New Subscription System and Site Sponsorship
Subscriptions
The supporter system will be changed in September 2017 from a one-off donation system to an annual subscription system.
Users who have supporter status before September 2017 will not be affected by the change and will continue to enjoy supporter benefits without additional payment.
Donate Now to support the site and save money!
Free ad-supported maps will continue to be available for all users.
Sponsorship
Map Channels needs funding to operate. We are looking for people or companies interested in sponsoring the site and/or specific projects.
If you need a custom map or street view project developed please contact us.
20 Jul 2017
Improvements for Version 6 and Version 5 Map Channels
The following changes have been made to Map Channels version 6:
1. There is a new option to display a Place Information Panel within the sidebar when a place is selected.
This scrollable panel displays the place description and is similar to the feature within version 5.
2. Street View can be displayed in Full Screen Mode in the Chrome browser.
A bug in the Maps API was causing this but a workaround has been found.
3. The Expanded Place View mode has been improved.
The two maps sync correctly and the bookmark links to the currently viewed place.
4. The 'About' Button has been moved from the map to the header bar.
The 'about' panel is now larger and includes a link to the full page map.
5. Version 6 Maps can be created from pasted KML Text Data as well as from a source URL.
The Full Screen Street View change has also been added to Map Channels version 5.
There are more version 6 improvements and other new projects due for release soon.
Please subscribe to the mailing list and our Twitter feed to receive notifications.
Visit the Version 6 Project Page for more information.
20 Jul 2017
Secure Map Hosting
Secure Map Hosting is available as an option for most of the the mapping tools including
Version 6,
Version 5,
Dual Maps and
Local Maps.
To enable this option find the 'Secure Hosting' option within the map settings and select 'Yes'.
The main MapChannels.com site also now has secure pages for the login, registration and user profile pages.
5 Jun 2017
Map Channels Version 6 Update
Improvements have been made to Map Channels Version 6.
1. A Google Maps API Key is no longer required to create new maps.
2. The address and business search features do require an API key to be enabled. Visit the API Key reference page for more information. The API Key is free and simple to set up.
3. The Expanded Place View mode is now optional, this mode displays a multiple panel map showing expended information, zoom map and street view.
4. The ad unit is smaller (and can be closed after 30 seconds).
5. A few bugs within the code have been fixed.
These changes require new map scripts to be created (sorry for any inconvenience).
If you have created Map Channels v6 maps before 19 April 2017 please select the version 6 dashboard, update each map and copy the new embed code to the page on your website where the map is displayed.
19 Apr 2017
Map Channels Version 6
Map Channels Version 6 beta is now available. Use version 6 to create custom Google maps which can be embedded onto your website.
Version 6 includes much of the functionality of version 5 plus some new features.
The major new feature of v6 is an 'expanded view' which incorporates an interface similar to the Dual Maps project.
The expanded view allow you to explore map locations from multiple angles. You can view an information panel, an area map, a zoom map (with birds eye view imagery) and street view imagery.
Panels can be maximized or hidden as required. A bookmark link lets you save or email a place location within the map.
There are editor and import tools to make adding places to your map easy. The import tool can import data from lists or spreadsheets and also geocode addresses.
Explore the map features in this v6 demo map.
Version 6 is currently at the beta stage and is subject to change. More features will be added before the full release.
Find out more in the v6 Tutorial.
To use version 6 you should Register and obtain a Google Maps API key, both of which are free.
Get started here.
3 Feb 2017
Video Maps (Beta)
Video Maps are a new tool to display a YouTube travel video with synchronized Google Maps and Street View.
Create your own video map by supplying a YouTube video ID and the route data in GPX format.
The project is currently at the early beta stage and more features will be added over time.
Visit the Video Maps project page to get started.
22 Nov 2016
Various Updates
Bing Maps
Due to the upcoming retirement of the Bing Maps v6.3 API at the end of November the
Dual Maps and
Animated Route Maps projects have both been updated.
Within both projects the Google Maps API is now used for the birds eye map panel, also some new features have been added.
The update is automatic, no action is required if you already have these maps embedded on your site.
See below for further details of these projects.
Panoramio
Google have decided to close the Panoramio website.
Panoramio was a valuable resource which allowed users to share geocoded photographs and included an API which allowed these photos to be displayed on a map.
Since the start of November the Panoramio API is no longer available.
Version 5 of Map Channels included a 'Photos' menu option which has now been removed.
As yet there is no replacement for the Panoramio API but if there is then version 5 will be updated to include it.
One project which is unavailable now is the Photo Quiz Map which used the Panoramio API.
15 Nov 2016
Animated Route Maps 2
Version 2 of Animated Route Maps is now available here.
New Features:
1. Address search boxes with autocomplete can be used to select the start and destination addresses.
2. The pegman direction is displayed on the birds eye map.
3. The interface has been redesigned to simplify functionality.
4. Adverts can be hidden by clicking the 'hide ad' button which appears 30 seconds after the map loads.
15 Nov 2016
Dual Maps 6 (Beta)
Version 6 of Dual Maps is now available here.
New Features:
1. An address search box with autocomplete can be used to easily find a named location or address.
2. A geolocation button can display your current location.
3. The pegman direction is displayed on the birds eye map.
4. The information panel is now (optionally) displayed in a smaller panel beneath the maps.
5. The place marker on either the main map or the birds eye map can be dragged and dropped to a new location.
6. Reverse geocoding is used to display the current marker address
7. Adverts can be hidden by clicking the 'hide ad' button which appears 30 seconds after the map loads.
8. Language options : English, French or Spanish
15 Nov 2016
Custom Project Development
See the Custom Coding page for more information.
We specialise in projects using Google Maps and Street View and are available to develop a range of project types.
Sponsorship and Advertising
Advertising help to fund the running of the website and to develop new features.
Please contact us if you would like to sponsor Map Channels or a feature within the website.
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