Dual Maps version 5
Dual Maps displays a synchronized Google Map and Street View alongside a Bing Map showing bird's eye imagery (where available).
Dual Maps has been rewritten to use the current Google Maps v3 API.
There is a simple interface to create a map and embed on your website with no need for registration.
View an example Dual Map above and visit the Dual Maps page to add a Dual Map to your website.
27 March 2013
Google Maps v2 API Deprecated
The Google Maps v2 API was deprecated in May 2010 and the v2 API may not be available from 19th May, 2013.
This change will affect a number of older Map Channels projects which use the v2 API. Projects using the current v3 API are unaffected.
Find more information about which projects are affected at the Deprecated Projects page.
Some projects such as Dual Maps have already been updated to use the current API (see above).
27 March 2013
New Subscriptions Closed
The option to upgrade to subscriber status is no longer available. If you wish to make a payment or donation to Map Channels please visit the Payments page.
2 January 2013
Map Channels v4 Bug Fix
A bug fix was made to the v4 javascript code after a change in the Google Maps API prevented some info windows from opening when markers were clicked. If you are using locally hosted v4 maps please update your files.
5 December 2012
Map Channels v4 Update
Changes have been made to the way v4 Map Channels are embedded which fixes a problem where some maps were not displaying correctly in some browsers.
It is recommended to change the code that you use to embed your v4 Map Channels.
25 November 2012
New Subscriptions Are Ending
From 1st January 2013 the option to upgrade to subscriber status will no longer be available.
This change will not affect existing subscribers who will continue to enjoy the benefits listed on the donation page.
Even if you are not a subscriber you can still use Map Channels tools. Adverts are enabled for maps hosted on Map Channels but can be removed for v4 maps hosted on your own website.
There will be a new Map Channels project announced early next year which will provide more powerful mapping tools through a new website.
We are seeking resellers and integrators for this new project who can help us with development and marketing. To find out more please Contact us.
25 November 2012
Map Channels v4.09 and Tour Map Updates
Map Channels v4.09
• Option added to display placemark tooltips when the cursor moves over a place listing in the sidebar.
• The footer and header panels can now be displayed either above or below the map.
• The background colour used in the sidebar can be changed
• An option to disable auto-panning of the map when an info window opens has been added.
27 September 2012
Tour Maps
• Tour Map settings are saved between sessions.
• A new Info Panel component is provided as an alternative to the info window. The info panel is positioned automatically so that no map panning is required to view place information.
• A local hosting option has been added where the map is displayed using inline divs rather than an iframe.
• For locally hosted Tour Maps, a margin option allows info panels to display partially outside the map where required.
• Info panels close automatically when the animated route passes beneath the info panel.
• Ads can be disabled for locally hosted Tour Maps.
2 August 2012
Introducing Tour Maps
Tour Maps are a new tool to display an animated journey between a set of placemarks. There are a range of options to customize the appearance and behaviour of your Tour Map.
To create a Tour Map, first create a v4 Map Channel from a KML feed (tutorial). Then click on the 'Tour Map' link to edit your Tour Map settings.
If you already have v4 Map Channels that use KML feeds then you can find Tour Map links within your v4 Map Channel List.
Example Tour Maps
Walk around the London Olympic Site by Keir Clarke
London Royal Tour
and
London Bus Tour
by LondonForFree.Net
Custom Design
Please contact us if you would like a customized Tour Map developed for your website.
23 July 2012
Map Channels v4.08 Update
This update contains a lot of new features and improvements.
To upgrade your existing v4 Map Channels to v4.08 go to the Edit Page and click the 'Update' button.
Change: The API Reference is now available to all users.
Change: The option to locally host your map is now available to all users.
Change: Ad units have been simplified. Only one ad unit is displayed per map.
The ad can be placed either in the map corner or in the sidebar.
Subscribers can disable ads on their maps or place ads with their own AdSense ID on locally hosted maps.
New: Added a new category filter option which displays category headers within the sidebar. Clicking on the headers can expand or collapse the place list beneath the header.
Change: Changed the footer category filter to use checkboxes instead of radio buttons. This allows multiple categories to be viewable at one time.
New: Categories for polygons and polylines are created automatically. The names of these categories can be defined.
New: The user can define a list of categories which are initially visible. This can be set within the Map Channel settings or by supplying a URL parameter.
New: Unused place categories are not displayed in the category filter.
New: Place without a category are marked as 'Uncategorized' when the category filter is enabled.
