Hi folks, I was wondering if it is possible to get the places of interest in a location based on the lattitude/longitude information or approximate street address gathered from a GPS system? places of interest are defined in this context as: Restaurants, Resorts, Parks, malls, movie theaters, etc.
Are there some online services either with bing maps / google maps / something else, that provides such information in some parsed format?
Thank you
On the client side, you use the Google AJAX Search API to search for places of interest around a specific coordinate:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Google AJAX Search API Demo</title>
<script src="http://www.google.com/jsapi" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
google.load('search', '1');
var localSearch;
function localSearchComplete() {
// Check that we got results
if (localSearch.results && localSearch.results.length > 0) {
// Loop through our results, printing them to the page.
var results = localSearch.results;
document.getElementById('content').innerHTML = "";
for (var i = 0; i < results.length; i++) {
document.getElementById('content').innerHTML +=
'<div style="clear: both;">' +
'<div style="float: left; width: 160px;">' + results[i].title + '</div>' +
'<div style="float: left; width: 80px;">' + results[i].lat + '</div>' +
'<div style="float: left; width: 80px;">' + results[i].lng + '</div>' +
'<div style="float: left; width: 140px;">' + results[i].streetAddress + '</div>' +
'<div style="float: left; width: 120px;">' + results[i].city + '</div>' +
'</div>';
}
}
}
function OnLoad() {
localSearch = new google.search.LocalSearch();
// Coordinates for "New York, NY"
localSearch.setCenterPoint("40.70, -74.00");
localSearch.setSearchCompleteCallback(this, localSearchComplete, null);
localSearch.execute("restaurants");
}
google.setOnLoadCallback(OnLoad);
</script>
</head>
<body style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11px;">
<div id="content">Loading...</div>
</body>
</html>
The result would be the following:
To get the same results from the server side in JSON format, you may want to check the following article:
Basically you would be able to issue a request to Google in the following format:
http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/services/search/local?v=2.0&q=restaurants+40.70,-74.00
Which would return the following JSON:
{
"responseData": {
"results": [
{
"GsearchResultClass": "GlocalSearch",
"viewportmode": "explicit",
"listingType": "local",
"lat": "40.703684",
"lng": "-73.994861",
"accuracy": "8",
"title": "The River Cafe",
"titleNoFormatting": "The River Cafe",
"ddUrl": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026daddr\u003d1+Water+Street%2C+Brooklyn%2C+NY+%28The+River+Cafe%29+%4040.703684%2C-73.994861\u0026saddr\u003d40.70%2C-74.00",
"ddUrlToHere": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026daddr\u003d1+Water+Street%2C+Brooklyn%2C+NY+%28The+River+Cafe%29+%4040.703684%2C-73.994861\u0026iwstate1\u003ddir%3Ato",
"ddUrlFromHere": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026saddr\u003d1+Water+Street%2C+Brooklyn%2C+NY+%28The+River+Cafe%29+%4040.703684%2C-73.994861\u0026iwstate1\u003ddir%3Afrom",
"streetAddress": "1 Water Street",
"city": "Brooklyn",
"region": "NY",
"country": "United States",
"staticMapUrl": "http://mt.google.com/mapdata?cc\u003dus\u0026tstyp\u003d5\u0026Point\u003db\u0026Point.latitude_e6\u003d40703684\u0026Point.longitude_e6\u003d-73994861\u0026Point.iconid\u003d15\u0026Point\u003de\u0026w\u003d150\u0026h\u003d100\u0026zl\u003d4",
"url": "http://www.google.com/maps/place?source\u003duds\u0026q\u003drestaurants\u0026cid\u003d9181090609208620883",
"content": "",
"maxAge": 604800,
"phoneNumbers": [
{
"type": "",
"number": "(718) 522-5200"
}
],
"addressLines": [
"1 Water Street",
"Brooklyn, NY"
]
},
{
"GsearchResultClass": "GlocalSearch",
"viewportmode": "explicit",
"listingType": "local",
"lat": "40.702956",
"lng": "-73.994105",
"accuracy": "8",
"title": "Pete\u0026#39;s Downtown \u003cb\u003eRestaurant\u003c/b\u003e",
"titleNoFormatting": "Pete's Downtown Restaurant",
"ddUrl": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026daddr\u003d1+Cadman+Plaza+West%2C+Brooklyn%2C+NY+%28Pete%27s+Downtown+Restaurant%29+%4040.702956%2C-73.994105\u0026saddr\u003d40.70%2C-74.00",
"ddUrlToHere": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026daddr\u003d1+Cadman+Plaza+West%2C+Brooklyn%2C+NY+%28Pete%27s+Downtown+Restaurant%29+%4040.702956%2C-73.994105\u0026iwstate1\u003ddir%3Ato",
