Monday 13 July 2015

Google Maps URL tricks

If you are providing links for people to follow, there are a number of options that you can specify in the URL of a map link to alter the map behavior. Other times you may want to intentionally change the type of map you are looking at. Below are some of the ones URL tricks that I have come across.

Change the behavior of Maps on your own computer

Maps has 2 versions, the Full Maps and Lite mode. In the Full Maps, you can either look at the 3D objects, or just a plain 2D satellite view.

Force Maps into Full mode without the 3D stuff: https://www.google.ca/maps/?force=canvas

Force Maps into full 3D mode: https://www.google.ca/maps/?force=webgl
(you have to do this while in the Full version for it work)

Force Maps into Lite mode: https://www.google.ca/maps/?force=lite

Links for locations

You can link to a named business or location by using the /place flag: https://www.google.ca/maps/place/CN Tower, Toronto

The default view will be the map view, but you can force the view mode to one of the other modes:

Terrain: /data=!5m1!1e4
Earth: /data=!3m1!1e3

To force the Earth mode: https://www.google.ca/maps/place/CN Tower, Toronto/data=!3m1!1e3

Links for directions

To specify a route, you need to use the /dir flag and add the start and end points separated with a /: https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Union Station, Toronto/Eaton Centre, Toronto

If you only want the starting point just don't specify the ending: https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Union Station, Toronto

If you only want the ending point add a double / after the dir: https://www.google.ca/maps/dir//Eaton Centre, Toronto

To add multiple destinations, keep using the / key:

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Union Station, Toronto/Eaton Centre, Toronto/Leslie Spit, Toronto/Ashbridge's Bay, Toronto

You can also specify the type of directions by adding the following flags:

Driving: /data=!4m2!4m1!3e0
Bicycling: /data=!4m2!4m1!3e1
Walking: /data=!4m2!4m1!3e2
Transit: /data=!4m2!4m1!3e3
Flying: /data=!4m2!4m1!3e4

(special thanks to treebles, who spent the time to figure these flags out)

So for the walking directions above you would use https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Union Station, Toronto/Eaton Centre, Toronto/data=!4m2!4m1!3e2

As with places, the default view will be the map view, but you can force the view mode to one of the other modes:

Terrain: /data=!5m1!1e4
Earth: /data=!3m1!1e3

If you want walking directions and terrain view, you would add the codes together to get https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Union Station, Toronto/Eaton Centre, Toronto/data=!4m2!4m1!3e2!5m1!1e4

If you know of any more URL tricks, let me know and I'll add them in.

5 comments:

  1. /data=!5m1!1e5 - street view
    example: https://www.google.pl/maps/@51.7648249,19.459673,13.25z/data=!5m1!1e5

    ReplyDelete
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    Flat Earth Map

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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