Change: The Google Places search control in the header panel is no longer enabled by default.
New: A 'Find Nearby Events' link can be displayed in the header panel, powered by Team Maps.
New: A 'Find Nearby Hotels' link can be displayed in the header panel, powered by Map Channels Hotels.
New: A Custom Geo Search link can be displayed in the header panel. This links to another web page with definable url, title and latitude, longitude and zoom parameters.
New: Added Weather and Transit layer options.
New: Added Cloud layer option.
New: Added Weather Layer settings for temperature and wind speed units.
New: Added a Layers Placement setting (either Sidebar or Footer Panel).
New: Added a Localities placement setting (either Sidebar or Footer Panel)
New: A 'Print Map' button can be displayed on the map
New: Info windows can contain a link to the Dual Maps control.
Change: Tooltips are no longer displayed upon sidebar mouseover events.
New: Multiple places can be deleted with one command in the places management page (for edit enabled maps).
Change: The place limit for edit enabled maps has been increased from 1,000 to 2,000.
Change: The 'Coding by Map Channels' notice link has been removed from the map.
Change: The header and footer panel heights are set automatically if required by other map settings.
New: Added tooltip offsets to fine-tune the position of the tooltip relative to a marker.
New: KML Layers have a new 'clickable' property (suitable for displaying layers containing ground overlay or other non-clickable elements).
Bugfix: Fixed a bug preventing HTML code being entered for user contributed places.
Bugfix: The default marker is used for places which do not have a marker image defined in their KML data.
Bugfix: Advanced tooltips no longer appear if only basic tooltips are selected.
Bugfix: Fixed a tooltip vertical alignment bug.
Bugfix: The grey 'filter' text is now displayed in the name filter box when the map first loads.
Known Bug: There remains a bug when interacting with the MC4Edit.aspx page using the Chrome browser.
After clicking 'Update' the preview map is not displayed, and requires the page to be reloaded to display correctly.
If MC4Edit.aspx is accessed using Chrome a warning is now displayed at the top of the page.
9 July 2012
Google's new usage charges for the Maps API
Google have recently announced that they will be introducing usage charges for websites which exceed 25,000 Map API calls per day.
Update 1: The usage charges will not affect Map Channels as the maps we host are mostly created for the websites of site users (thanks Google!).
Update 2: Lower pricing and simplified limits with the Google Maps API.
Note: If you are anticipating a large number of daily views for your maps please select the local hosting option or contact us for assistance.
6 December 2011
Map Channels v4.07 Update
• Improved tooltips, now available for polylines and polygons.
• Import data into edit enabled maps.
• Integrated Geocoder for edit-enabled maps. Add or update place co-ordinates for your data. Interactive menus to select the correct address where multiple results are obtained.
• Increased the place limit for edit-enabled maps from 50 to 500 places for non-subscribers. Subscribers have a limit of 1,000 places per map.
Read the Importing and Geocoding Data Tutorial and get started.
4 November 2011
Map Channels v4.06 : Edit Enabled Maps
• Manage your collection of places: add, edit or delete placemarks.
• Option for visitors to contribute places to your map.
• Add custom fields to places.
• Customize the display of place data within the info window, sidebar and tooltip.
• Access to all other v4 Map Channel features.
View the Tutorial for more information.
Further features will be added for Edit Enabled Maps soon.
27 September 2011
Mobile Place Maps
Mobile Place Maps are a quick and convenient method of providing a place map, plus the route to get there.
The directions shown are based on your current location. The map is optimized for mobile devices.
Example Maps
London
New York
9 August 2011
Map Channels v4.05 update
New Features
1. Search facility powered by the Google Places API.
2. Define a list of localities, giving quick links to map locations.
3. The footer panel can be customized using an HTML template to show categories, layers and localities.
4. An Information panel can be used in addition to the info window to display detailed place information.
User Interface Improvements
1. A map is provided to (optionally) set the initial map centre and zoom level.
2. A preview of the feed data is displayed (useful to spot if an incorrect feed url has been supplied).
3. Additional help for setting up a data feed.
2 August 2011
Map Channels v4.04 update
Custom Map Styles
Customize the appearance of your map imagery. Change the colours of geometry and/or labels for selected map features. Remove selected map features and labels.
8 July 2011
Map Channels v4.03 update
Data Templates for Info Window, Sidebar and Tooltip
The text displayed in the info window, the sidebar or the tooltip can now be customized.
An API Reference and a local hosting tutorial are now available to subscribers.
