EOTopo Online.. deep link?

Hi Wickets..

Its links to ExplorOz I'm specifically after though... as interesting as What3Words is.

Cheers, Duncan.

Hi Michelle,
There's not always a 'place' at the point/area I'd like to link to, and I'd like to control the zoom level in the URL.

Here's Google's URL with Lat/Lng and Zoom parameterised, this is ideal for me.. Google Maps are woeful for overlanding purposes.

https://www.google.com/maps/@-32.1445979,135.5306843,10.88z

I'd like to be able to do that with ExplorOz because the maps are so much better for overland travel purposes.. In a written Trip Plan I like to embed map links. I already embed links to your "places"..

Sample of what I'd like to include in a trip plan.. or an email or an instant chat message, or an SMS..

"Here's the region we'll be exploring, north of Gawler Ranges, South of Kingoonya: InsertLink".

I guess the link I'm looking for is more a macro overview of the area we're targetting with the zoom level and Lat/Lng chosen for maximum relevance.

Being able to navigate directly to a Place with the map open would also be cool..

I hope you understand I'm not being picky or critical, I think you've built a fantastic resource. I really like it.

Cheers, Duncan.

Thanks for the explanation Duncan, we'll discuss.

BTW - I noticed your link didn't work, so I'll explain how to post a link in the Forum -type all the words up to the bit you want to be linked, then stop typing, press the grey button below the box you are typing in (labelled LINK) - this pops up asking you to type in the text you want to be displayed and asks you to paste the link you want to give) and then continue typing the rest of your forum text.

(The only text that will auto-hyperlink are system auto-links when it detects matching content to other pages on our site - usually to Places (but only when the Place has at least one photo). Hope this helps you and others ;)

Duncan,

Our mapping system can support this type of syntax generally the x,y & z parameters for our system are defaulted to /x/y/z but we have never fully made this available as our only on-going funding source for the online map deliverable is advertising which we render on the page/pages. It is certainly possible to write a more Google interface but rendering the advertising content is not as simple and again this development would take some (not much but some) time. Like everyone however I dislike advertising but when the shoe is sitting on the cost recovery foot there are times and requirements.

I could build a permalink (deep link) interface and still work out a way to deliver some advertising and need to discuss this with Michelle to see if we can work out how to fund this, personally I think it is a great idea and have always wanted to deliver this.

Good stuff, thanks for the followup. I totally understand the need for revenue.

I've been plugging your app a bit lately, the Points of Interest database is its standout (stellar) feature and I'm keen to see it continue to grow. I'm hopeful that the more "linkable" and consumable it is the more it might help drive adoption and contribution.

Happy to help test if you ever need any input.

With thanks,

I have just had a look.

I am lost for words... :) Actually I'm not really.

This is seriously cool and making the parameters the same as the deep link into Google Maps was a masterstroke. The agility you've clearly got in your development process is amazing, I'm impressed. I spend a LOT of time in my working life dealing with maps and places and this is just splendid! :)

I have some other thoughts, I'll email you directly.

Cheers and sincere thanks!

Duncan.

I've been playing with this too. It is quite Excellent.

I deleted my previous followup because I made an incorrect claim about Google Maps being able to handle both its @ prefix to the coordinates and also EOTopo's # prefix. It does not, so D & M, if you read that and my associated comments, apologies, it was not correct.

Duncan, thanks for your thanks, but they've gone into the ether along with my follow-up :-)

Cheers

It's interesting how I got to that false claim.

When EOTopo was centered on my home and I put the coordinates with the # prefix into Google Maps, it produced a correctly scaled map also centred on my home with google's @ prefix to the coordinates. Hence my claim.

Later, when I centered EOTopo on another part of the world and fed the coordinates with EOTopo's # prefix into Google Maps, google returned the map centred on my home and a second or two later the # changed to google's @. That is repeatable. Hence the retraction.

One swallow does not a summer make.