-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: [MAPS-L] Google to impose map API usage fees
Date:   Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:57:29 -0700
From:   John Ridener <[log in to unmask]>
To:     Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship
<[log in to unmask]>



If Google's announcement makes you nervous, there are a number of other
options that allow you to use satellite imagery as well as maps,
including MapQuest's Open Data APIs:
http://developer.mapquest.com/web/products/open

Bing also has APIs: http://www.microsoft.com/maps/developers/mapapps.aspx

Perhaps most importantly, there are Java libraries like Mapstraction:
http://mapstraction.com/ that allow you to change APIs quickly and easily.

John
--------------------
John Ridener
GIS Specialist/Map Cataloger
Earth Sciences and Map Library <http://lib.berkeley.edu/EART>
University of California Berkeley
@geobiblio <http://www.twitter.com/geobiblio>



On Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 10:14 AM, Angie Cope, American Geographical
Society Library, UW Milwaukee <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:

     -------- Original Message --------
     Subject: Google to impose map API usage fees
     Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:21:46 -0700
     From: Jon Jablonski <[log in to unmask]
     <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
     Reply-To: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
     To: Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship
     <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>

     Do you have a library web application that uses Google as a front-end?
     If so, does yesterday's announcement affect you?

      From Andrew Turner at

http://highearthorbit.com/__google-maps-terms-of-service-__and-pay-choice/

<http://highearthorbit.com/google-maps-terms-of-service-and-pay-choice/>

     Today Google announced that they are enforcing free usage limits on the
     Google Maps API. Beyond the free limit of 25,000 views per day, sites
     will start having to pay $4 per 1,000 views. They will automatically
     charge your credit card based on these usage fees and it’s not clear if
     you can set a “cut-off” limit or if it will have the similar
suprises as
     overseas cell charges.


      From the horse's mouth at

http://googlegeodevelopers.__blogspot.com/2011/10/__introduction-of-usage-limits-__to-maps.html

<http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2011/10/introduction-of-usage-limits-to-maps.html>

     To assist in evaluating whether your site is exceeding the usage limits
     we will shortly be adding the Maps API to the Google APIs Console. Once
     available you will be able to track your usage in the APIs Console by
     providing an APIs Console key when you load the Maps API. If you find
     that your site does exceed the usage limits each day you can opt to pay
     for your excess usage by enabling billing on your APIs Console project.
     We will then start billing excess usage to your credit card when we
     begin enforcing the usage limits in early 2012.


     I really doubt any of us (well, maybe Rumsey, LC, and USGS do) get more
     than 25,000 uses per day (more on what constitutes a 'use' here:
     http://code.google.com/apis/__maps/faq.html#usagelimits
     <http://code.google.com/apis/maps/faq.html#usagelimits>).  But I don't
     know enough about people's applications to judge.

     There is this caveat on their faq page: "Non-profits and applications
     deemed in the public interest (as determined by Google at its
     discretion) are not subject to these usage limits." But how would you
     like your #occupyEverywhere map to suddenly get turned off because the
     guy or gal in the tech tent can't convince Google that it's in the
     public interest?

     I guess this is another reason to build on top of OSM.

     --
     Jon Jablonski
     Map & Imagery Laboratory
     Davidson Library
     UC Santa Barbara