Introduction
The Maps Static API returns an image (either GIF, PNG or JPEG) in
response to an HTTP request via a URL. For each request, you can specify the
location of the map, the size of the image, the zoom level, the type of map,
and the placement of optional markers at locations on the map. You can
additionally label your markers using alphanumeric characters.
A Maps Static API image is embedded within an
<img>
tag's
src
attribute, or its equivalent in other programming
languages.
This document describes the required format of Maps Static API URLs and the
available parameters. It also points out some tips and tricks in specifying
your URLs.
Before you begin
This document is intended for website and mobile developers who want to include
Maps Static API images within a webpage or mobile application. It provides an
introduction to using the API and reference material on the available parameters.
Before you start developing with the Maps Static API, review the
authentication requirements
(you
need an API key) and the
API usage and billing
information (you need to enable billing on your project).
URL Parameters
A Maps Static API URL must be of the following form:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?
parameters
If your website is accessed over HTTPS, you must load Maps Static API images
over HTTPS as well in order to avoid browser security alerts. HTTPS is also
recommended if your requests include sensitive user information, such as a
user's location:
https:
//maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?
parameters
Whether using HTTP or HTTPS, certain URL parameters are required while some
are optional. As is standard in URLs, all parameters are separated using the
ampersand (
&
) character. The list of parameters and their
possible values are enumerated in this document.
The Maps Static API defines map images using the following URL
parameters:
Location parameters
center
(
required
if markers not present) defines the
center of the map, equidistant from all edges of the map. This parameter
takes a location as either a comma-separated {latitude,longitude} pair
(e.g. "40.714728,-73.998672") or a string address (e.g. "city hall, new
york, ny") identifying a unique location on the face of the earth. For
more information, see
Locations
.
zoom
(
required
if markers not present) defines the
zoom level
of the map, which determines the
magnification level of the map. This parameter takes a numerical value
corresponding to the zoom level of the region desired. For more
information, see
Zoom levels
.
Map parameters
size
(
required
) defines the rectangular dimensions
of the map image. This parameter takes a string of the form
{horizontal_value}
x
{vertical_value}
. For
example,
500x400
defines a map 500 pixels wide by 400 pixels
high. Maps smaller than 180 pixels in width will display a reduced-size
Google logo. This parameter is affected by the
scale
parameter
; the final output size is the product of the
size and scale values.
scale
(
optional
) affects the number of pixels that
are returned.
scale=2
returns twice as many pixels as
scale=1
while retaining the same coverage area and level of
detail (i.e. the contents of the map don't change). This is useful when
developing for high-resolution displays.
The default value is
1
. Accepted values are
1
and
2
. See
Scale
Values
for more information.
format
(
optional
) defines the format of the
resulting image. By default, the Maps Static API creates PNG images. There
are several possible formats including GIF, JPEG and PNG types. Which
format you use depends on how you intend to present the image. JPEG
typically provides greater compression, while GIF and PNG provide greater
detail. For more information, see
Image
Formats.
maptype
(
optional
) defines the type of map to
construct. There are several possible maptype values, including
roadmap
,
satellite
,
hybrid
, and
terrain
. For more information, see
Maps Static API Maptypes
.
language
(
optional
) defines the language to use for
display of labels on map tiles. Note that this parameter is only
supported for some country tiles; if the specific language requested is
not supported for the tile set, then the default language for that
tileset will be used.
region
(
optional
) defines the appropriate borders
to display, based on geo-political sensitivities. Accepts a region code
specified as a two-character ccTLD ('top-level domain') value. See
Google Maps Platform
Coverage Details
for supported regions.
Feature parameters
map_id
(
optional
) specifies the identifier for a
specific map. The Map ID associates a map with a particular style or feature,
and must belong to the same project as the API key used to initialize the
map. For more information, see
Using Map IDs
.
markers
(
optional
) define one or more markers
to attach to the image at specified locations. This parameter takes a
single marker definition with parameters separated by the pipe character
(
|
). Multiple markers may be placed within the same
markers
parameter as long as they exhibit the same style;
you may add additional markers of differing styles by adding additional
markers
parameters. Note that if you supply markers for a
map, you do not need to specify the (normally required)
center
and
zoom
parameters. For more
information, see
Maps Static API Markers
.
path
(
optional
) defines a single path of two or
more connected points to overlay on the image at specified locations.