30 June 2011
Map Channels v4.02 update
Direct Feed Upload
Map Feeds can be uploaded directly from a file on your computer or by copying and pasting the feed data. See Create New Map Channel.
Support for KML and Fusion Table Layers
You can now add multiple data layers to your v4 Map Channels.
This lets you easily combine other data sources such as KML Layers or Fusion Table Layers with your own map data.
Markers from Fusion Table Layers can be assigned a custom icon.
Optional Header and Footer panels can be used to display filter controls for categories and layers.
An optional map information panel can be displayed as part of the sidebar. The default ad location has also been move from the sidebar to the map.
Shared v4 Map Channels can now be viewed in the Libray.
Visit the Map Channels v4 main page to try out the new features (located in section 10 - Layers).
Map Channels Version 4
• Using the latest Google Maps v3 API.
• Faster, more compact code.
• Many new features.
• Improved design interface - all settings are on one page.
• Support for Google My Maps, Google Spreadsheets, KML, Geo RSS and Tab-delimited Text feeds.
• More features are under development.
• Want to sponsor the development of a new feature ? Contact Us for a quote.
• Visit www.mapchannels.com/v4 to get started.
4 April 2011
Animated Route Maps
• Easy to create Route Map with Directions.
• Display Google Street View and Bing Birds Eye imagery (where available) for any point along the route.
• Watch an animation of all or part of the journey.
• Many options available to customize the map.
• API documentation so you can easily modify your map settings.
• Simple to embed the map on your web page.
Create an Animated Route Map Now
23 April 2011
|
Get Started
• Register for a free user account.
• Read the Map Channels v4 Tutorial.
• Also read the Edit Enabled Maps Tutorial if you want to let your site users contribute places to the map.
• Create a New Map Channel to embed your map into your website in seconds.
• Edit the map display settings to enhance your map's appearance and functionality.
• A local hosting option is available if you want to host the code and data on your own website.
• View the range of other mapping tools available in the Tools section.
About Map Channels
Map Channels has been running since 2007 providing mapping tools mostly based on the Google Maps API.
The Main Map Channels version 4 control lets you embed a custom map into your website or blog without the need for coding.
The service is free. You can use the map scripts generated by this site for both commercial and non-commercial use.
Trail Charts API - map a collection of trails from a spreadsheet source
 Trail Charts is a mapping API which can be used on your website to display a large number of separate KML feeds (trails) on a map.
A speadsheet is the main data source, containing one row per trail. Any number of additional columns (fields) can be contained in the speadsheet.
Template functions allow you to easily customize how these fields are displayed within the map.
Two maps are used, the first map displays the overall area and the second map displays the currently selected trail.
Menus and submenus can filter your trails by category or by date.
Visit TripGeo.com to get started.
Example Trail Chart : California and Yosemite Wilderness Hikes Map
14 March 2011
Custom Website Design Services
We provide design services including :
• Javascript client-side code.
• Support for the Google, Bing and Nokia Maps APIs.
• ASP .Net server-side code.
• Experience in the development of user-contributed mapping websites.
• Competitive pricing, flexible terms.
Please Contact us for further information.
Map Channels Hotels
Find your hotel bargain using Map Channels Hotels.
Destination City
Compare hotel deals from multiple suppliers with an easy-to-use search interface.
See hotels in Street View. Filter results by name or price.
Revenue from hotel bookings helps to fund the development and running costs of Map Channels.
Map Channels Events
View maps and calendars at Map Channels Events for upcoming events around the world.
Search for performer, venue or city
Revenue from ticket sales helps to fund the development and running costs of Map Channels.
View the City Guides Index for a full index of cities where upcoming events are listed.
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Germany
Ireland
Dublin
Map Channels Site News
View the latest Site News Here.
Subscribe to the  Map Channels News RSS Feed
Follow Map Channels On Twitter
Other Websites of Interest
Street Cities hosts tools to embed Google Street View into web pages.
TripGeo is a mapping resource which hosts the Directions Map embeddable control.
Mashed World - featuring Street Tours and Worldwide Webcam.
EntCal - Event maps and calendars.
Team Maps - Mapping Tutorials and Events Guide.
Google Maps Mania - An unofficial Google Maps blog tracking the websites, mashups and tools being influenced by Google Maps.
Mapperz Blogspot - The Mapping News Blog.
Google Geo Developers Blog - Official Google Maps API Blog.
Add a sponsored link to your site here.
Please Contact us for more information.
|