Google Maps for Boingo -- And Any Page

evdo writes "Last Monday, Boingo agreed to send http://wifi-hotspot.wirelessinternetcoverage.com their entire wifi hotspot database. They came through. Since then, the wirelessinternetcoverage.com guys have been working 24/7 to get all the "thousand points of light" in their new Google Maps Hack. It's done. The beta bugs pointed out by Peter Rojas at Engadget are gone. Now, you can bird's eye WarDrive instead of ascii search for the nearest hotspot in a town where none of the streets are familiar." And stockmaster writes "At last week's Where 2.0 conference in San Francisco, Tim O'Reilly extended his theme that Google Map hacks like Chicago Crime and Craigslist Jobs (which are called "mash-ups") represent a new future where hackers "remix" web services to create new capabilities. This inspired me to create Greasemap, a GPL Firefox plugin that injects a Google map into any page. Notably, it was a 7 hour project which I started when Google released their new API, and demoed the next day on the stage of the conference."

Did anybody just see that?

Did anybody watch as Google Earth showed a live demonstration of their servers exploding? It was Independence Day on the 13th!!

I guess they're not ready for wifi for the masses

as the site is slashdotted.

Re:I guess they're not ready for wifi for the mass

<voice class="muppet" type="gonzo">
Sure, if you want to do it the easy way!
</voice>

Max Headroom?

With all these hacks/innovations with google maps, I am reminded of all the neat things done with maps,etc in Max Headroom. Lookin' around in a building? let's just bring up a wireframe floorplan and walk through it.

Perhaps this tv show is now one step closer to reality.

When do we see ads?

I wonder when we're going to see ads appearing on google maps. Certainly, they have some business model to make that branch profitable? Would they allow a hack (enhancement) that included some form of paid services (as in: paid to be shown in the hack) or ads?

HttpException (0x80004005): Server Too Busy

Mmmm... taste the Slashdot DOS attack goodness :) ---------------- Server Error in '/' Application. Server Too Busy Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code. Exception Details: System.Web.HttpException: Server Too Busy Source Error: An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below. Stack Trace: [HttpException (0x80004005): Server Too Busy] System.Web.HttpRuntime.RejectRequestInternal(HttpW orkerRequest wr) +148

Another 'point of light'

Is their incandescent server...

I propose...

...that people who say "mash-up" be locked in a room with people who say "boxen". And people like Tim O'Reilly who try to extend the term beyond mixing together a drum-n-bass loop and a Jon Stewart clip and pretending you're a real musician should be locked in a cell with people who complain about "hacker" being used inappropriately.

Wireless WiFi Finding

Yes!! Now I can find the nearest WiFi hotspot using my laptop while sitting at a Starbucks! Totally makes sense!

With all these hacks and plugins

Soon we won't need all these websites, just one: Yagoogmailsourcedotazon.com

chicago real estate

you can also now view chicago real estate [prupref.com] listings in google earth [weblogsinc.com].

Overtaking GPS software?

I can't wait for Google maps to take over the same functionality common GPS software has in (reliably) highlighting restaurants, hotels, retail stores, and do it all by specific category (Italian restaraunts, or even 4-star Italian restaurants). As it is, it seems Google just searches their cache of websites for addresses in which to show when you do a "Local Search", though I could be wrong.

Google Maps is alright..

..but hopefully they'll be able to add this kind of thing as a Google Earth layer.

Wow

So, using a publicly available 3rd party API is now called "remixing?" Cool.

Coral!

It took about a day to load, but at least it did something! Try it Coralized [nyud.net].

Great for travelers

As a guy who's been out and about in most parts of the country, this will certainly prove to be an excellent resource! One might always poke around with kismet or netstumbler for an unfortunate, vulnerable network, but as we now know [slashdot.org] that's no longer very safe. Major kudos for the sort of cooperation that makes such a goldmine of information easily accessible.

