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Google Maps

The Google Maps modules enable you to search for places or get directions, location, elevation, roads, or static map image in your Google Maps.

Getting Started with Google Maps

Prerequisites

• A Google account

• A created project in Google Cloud Platform

• Billing on the Google Cloud Project enabled

In order to use Google Maps with Ibexa Connect, it is necessary to have a Google account and a created project in Google Cloud Platform.

If you do not have one, you can create a Google account at accounts.google.com.

Connecting Google Maps to Ibexa Connect

To connect your Google Maps account to Ibexa Connect you need to create a project in Google Cloud Platform and retrieve the API Key.

1. Sign in to Google Cloud Platform using your Google credentials.

2. Open the Dashboard and Click the CREATE PROJECT button.

3. Enter the desired project name and click the CREATE button.

4. Click the ENABLE APIS AND SERVICES button.

5. You need to enable the following APIs to make all of the Ibexa Connect Google Maps modules work:

• Geocoding API

• Maps Elevation API

• Time Zone API

• Directions API

• Distance Matrix API

• Roads API

• Map Static API

• Places API

6. Type the name of the API you would like to add in the Search for APIs & Services field.

7. The desired API option should display as you type. Click on the API you want to connect to Ibexa Connect.

8. Click the ENABLE button to enable the selected API.

9. Repeat steps 6, 7, 8 for all needed Google Maps APIs listed in step 5.

10. Navigate to APIs & Services > Credentials.

11. Click on the +CREATE CREDENTIALS and select the API Key option.

12. Copy the provided API Key.

13. Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/project/_/billing/enable and enable billing for your Google Maps project.

14. Go to Ibexa Connect and open the Google Maps module's Create a connection dialog.

7. Enter the API Key you have copied in step 12 to the respective field and click the Continue button to establish the connection.

The connection has been established. You can proceed with setting up the module.

Search Map

Search For Places

Returns a list of places matching the search term or specified location.

Find Places	Select whether you want to search places by search term or location.
Query Search For Places	Enter the term on which to search. The module returns candidate matches based on this term and orders the results based on their perceived relevance.
Latitude	Specify the latitude to retrieve place information. E.g. -33.870775
Longitude	Specify the longitude to retrieve place information. E.g. 151.199025
Radius	Enter the distance (in meters) within which to bias place results. The maximum allowed radius is 50 000 meters. Results inside of this region will be ranked higher than results outside of the search circle; however, prominent results from outside of the search radius may be included.
Minimum Price	Enter the lowest points for the price range. Restricts results to only those places within the specified price level. Valid values are in the range from 0 (most affordable) to 4 (most expensive), inclusive. The exact amount indicated by a specific value will vary from region to region.
Maximum Price	Enter the highest points for the price range. Restricts results to only those places within the specified price level. Valid values are in the range from 0 (most affordable) to 4 (most expensive), inclusive. The exact amount indicated by a specific value will vary from region to region.
Limit	Set the maximum number of places Ibexa Connect will return during one execution cycle.

Get a Map

Get Directions

Returns directions between locations.

Travel time is the primary factor optimized, but the API may also take into account other factors such as distance, number of turns and many more when deciding which route is the most efficient.

Origin	Enter the address, textual latitude/longitude value, or place ID from which you wish to calculate directions. If you enter an address, the service geocodes the string and converts it to a latitude/longitude coordinate to calculate directions. 24+Sussex+Drive+Ottawa+ON If you enter coordinates, they are used unchanged to calculate directions. Ensure that no space exists between the latitude and longitude values. 41.43206,-81.38992 Place IDs must be prefixed with place_id:. You can retrieve place IDs from the Get a Location module and the Search for Places module. For more about place IDs, see the Place ID overview. place_id:ChIJ3S-JXmauEmsRUcIaWtf4MzE Plus codes must be formatted as a global code or a compound code. Format plus codes as shown here (plus signs are url-escaped to %2B and spaces are url-escaped to %20): Global code is a 4 character area code and 6 character or longer local code (849VCWC8+R9 is 849VCWC8%2BR9). Compound code is a 6 character or longer local code with an explicit location (CWC8+R9 Mountain View, CA, USA is CWC8%2BR9%20Mountain%20View%20CA%20USA).
Destination	Enter the address, textual latitude/longitude value, or place ID to which you wish to calculate directions. The options for the Destination are the same as for the Origin (described above).
Travel mode	Select the mode of transport to use when calculating directions.
Waypoints	Add waypoints, if needed. Intermediate locations to include along the route between the origin and destination points as pass through or stopover locations.
Avoid	Select what should the route avoid.
Units	Select the unit system to use when displaying results.
Define Time	Select whether you want to define arrival or departure time. Applies when the Transit or Driving option is selected in the Travel Mode field (above).
Departure Time	Enter the desired time of departure. You can specify the time using one of the options from the supported date and time formats list. Alternatively, you can specify a value of now, which sets the departure time to the current time (correct to the nearest second). Applies when the Transit or Driving option is selected in the Travel Mode field (above).
Arrival Time	Enter the desired time of arrival for transit directions. Applies when the Transit option is selected in the Travel Mode field (above).