This parameter takes a string of point definitions separated by the pipe
character (
|
), or an encoded polyline using the
enc:
prefix within
the location declaration of the path. You may supply additional paths by adding
additional
path
parameters. Note that if you supply a path
for a map, you do not need to specify the (normally required)
center
and
zoom
parameters. For more
information, see
Maps Static API Paths
.
visible
(
optional
) specifies one or more
locations
that should remain visible on the map,
though no markers or other indicators will be displayed. Use this
parameter to ensure that certain features or map locations are shown on
the Maps Static API.
style
(
optional
) defines a custom style to alter the
presentation of a specific feature (roads, parks, and other features) of the
map. This parameter takes
feature
and
element
arguments identifying the features to style, and a set of style operations
to apply to the selected features. You can supply multiple styles by adding
additional
style
parameters. For more information, see the
guide to
styled maps
.
Key and signature parameters
key
(
required
) allows you to monitor your
application's API usage in the
Google Cloud Console
,
and ensures that Google can contact you about your application if necessary.
For more information, see
Use API Keys with Maps Static API
.
signature
(
recommended
) is a digital signature used
to verify that any site generating requests using your API key is authorized
to do so. Requests without a digital signature might fail.
For more information, see
Use a Digital Signature
.
URL size restriction
Maps Static API URLs are restricted to 16384 characters in size. In practice, you
will probably not have need for URLs longer than this, unless you produce complicated maps with a
high number of markers and paths.
Parameter Usage
The Maps Static API is relatively easy to use, as it consists solely of a
parameterized URL. This section explains how to use these parameters to
construct your URLs.
Specifying Locations
The Maps Static API must be able to precisely identify locations on the
map, both to focus the map at the correct location (using the
center
parameter) and/or to place any optional placemarks
(using the
markers
parameter) at locations on the map. The Maps Static API
uses numbers (latitude and longitude values) or strings (addresses)
to specify these locations. These values identify a
geocoded
location.
Several parameters (such as the
markers
and
path
parameters) take multiple locations. In those cases, the locations are
separated by the pipe (
|
) character.
Latitudes and longitudes
Latitudes and longitudes are defined using numerals within a
comma-separated text string that have a precision to 6 decimal places. For
example, "40.714728,-73.998672" is a valid geocode value. Precision beyond the
6 decimal places is ignored.
Longitude values are based on their distance from Greenwich, England, home
of the prime meridian. Since Greenwich is situated at 51.477222 latitude, we
can enter a
center
value of
51.477222,0
to center
the map on Greenwich:
Latitude and longitude values must correspond to a valid location on the
face of the earth. Latitudes can take any value between
-90
and
90
while longitude values can take any value between
-180
and
180
. If you specify an invalid latitude or
longitude value, your request will be rejected as a bad request.
Addresses
Most people don't speak in latitudes and longitudes; they denote locations
using
addresses
. The process of turning an address into a geographic
point is known as
geocoding
and the Maps Static API service can perform
geocoding for you if you provide valid addresses.
In any parameter where you may provide a latitude/longitude, you may
instead specify a string indicating an
address
. Google will geocode the
address and provide the Maps Static API service with a latitude/longitude value to
use in placing markers or specifying locations. The string should be
URL-encoded
, so
addresses such as "City Hall, New York, NY" should be converted to
"City+Hall,New+York,NY", for example.
Note that addresses may reflect either precise locations, such as street
addresses, polylines such as named routes, or polygonal areas such as cities,
countries, or national parks. For polylinear and polygonal results, the Maps Static API
server will use the center point of the line/area as the address center.
If you have doubt about how an address may geocode, you can test out the
address using this
Geocoding Utility
.
The following example generates a static map image for Berkeley, CA:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=Berkeley,CA&zoom=14&size=400x400&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Zoom levels
Maps on Google Maps have an integer 'zoom level' which defines the
resolution of the current view. Zoom levels between
0
(the lowest
zoom level, in which the entire world can be seen on one map) and
21+
(down to streets and individual buildings) are possible
within the default
roadmap
view. Building outlines, where
available, appear on the map around zoom level
17
. This value
differs from area to area and can change over time as the data evolves.