Greasemap

Sorry the server is slashdotted already. For people who asked "what's the point", it was to add maps to the many pages which contain addresses and/or Lat+Long geocoded coordinates but which don't yet have maps.

Great...

Great! Now, the next time I'm walking around with my laptop and I need to find a hotspot, I'll just bring up this page and... oh, wait... ;)

Anyone notice the tip on their site?

"TIP: For Fastest Response, Drill Down to the Zip Level. The Bigger the Area you request, the slower the load times. NOTE: Since Slashdot Crashed our Server :o) , we have reduced the queries from 500 to 100 MAX."

Bug on the map page

If you drill down to the zip code like the site suggests and your zip starts with a zero like 08901 the program displays 8901 and doesn't seem to work.

probably could

You could search for a Blockbuster address, zoom in on the map and Hollywood video could have a little symbol close by or visa versa. I guarantee if google maps got enough traffic they'd pay for that. Put in a directions query. Say San Diego to Irvine. Map displays route and sponsers like Shell Gas Stations, McDonalds and Starbucks show their little symbols you can click on to get more information. Or better yet they could list next to the query and you could click on them. After, they would show up on the map. I want to know where the Starbucks is by the time I hit La Jolla, boom there it is. Sponsor gets a hit, everyone makes money and I get wired enough to ride the shoulder past the horrid Orange County 405 onramp.

/. recognized

From the website : NOTE: Since Slashdot Crashed our Server :o) , we have reduced the queries from 500 to 100 MAX.

How about a scale????

Why haven't the good folks at google figured out that putting a scale on a map makes sense?????????????

Really, how hard can it be? the map has to have that information stored internally... let us see it!!!

I may be doing something wrong...

But I'm sure there should be more than 3 hits in Manhatten. And as someone else already pointed out, a zipcode like mine (07030) which starts with a zero screws it up.

Consolidation of map data

With map plotting becoming easier and easier, I can foresee a consolidation of all these datasets into geo-supersites that mix and match everything concievable on a map. http://www.globalcoordinate.com/default.aspx?conte nt=atlas [globalcoordinate.com] has already started in that direction. If we all begin recording and storing GPS data of our lives then all new searches will becmes possible... "Show me all ramen shops with WIFI access within 300 feet of a location where Jane and I cross paths on Sunday afternoons"

Maps are too slow

Make some for Google Earth instead.

Google Wifi Map of Portland Oregon

All Free Open Community Network Nodes..
All the Time

http://personaltelco.net/map/ [personaltelco.net]

Good Neighbors Share.

Well, it's about time... (OT)

I know Elfman has been busy with his movie projects, but I've been hoping since '95 they'd get back together. Halloween just hasn't been the same in SoCal without them [wikipedia.org]. I'll probably be the oldest geezer in the pit.

What? Wireless maps? Oh. Never mind.

Piggy Bank: Greasemonkey for web data

Piggy Bank [mit.edu] promises to turn Firefox into a semantic web browser [betaversion.org] by providing a means to mine data from web sites and then use that data on other web sites. It's like Greasemonkey [mozdev.org] for data on the web.

SimCity is Here

This technology will finally give our leaders those layered overhead maps with the live information they need and will revolutionize city planning.

Awesome!

Now I'll always be able to find out where the nearest Danny Elfman band is!

Make Your Own Map Of Anything

Frank Lloyd Wright
http://www.earthcomber.com/community/node/492 [earthcomber.com]

Northwestern University
http://www.earthcomber.com/community/node/125 [earthcomber.com]

LUGs
http://www.earthcomber.com/community/node/114 [earthcomber.com]

Then, take 'em with you.

Also from wardriving

Also you can see maps of Wi-Fi from wardriving data [wifimaps.com]

DIY Wifi maps

gpsbabel -i netstumbler -o kml -f wardrive.ns1 -F wardrive.kml <BR/>
or <br/>gpsbabel -i netstumbler -o google -f wardrive.ns1 -F wardrive.xml

It's right there in the Google Earth install directory...

