Do you want to know how to add a Google Maps pin within your biography?

Question

One way to do that is to

Go to https://www.google.com/maps/ and navigate as close as you can to the location you are seeking.

Copy the url for that location.  For example

https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+White+House/@38.8973657,-77.036802,248m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0x715969d86d0b76bf!6m1!1e1

Copy the lat and long coordinates which are after "@" and before the second comma. Which in this case is 38.8973657,-77.036802

Paste the lat and long coordinates after the "=" at http://maps.google.com/maps?q= which in this case would then look like:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.8973657,-77.036802

Copy that new url and paste into your biography to create a link.  For example [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.8973657,-77.036802 White House location]

Comments

Mentor_Tips is a new Tag we will soon be promoting to new members as is How_to_WikiTree.  This is the exact kind of post we all need.  Thank you Peter!

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Aside from the shorter url, what is the difference between the first Url and the last (shorter).  Why can't I just use the first one?

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When I did the first url on an iPad it did not (would not) put a pin on the location.

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Great post, Peter! Thank you.

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Sweet! Thanks, Peter!

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Awesome post Peter!

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Works perfectly, thanks Peter

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I'm curious to know which browser you were using.

I'm using Chrome, and I was goofing around with a local cemetery to see what difference I see when using this method. When I navigate to the cemetery by searching for the cemetery name, I get a pin with the cemetery name; however, when I copy the long & lat into the link you provided, I get a pin, but it doesn't have the cemetery name.

So, what I'm thinking is that either the browser you're using on your iPad doesn't work quite the same as a non-mobile browser (or maybe you're using Google Maps on your iPad?), or that this method would work great if you don't have a *named* location to pin ???

Thoughts?

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Mozilla for PC and Safari for iPad

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Vincent pointed out elsewhere that this works only on watchlist pages.  Can this be fixed please?

Answer 1

I am doing it the other way around. I create custom maps in Google map that I link to wikitree

Picture of a custom map

Custom Google map URL https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zoChSl5nxThM.k9qbeIl8TRvs

Free space profile referencing the map
http://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Space:Westlund_Vanns%C3%A4ter_resources#Descendants
 

You can also add text and pictures and links in the map e.g. Liverpool from where the boat trip to the promised land started

 

Video where I add points from wikitree to a custom map by hand...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewJ1Q7x2eE8

Another sample

Comments

That is fantastic, Magnus!  You have some really great ideas for livening up profiles!

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Julie my dream is that we add more geolocations to events in the bio section ==> you can follow when and where things happened for our e.g. dear Erik Rosen born in Koldemo 1867,,,

And when you pass by Mörtsjö I dream that you will have an app in your phone saying....

Give the nearest 

Events and profiles in my Wikitree next to my current location ==>

• Soldier Daniel Krok resident in Mörtsjö 1640
  - 400 meter north current location
  - yours mf ff f
• Farmer Anders Danielsson born in Mörtsjö 1820 dec 14
  - 300 meter sw your current location
  - yours mf ff 
• Erik Rosen 1844 birthplace Mörtsjö 1844 nov 19 
  - 600 meter north
  - yours mm ff 
• Erik Rosen 1867 birthplace in Koldemo 1867
  - 18 km driving directions estimated time 18 min
  - yours mm f

Genealogy person working with my wikitree next to my current location ;-)

• Eva lives 300 meter from xxx call her by clicking
  - Your relation  mm sd

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What is needed is that we extend the ref tag in the bio section to also contain time and location and that the API can ask the questions ;-))

The User interface in your phone to walk to the doorstep of Daniel Krok soldier house in Mörtsö will be 

 

The concept is the same as geocaching and there you have the geocaching site for free but you pay 10 dollar for an app and to get more functionality or support them the geocaching community you pay an yearly fee.......

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Here you go: API Documentation

I think you need to get busy!! Ha ha!! :)

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The new link for Google map creation is:
https://www.google.com/maps/about/mymaps/

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The link to "create custom maps" is broken.

Answer 2

Definitely will use this technique for some One Place Study profiles ! Thanks, Peter.

Comments

Also could be handy for cemeteries.

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ooh. good point, maggie; just added a link from one of the cemetery category pages i follow.

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Awesome.  Thank you, Will use.

Answer 3

Peter,

Very nice.  Works just fine on a category page as well.

Category: Milpitas, California

Answer 4

An open-source alternative is Open Street Map.