Get a Location

Returns information (including latitude/longitude) of the specified address or returns an address when the latitude/longitude is specified.

Input Format Of Location	Select whether you want to specify the address or coordinates.
Address	Enter the address you want to retrieve details about.
Latitude	Specify the north–south position.
Longitude	Specify the east–west position.

Get a Timezone

Returns the name of time zone, the time offset from UTC, and the daylight savings offset for the specified coordinates.

Latitude	Specify the north–south position.
Longitude	Specify the east–west position.
Date and Time	Enter the time to determine whether or not Daylight Savings should be applied, based on the time zone of the location. the list of supported date and time formats.

Get an Elevation

Returns an elevation data for any location in the world.

Latitude	Specify the north–south position.
Longitude	Specify the east–west position.

Get a Distance Matrix

Returns the travel distance and time for a matrix of origins and destinations, based on the recommended route between start and end points.

Origin	Enter the address, textual latitude/longitude value, or place ID from which you wish to calculate directions. If you enter an address, the service geocodes the string and converts it to a latitude/longitude coordinate to calculate directions. 24+Sussex+Drive+Ottawa+ON If you enter coordinates, they are used unchanged to calculate directions. Ensure that no space exists between the latitude and longitude values. 41.43206,-81.38992 Place IDs must be prefixed with place_id:. You can retrieve place IDs from the Get a Location module and the Search for Places module. For more about place IDs, see the Place ID overview. place_id:ChIJ3S-JXmauEmsRUcIaWtf4MzE Plus codes must be formatted as a global code or a compound code. Format plus codes as shown here (plus signs are url-escaped to %2B and spaces are url-escaped to %20): Global code is a 4 character area code and 6 character or longer local code (849VCWC8+R9 is 849VCWC8%2BR9). Compound code is a 6 character or longer local code with an explicit location (CWC8+R9 Mountain View, CA, USA is CWC8%2BR9%20Mountain%20View%20CA%20USA).
Destination	Enter the address, textual latitude/longitude value, or place ID to which you wish to calculate directions. The options for the Destination are the same as for the Origin (described above).
Travel mode	Select the mode of transport to use when calculating directions.
Waypoints	Add waypoints, if needed. An intermediate locations to include along the route between the origin and destination points as pass through or stopover locations.
Avoid	Select what should the route avoid.
Units	Select the unit system to use when displaying results.
Define Time	Select whether you want to define arrival or departure time. Applies when the Transit or Driving option is selected in the Travel Mode field (above).
Departure Time	Enter the desired time of departure. You can specify the time using one of the options from the supported date and time formats list. Alternatively, you can specify a value of now, which sets the departure time to the current time (correct to the nearest second). Applies when the Transit or Driving option is selected in the Travel Mode field (above).
Arrival Time	Enter the desired time of arrival for transit directions. Applies when the Transit option is selected in the Travel Mode field (above).

Get Roads

Identifies the roads a vehicle was traveling along and provides additional metadata about those roads, such as speed limits.

Note

The Speed Limit service is available to all customers with an Asset Tracking license. For Google Maps Platform Premium Plan customers who transitioned to pay-as-you-go pricing, the feature remains active.