A very rude word in a map URL

Talking of maps, I was looking for a place in Washington this afternoon and noticed a VERY rude word in the URL.

http://www.mapblast.com/(fyfuckuzldzflgqx1qop0cbz) /map.aspx?L=USA&C=47.18924%2c-122.22320&A=7.16667& P=|47.18924%2c-122.22320|1|154th+Ave+Ct+E%2c+Sumne r%2c+WA+98390|L1| [mapblast.com]

You'll notice it actually says Fuck You (which is kind of appropriate seeing as MapBlast is owned my Microsoft).

Imagine the horror if the Pope or someone in the White House was to see this terrible terrible word in their address bar.

I wonder if anyone has seen others that are, gasp, worse??

Ah, the /. Effect!

"NOTE: Since Slashdot Crashed our Server :o) , we have reduced the queries from 500 to 100 MAX."

It doesn't work

Hrmm.. doesn't work for me... first Williamsport, PA is missing even though they have Trout Run, PA ?!?! Further when I select a city/state/zipcode and select what I want to see it just sits there and does zilch.. not too impressive.

looks terrible in safari

this page is unusable shit. When I make a page it's ugly, but at least you can figure out that the links are the blue words. Crap. How do I know my latitude and longitude? Great.
I think I'll make a tool that makes you put your exact weight in micrograms in, or some other thing that nobody knows or gives a fuck about.
Okay, so I had some tallboys. And then some scotch. Sue me.

WISPA Members added too + new icons

Guys.. we got WISPA Members to add their WISP AP locations too... cool thing about this is that now folks can compare Boingo to EVDO to FIXED Wireless Smaller Providers... let me know what you think... wireless internet [evdo-coverage.com]map

Re:Illegal Purposes

Depends on Jurisdiction. In Canada it's a criminal act; in other places it's probably a civil tort.

(Std disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer. If you need legal advice, get a lawyer.)

Re:Illegal Purposes

AFAIK (as IANAL) wardriving is not illegal if you don't connect or use the AP's internet connection. Just seeing that it is there is not illegal and I'm not sure how it could be.

Re:Illegal Purposes

Who said anything about free internet or illegal? Boingo Wireless [boingo.com] is a paid subscription service.

You are kidding? Right?

While the Window boxes have all but crashed, Google is running Linux and a lot of them. If ALL of the /.ers got together and tried to take down google, if would probably only make a bump on their monitor.

Re:What is the point of Greasemap?

As I mentioned below, it's a Greasemonkey script which scans any web page for both addresses and geocode metatags in the GeoURL syntax, and if found, it injects a Google Map showing any/all such locations into the top of the page. You can choose whether it should show the map by default, or just a small bar indicating that addresses were found. My point in making it was to illustrate that the API can be used to add functionality to any site, not just to a particular site.

I find it useful on sites like whitepages.com, real estate sites, company location "about us" sites, and a bunch of other surprising places. It just makes the whole web more "mappy".

By the way, the site is back up, so if you got stuck before please try again now at www.vinq.com/greasemap [vinq.com]. It's running on a single Xserve; we'll see how it creaks under the strain.

100th Monkey Syndrome??? - Google Hack Vs. API

yeah... funny thing about that hack part... when we started the project.. we all had this wierd hunch that some amorphous multicolored shadow was looming over our shoulders... and guess what.. just when we started beta testing.. the MULTICOLORED GOOGLE released the API!!! hmmm... odd.. dont sociologists have some name for this kinda phenom? when 1000 people run to the patent office for the same idea at the same time? 100th monkey or something right? Robert kim, EVDO [evdo-coverage.com] Consultant. And CoBuilder of http://wifi-hotspot.wirelessinternetcoverage.com [wirelessin...verage.com] btw... what else do you guys want to see on the maps? We want to build the map based on YOUR Slashdot Savviness Direction. Lemme know..