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 create a map which users can contribute to.
• Create a New Map Channel to embed your map into your website in seconds.
• View the 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 that lets you embed a custom map into your website or blog without the need for coding.
An extensive range of options let you tailor your map's appearance to your own needs.
The service is free. You can use the map scripts generated by this site for both commercial and non-commercial use.
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: The usage charges will not affect Map Channels as the maps we host are mostly created for the websites of site users (thanks Google!).
Note: If you are anticipating a large number of daily views for your maps please select local hosting 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 bar 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.
Subscriber Update
Subscribers can now disable adverts on all version 4 Map Channels (not just locally hosted maps).
There are some limits, see the Donations page for full details.
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).
Donation Update
The Donation system has been updated. For each £10 you donate you get a one year subscription.
When subscribed you can host your map scripts locally and create maps using larger feeds. Users who have already donated are not affected by this change.
One other site change is that the daily map data update for non-subscribers is only run for map channels or feeds that have been updated within the last six months.
This change reduces the time and bandwidth used during the maps update process.
If you find that your map data is not being refreshed when needed, just go to the map edit page and update your map channel.
This will re-enable the daily map data update for another six months.
15 June 2011
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
Dual Maps version 3.02
• Visit the Dual Maps page to create your Dual Map.
• Combine Google Maps, Google Street View and Microsoft Bing Maps into one embeddable control.
• Free to use, no registration required.
• Many customizable settings.
• View Google Search results in Street View (where available).
• Option to supply an address instead of co-ordinates to generate a Dual Map.
• Display Traffic, Panoramio and Wikipedia Map Layers.
• Choice of street view icons.
Changes
• Added display of Current Direction.
• Added Traffic, Panoramio and Wikipedia Layers.
• Made Google Search Bar Optional.
• Restored the pegman icon option.
• Fixed bug preventing the Bing map from displaying in some cases.
10 April 2011
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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 1 : California and Yosemite Wilderness Hikes Map
Example Trail Chart 2 : 2012 Olympic Games Torch Relay Route
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.
Amazon sales commission helps to fund the development and running costs of Map Channels.
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.
Add a sponsored link to your site here.
Please Contact us for more information.
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