimed to tell the world to the sound of 360° panoramic images. Closed, either you pass the photos on Google Maps in time or you are Out.Small mention about Google’s Local Guide project, in my opinion ridiculous. Since it could be compiled by spending hours and hours in Reviews, Photos, Various Points of Interest with the reward of a points ranking that, at the highest levels, would have granted Google articles and special discounts to the most hard-working Guides. CurrentlyI find myselfLocal Guide Level 5 (ex 6, for having deleted 3/4 of my photos published on Google Maps) and over the course of almost ten years what has been offered to me? a nice 10% discount on the purchase of a Google Pixel and a pair of Earphones! Mavaffan!!

Last year on the occasion of a redesign of the graphic interface of maps, (addition of some motion controls and zoom with the mouse) I had 2 months to update my map code thus preventing the new controls from appearing at the same time as the old controls. 20 days of programming to replace the old functions from the source code of 76 pages containing the maps on ComelicoTrekking. Luckily the steps were well documented! not bad .. I took the opportunity to give my code a good clean up which over time had become a bit messed up and I lost about 10 useful days of work.

Now we get to the point, the straw that is breaking the camel’s back: The version of Maps Javascript api 3.65 will be the last to support the KML Layer function and will be revoked next year! What does this mean? Soon said, all the digital maps on Comelicotrekking.com use this function to load points of interest, tracks, overlays and so on on the map. In other words, from next year in the state in which they are all my papers will be empty! A good chunk of the site will not work. With the communication of these changes, I was offered guides to remedy them which consist of uploading my files to the Google cloud console and replacing the revoked function with the new code on all the famous 76 pages. Very simple to say completely different story to do it and make it work well. Among other things, with a lot of limitations especially the link to external files, such as the photos attached to the Points of Interest that are currently hosted in my WordPress library.

Well.. as I have always done I could put myself in a good way and move everything to the Google cloud (Merd), leaving in part for X days the current projects I am carrying out and dedicating myself only and exclusively to programming. Well…But for what purpose!?run once again after the company policies of the lords of Google, only to find myself in the same situation of having to continuously update the code over and over again to adapt it to their convenience? Maybe one day I will find myself with a hefty bill for the rent of their infrastructure? No thanks, I have other things to do, Goodbye big G.

For some time I have been evaluating a more than valid alternative, with many extra functions such as an integrated poi database that loads useful markers in a set radius, with a search function and statistics graphs. All this is possible and does not even have a prohibitive cost. Great news therefore in the coming months on comelicotrekking.com Stay Tuned