nic
07/21/18 04:23 PM
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Hi everyone,
I wanted to share some changes that were recently implemented on the VirtualGlobetrotting /view/google/ pages.
As you all know, on the /view/ pages, VGT embeds an interactive Google or Bing Maps on the page.
Unfortunately, due to pricing changes that went into effect on July 16, 2018, we've had to make some major changes to the Google Maps pages. Had we not made any changes, the monthly bill we have to pay to Google Maps to use the APIs would have increased by 7700%. For reference, we previously paid about $100/mo for using the Google Maps JavaScript API, which was very reasonable.
In order to keep the /view/ pages feasible, we've had to change our usage a bit.
The first change is that non-logged in users viewing non-StreetView Google pages will now be using the Google Maps Embed API. This view is slightly different from the Google Maps JavaScript API we used previously: the main change is that we put Google Maps itself into an IFRAME instead of using their JavaScript API. Realistically, this doesn't look very different from what it was before, for non-logged in users. They can still interact (scroll, zoom) with the maps as desired. The Google Maps Embed API is free, which cuts down the "new cost" significantly.
Since Google Street View maps cannot be put into the Embed API, and Street View API calls are quite costly, we've made some changes for Google Street View pages: non-logged in users, on a tablet or mobile device, will see the 500x500px thumbnail, if available, instead of the interactive Google Street View map. Desktop users will still get the full interactive Street View.
Logged in users won't see any changes for the above scenarios: all views will still see the Google Maps JavaScript API.
I hope these changes won't negatively affect the user experience for anyone. If you previously were viewing pages and have now lost the ability to interact, please log in (or create an account, which is free) for the same experience as before.
Thank you, and please let me know of any concerns or issues you find.
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