Google Maps sets zoom level
0
to encompass the entire earth.
Each succeeding zoom level doubles the precision in both horizontal and
vertical dimensions. More information on how this is done is available in the
Google Maps
JavaScript API documentation
.
Note: not all zoom levels appear at all locations on the earth. Zoom levels
vary depending on location, as data in some parts of the globe is more
granular than in other locations.
If you send a request for a zoom level in which no map tiles exist, the
Maps Static API will return a blank image instead.
The following list shows the approximate level
of detail you can expect to see at each zoom level:
- 1: World
- 5: Landmass/continent
- 10: City
- 15: Streets
- 20: Buildings
This example requests two maps of Manhattan at the same
center
value but at zoom levels 12 and 14, respectively:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=40.714728,-73.998672&zoom=12&size=400x400&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=40.714728,-73.998672&zoom=14&size=400x400&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Image sizes
The
size
parameter, in conjunction with
center
,
defines the coverage area of a map. It also defines the output size of the
map in pixels, when multiplied with the
scale
value (which is
1
by default).
This table shows the maximum allowable values for
the
size
parameter at each
scale
value.
scale=1
|
scale=2
|
640x640
|
640x640
(returns 1280x1280 pixels)
|
This example requests a "slice" of the earth at the equator at zoom
level 1:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=0,0&zoom=1&size=400x50&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
This example requests a small map, of size 100 x 100 pixels centered
on the same region. Note the smaller Google logo:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=0,0&zoom=1&size=100x100&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Scale values
The
size
parameter of the Maps Static API defines the
size of a map in pixels, so that a map with
size=200x200
will be
returned as 200 pixels by 200 pixels. On an LCD computer monitor, which
typically displays about 100 pixels per inch (ppi), a 200x200 map will be
about 2 inches in each dimension.
However, mobile devices increasingly include high resolution screens with
pixel densities over 300ppi, which either:
- Reduce the size of a 200x200 pixel image to only 0.7 of an inch,
rendering labels and icons too small to read; or
- Scale (zoom) the image to improve legibility, resulting in a fuzzy
or pixelated image.
Too small
|
Too fuzzy
|
|
|
When developing for mobile devices, you can use the API's
scale
parameter to return higher-resolution map images that solve the issues
above. The
scale
value is multiplied with the
size
to determine the actual output size of the image in pixels, without changing
the coverage area of the map. Default
scale
value is 1;
accepted values are 1 and 2.
For example, a scale value of 2 will return the same map coverage area as
a request with no scale specified, but with twice as many pixels in each
dimension. This includes roads and labels, so that they're legible on
high resolution, small size screens, as well as when scaled by the browser.
150x150
|
150x150&scale=2
|
|
|
Such an image will also perform well on desktop browsers, when inserted
into an
img
or
div
tag with the height and width
set using CSS. The browser will downsize the image to the correct size,
without loss of quality.
This table shows three different image requests.
- The first is for a 100x100 image, with no scale value specified. It
displays properly on the desktop, but is too small to read on a mobile
device.
- The second doubles the map size. On the desktop, the CSS fits it into
the specified 100x100
img
element, but in downsizing the
image, roads and labels become too small. On the mobile device, the
image is the right size, but again, roads and labels are illegible.
- The third request is for a 100x100 map with
scale=2
. The
image is returned with 200px of detail; the desktop scales it down
perfectly, so that it's indistinguishable from the original 100x100
request, while the mobile browser benefits from the additional resolution
returned by the API.
Image requests
|
Device
|
100x100
|
200x200
|
100x100&scale=2
|
Desktop
(with
height="100px"
and
width="100px"
on the
img
tag)
|
|
|
|
High Resolution
(simulated)
|
|
|
|
For more information about developing for mobile and high resolution
displays, the following reading is recommended:
Images may be returned in several common web graphics formats:
GIF
,
JPEG
and
PNG
. The
format
parameter takes one of the
following values:
png8
or
png
(default) specifies the 8-bit
PNG
format.
png32
specifies the 32-bit
PNG
format.
gif
specifies the
GIF
format.
jpg
specifies the
JPEG
compression
format.
jpg-baseline
specifies a non-progressive
JPEG
compression
format.