You can zoom in and copy the link from the address bar, search by locale name, add notes, or create an account and make your own map.  That would be nice if you wanted to map a ghost town or a township/county whose boundaries have changed.

Here are some examples

White House: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/238241022
Mt. Auburn Cemetery: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/101309650

More about the project on their wiki.

Comments

Absolutely.

Moreover you can simply type you search directly in the url or in the text field:

- http://www.openstreetmap.org/search?query=White House%2C Washington DC

(or osm.org/search?query= followed by your request if you're lazy).

If you want to zoom out for instance, the url will be updated:

- http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/238241022#map=15/38.8977/-77.0365

If you want to add a text on top of it, use http://map.openseap.org instead:

here it's a bit more complex.

When you're ready, click on permalink (bottom rigth on the map).

you will recognize the zoom, lattitude and longitude, not as #zoom/lat/lon as in the previous url but with http://map.openseap.org?zoom=15&lat=38.8977&lon=-77.0365 (in our case)

Copy the lat/lon part : http://map.openseap.org?zoom=15&lat=38.8977&lon=-77.0365&lat=38.8977&lon=-77.0365.

Now add an m before lat and lon (m for marker):

http://map.openseap.org?zoom=15&lat=38.8977&lon=-77.0365&mlat=38.8977&mlon=-77.0365.

Now add &mtext= followed by your text (sorry in html coding, but most plain text works, so rather add &m and past the text the brower sent after submitting the wanted text of the form on http://www.w3schools.com/tags/ref_urlencode.asp.

http://map.openseamap.org/?zoom=15&lat=38.8977&lon=-77.0365&mlat=38.8977&mlon=-77.0365&mtext=%3Cb%3EHere%3C%2Fb%3E%20you%20are.%3Cbr%3EAmazing,%20insn%27t%20it%3F

But you may want to produce a map with several markers and polygons, just go to http://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/, it has the same search facilities, plus a lot of import and tooltips possibilities. For instance you can link the places from the birth place to the last known place. You can change the background map too.

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Unfortunately OSM discourages mapping places that no longer exist; so adding a ghost town will eventually be deleted.

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May be, not eventually. You're right to a certain point, OSM maps the current status. OHM, http://www.openhistoricalmap.org is using the OSM tools and data model but aims to map the history.

Keeping OSM in mind, end_date attribute aims to retain historical information and old_name too.

You can search for Lutèce, that's an old name of Paris in France and you'll find it because alt_name:fr=Lutèce is set, see https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/7444.

Look for Rue de La Montagne, Brest: you'll find the current Rue de la Montagne and what was also named Rue de la Montagne before (now Rue du Brigadier Le Cann).

For ghost town, normally the place name remains only the status change.

For instance place=locality (no inhabitant) diused:place=hamlet place:2000-:locality place:-2000:hamlet could describe a ghost hamlet that did exist until 2000.

The risk is if you don't properly describe the place. Then other contributors may delete your "town" because there is no "town" anymore. That's correct.

I'm member of OpenStreetMap France.

Answer 5

Interesting post; but it only works if google finds what you searched for.

If you want to get coordinates for a random location on the map; you need to click on that particular location. Sometimes I need to click twice.
When this works correctly; you should see a small pop-up appear at center bottom of the map and the url address will be usable as described in original post.

Comments

Using OpenStreetMap, zoom in, click on the ? tool on the right (interrogation tool) then on the point you're willing to get the coordinates.

You will see a URL like this:

https://www.openstreetmap.org/query?lat=48.39580&lon=-4.45852

So 48.3958 N, 4.45852 W.

If you move the map, you will also have an URL ending like this #map=19/48.39578/-4.45825.

So 48.39578 N, 4.45825 W is the center of the map.

Answer 6

Technically speaking, you do NOT need to make or add any maps at all. The location field in the data section (the top part of every profile) automatically links Google Maps to whatever locaton you write in that field.

Comments

unless its a historic location that doesn't exist any more

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unless google mis-interprets the location as entered in profile.

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True - for both responses - I hadn't thought of those.

But I do try and make my locations as accurate and as modern as possible.

I dont use old county or district names that no longer exist. I change them to modern ones and maybe mention the old county in the bio if it is necessary.

Since most of the countries I work with are England - where Google still accepts the old pre-1974 county names - Canada, USA and New Zealand which are all less than 250 years old - I dont really have that much of a problem with historical name changes or missing locations.

Answer 7

This doesn't work for me.