Input format of roads	Select one of the following options: Snap to roads This service returns the best-fit road geometry for a given set of GPS coordinates. This service takes up to 100 GPS points collected along a route, and returns a similar set of data with the points snapped to the most likely roads the vehicle was traveling along. Optionally, you can request that the points be interpolated, resulting in a path that smoothly follows the geometry of the road. Nearest roads This service returns individual road segments for a given set of GPS coordinates. This services takes up to 100 GPS points and returns the closest road segment for each point. The points passed do not need to be part of a continuous path. Speed limits This service returns the posted speed limit for a road segment.
Path	Define the path to be snapped (Snap to roads option). For Speed limits, it then determines the speed limit for the relevant road segment.
Points	Enter a list of latitude/longitude pairs to return the closest road segment for each point. The points passed do not need to be part of a continuous path.
Unit	Select whether to return speed limits in kilometers or miles per hour.

Get a Static Map Image

Downloads an image (either GIF, PNG or JPEG) of the specified location.

Input Format of Center Location	Select one of the following options: Address This service returns the best-fit road geometry for a given set of GPS coordinates. This service takes up to 100 GPS points collected along a route, and returns a similar set of data with the points snapped to the most likely roads the vehicle was traveling along. Optionally, you can request that the points be interpolated, resulting in a path that smoothly follows the geometry of the road. Geographic Coordinates This service returns individual road segments for a given set of GPS coordinates. This services takes up to 100 GPS points and returns the closest road segment for each point. The points passed do not need to be part of a continuous path.
Zoom	Enter the zoom level of the map, which determines the magnification level of the map. This parameter takes a numerical value corresponding to the zoom level of the region desired. For more information, see zoom levels.
Image Size	Specify the width and height of the output image.
Markers	Add markers to define one or more map pins at a set of locations.
Image Format	Select the output image format.
Map Type	Select one of the map type for the output image: roadmap (default) specifies a standard roadmap image, as is normally shown on the Google Maps website. If no maptype is specified, the Maps serves roadmap tiles by default. satellite specifies a satellite image. terrain specifies a physical relief map image, showing terrain and vegetation. hybrid specifies a hybrid of the satellite and roadmap image, showing a transparent layer of major streets and place names on the satellite image.

Make an API Call

Allows you to perform a custom API call.

URL	Enter a path relative to https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api E.g. /geocode/json For the list of available endpoints, refer to the corresponding Google Maps Web Services API documentation: Directions API Distance Matrix API Elevation API Geocoding API Geolocation API Places API Roads API Time Zone API
Method	Select the HTTP method you want to use: GET - to retrieve information for an entry. POST - to create a new entry. PUT - to update/replace an existing entry. PATCH - to make a partial entry update. DELETE - to delete an entry.
Headers	Enter the desired request headers. You don't have to add authorization headers; we already did that for you.
Query String	Enter the request query string.
Body	Enter the body content for your API call.

Example of Use - Text Search

The following API call returns the first 20 Google Maps results for the entered search term:

URL:

/place/textsearch/json

Method:

GET

Query String:

Key: query

Value: <searchTerm>

The result can be found in the module's Output under Bundle > Body > results.

In our example, the first 20 vegan restaurants in Lisbon were returned by Google Maps:

Getting the current time information

The Get time zone information trigger allows you to get the local time for any location on earth, for any date in the past. The trigger returns two elements:

• the time zone offset from UTC (in seconds) and

• the offset for the daylight-savings time from UTC (in seconds).

To get the current local time of a given location, you need to calculate the sum of both values. However, the result refers to the UTC. To translate the UTC to your local time, you need to add or subtract the time zone difference between UTC and your location.

For example, let's say, you are in Prague and you want to know the current local time (9.6.2014) in New York. The trigger Get time zone information returns the Time zone offset from UTC -18000 and the Daylight Savings offset from UTC 3600. The sum of both values is -14400 seconds which is -4 hours from UTC. The result you get when repeating the same steps for Prague is +2 hours from UTC. The time difference between Prague and New York is +6 hours. he trigger Get time zone information returns the Time zone offset from UTC -18000 and the Daylight Savings offset from UTC 3600. The sum of both values is -14400 seconds which is -4 hours from UTC. The result you get when repeating the same steps for Prague is +2 hours from UTC. The time difference between Prague and New York is +6 hours.