"ddUrlFromHere": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026saddr\u003d1+Cadman+Plaza+West%2C+Brooklyn%2C+NY+%28Pete%27s+Downtown+Restaurant%29+%4040.702956%2C-73.994105\u0026iwstate1\u003ddir%3Afrom",
"streetAddress": "1 Cadman Plaza West",
"city": "Brooklyn",
"region": "NY",
"country": "United States",
"staticMapUrl": "http://mt.google.com/mapdata?cc\u003dus\u0026tstyp\u003d5\u0026Point\u003db\u0026Point.latitude_e6\u003d40702956\u0026Point.longitude_e6\u003d-73994105\u0026Point.iconid\u003d15\u0026Point\u003de\u0026w\u003d150\u0026h\u003d100\u0026zl\u003d4",
"url": "http://www.google.com/maps/place?source\u003duds\u0026q\u003drestaurants\u0026cid\u003d4933341782274549162",
"content": "",
"maxAge": 604800,
"phoneNumbers": [
{
"type": "",
"number": "(718) 858-3510"
}
],
"addressLines": [
"1 Cadman Plaza West",
"Brooklyn, NY"
]
},
{
"GsearchResultClass": "GlocalSearch",
"viewportmode": "explicit",
"listingType": "local",
"lat": "40.702726",
"lng": "-73.993499",
"accuracy": "8",
"title": "Grimaldi\u0026#39;s Pizzeria",
"titleNoFormatting": "Grimaldi's Pizzeria",
"ddUrl": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026daddr\u003d19+Old+Fulton+St%2C+%2C+NY+%28Grimaldi%27s+Pizzeria%29+%4040.702726%2C-73.993499\u0026saddr\u003d40.70%2C-74.00",
"ddUrlToHere": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026daddr\u003d19+Old+Fulton+St%2C+%2C+NY+%28Grimaldi%27s+Pizzeria%29+%4040.702726%2C-73.993499\u0026iwstate1\u003ddir%3Ato",
"ddUrlFromHere": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026saddr\u003d19+Old+Fulton+St%2C+%2C+NY+%28Grimaldi%27s+Pizzeria%29+%4040.702726%2C-73.993499\u0026iwstate1\u003ddir%3Afrom",
"streetAddress": "19 Old Fulton St",
"city": "",
"region": "NY",
"country": "United States",
"staticMapUrl": "http://mt.google.com/mapdata?cc\u003dus\u0026tstyp\u003d5\u0026Point\u003db\u0026Point.latitude_e6\u003d40702726\u0026Point.longitude_e6\u003d-73993499\u0026Point.iconid\u003d15\u0026Point\u003de\u0026w\u003d150\u0026h\u003d100\u0026zl\u003d4",
"url": "http://www.google.com/maps/place?source\u003duds\u0026q\u003drestaurants\u0026cid\u003d4244157563901397553",
"content": "",
"maxAge": 604800,
"phoneNumbers": [
{
"type": "",
"number": "(718) 858-4300"
}
],
"addressLines": [
"19 Old Fulton St",
"Brooklyn, NY"
]
},
{
"GsearchResultClass": "GlocalSearch",
"viewportmode": "explicit",
"listingType": "local",
"lat": "40.695108",
"lng": "-73.996252",
"accuracy": "8",
"title": "Teresa\u0026#39;s \u003cb\u003eRestaurant\u003c/b\u003e",
"titleNoFormatting": "Teresa's Restaurant",
"ddUrl": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026daddr\u003d80+Montague+Street%2C+Brooklyn%2C+NY+%28Teresa%27s+Restaurant%29+%4040.695108%2C-73.996252\u0026saddr\u003d40.70%2C-74.00",
"ddUrlToHere": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026daddr\u003d80+Montague+Street%2C+Brooklyn%2C+NY+%28Teresa%27s+Restaurant%29+%4040.695108%2C-73.996252\u0026iwstate1\u003ddir%3Ato",
"ddUrlFromHere": "http://www.google.com/maps?source\u003duds\u0026saddr\u003d80+Montague+Street%2C+Brooklyn%2C+NY+%28Teresa%27s+Restaurant%29+%4040.695108%2C-73.996252\u0026iwstate1\u003ddir%3Afrom",
"streetAddress": "80 Montague Street",
"city": "Brooklyn",
"region": "NY",
"country": "United States",
"staticMapUrl": "http://mt.google.com/mapdata?cc\u003dus\u0026tstyp\u003d5\u0026Point\u003db\u0026Point.latitude_e6\u003d40695108\u0026Point.longitude_e6\u003d-73996252\u0026Point.iconid\u003d15\u0026Point\u003de\u0026w\u003d150\u0026h\u003d100\u0026zl\u003d4",
"url": "http://www.google.com/maps/place?source\u003duds\u0026q\u003drestaurants\u0026cid\u003d12686375620276309855",
"content": "",
"maxAge": 604800,
"phoneNumbers": [
{
"type": "",
"number": "(718) 797-3996"
}
],
"addressLines": [
"80 Montague Street",
"Brooklyn, NY"
]
}
],
"cursor": {
"pages": [
{
"start": "0",
"label": 1
},
{
"start": "4",
"label": 2
},
{
"start": "8",
"label": 3
},
{
"start": "12",
"label": 4
}
],
"estimatedResultCount": "189307",
"currentPageIndex": 0,
"moreResultsUrl": "http://www.google.com/local?oe\u003dutf8\u0026ie\u003dutf8\u0026num\u003d4\u0026mrt\u003dyp%2Cloc\u0026sll\u003d37.779160%2C-122.420090\u0026start\u003d0\u0026hl\u003den\u0026q\u003drestaurants+40.70%2C-74.00"
},
"viewport": {
"center": {
"lat": "40.699396",
"lng": "-73.99675"
},
"span": {
"lat": "0.010291",
"lng": "0.007801"
},
"sw": {
"lat": "40.69425",
"lng": "-74.00065"
},
"ne": {
"lat": "40.70454",
"lng": "-73.99285"
}
}
},
"responseDetails": null,
"responseStatus": 200
}
The Google AJAX Search API documentation provides some code snippets that demonstrate API access in Java, PHP, Python, Perl and Flash.