Creating MashupsThe Easy Way

There are two ways to create a Google map mashup based on your own custom datathe hard way and the easy way. The hard way involves writing your own HTML code and tying into the Google Maps API. The easy way involves entering the appropriate data into a web-based form. We'll look at the easy way, first.

If all you want to do is create a Google map of a specific location, to display on your website, using a Google map-builder website is the way to go. There are a number of these sites on the Web, including

• CommunityWalk (www.communitywalk.com), shown in Figure 41.1

  Figure 41.1. The CommunityWalk map building site.

  [View full size image]
  

• Google Map Maker (donkeymagic.co.uk/googlemap/)

• Map Builder (www.mapbuilder.net)

• myGmaps (www.mygmaps.com)

• Strike Up Your Google Maps (www.martwebstudio.net/strike.up.your.gmaps/index.php)

These sites all work pretty much the same way. Enter your coordinates into the form, provide any additional information that may be necessary, and then click a button. The site then generates the HTML code required to create the map; copy and paste this code into your web page's HTML, and the map will now appear on your web page. It's that simple.