These examples request maps in
gif
and
png
formats:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=40.714728,-73.998672&format=gif&zoom=14&size=400x400&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=40.714728,-73.998672&format=png&&zoom=14&size=400x400&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
jpg
and
jpg-baseline
typically provide the
smallest image size, though they do so through "lossy" compression which may
degrade the image.
gif
,
png8
and
png32
provide lossless compression.
Most JPEG images are progressive, meaning that they load a coarser image
earlier and refine the image resolution as more data arrives. This allows
images to be loaded quickly in webpages and is the most widespread use of JPEG
currently. However, some uses of JPEG require
non-progressive (baseline) images. In such cases, you may want to use the
jpg-baseline
format, which is non-progressive.
Map types
The Maps Static API creates maps in several formats, listed
below:
roadmap
(default) specifies a standard roadmap image, as is
normally shown on the Google Maps website. If no
maptype
value
is specified, the Maps Static API serves
roadmap
tiles by
default.
satellite
specifies a satellite image.
terrain
specifies a physical relief map image, showing
terrain and vegetation.
hybrid
specifies a hybrid of the satellite and roadmap
image, showing a transparent layer of major streets and place names on the
satellite image.
You can see the difference between roadmap and terrain types in this code
example.
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=40.714728,-73.998672&zoom=12&size=400x400&maptype=roadmap&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=40.714728,-73.998672&zoom=12&size=400x400&maptype=terrain&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Hybrid maps use satellite images and prominent roadmap features to create a
combination map. The following examples show satellite and hybrid map
types:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=40.714728,-73.998672&zoom=12&size=400x400&maptype=satellite&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=40.714728,-73.998672&zoom=12&size=400x400&maptype=hybrid&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Styled maps
Customize the presentation of the standard Google map by applying your own styles.
See the guide to
styled maps
.
Markers
The
markers
parameter defines a set of one or more markers (map pins) at
a set of locations. Each marker defined within a single
markers
declaration must exhibit the same visual style; if you wish to display markers
with different styles, you will need to supply multiple
markers
parameters with separate style information.
The
markers
parameter takes set of value assignments
(
marker descriptors
) of the following format:
markers=
markerStyles
|
markerLocation1
|
markerLocation2
|...
etc.
The set of
markerStyles
is declared at the beginning of the
markers
declaration and consists of zero or more style
descriptors separated by the pipe character (
|
), followed
by a set of one or more locations also separated by the pipe character
(
|
).
Because both style information and location information is delimited via
the pipe character, style information must appear first in any marker
descriptor. Once the Maps Static API server encounters a
location in the marker descriptor, all other marker parameters are assumed to
be locations as well.
Marker styles
The set of marker style descriptors is a series of value assignments
separated by the pipe (
|
) character. This style descriptor
defines the visual attributes to use when displaying the markers within this
marker descriptor. These style descriptors contain the following key/value
assignments:
size:
(optional) specifies the size of marker from
the set
{tiny, mid, small}
. If no
size
parameter
is set, the marker will appear in its default (normal) size.
color:
(optional) specifies a 24-bit color
(example:
color=0xFFFFCC
) or a predefined color from the set
{black, brown, green, purple, yellow, blue, gray, orange, red,
white}
.
Note that transparencies (specified using 32-bit hex
color values) are not supported in markers, though they are supported for
paths.
label
:
(optional) specifies a single
uppercase
alphanumeric character from the set {A-Z, 0-9}. (The
requirement for uppercase characters is new to this version of the API.)
Note that default and
mid
sized markers are the only markers
capable of displaying an
alphanumeric-character
parameter.
tiny
and
small
markers are not capable of
displaying an alphanumeric-character.
Marker scaling
The
scale
value is multiplied with the marker image size to
produce the actual output size of the marker in pixels. Default scale value
is 1; accepted values are 1, 2, and 4.
The pixel size limit on images applies
after
scaling is applied. For
example, if the marker is set to
scale:2
, then the marker can be
larger than the maximum size of 4096 pixels, as long as it reduces to less than
4096 pixels after scaling. Use marker scaling in conjunction with
map scaling
when displaying higher-resolution maps.
Marker locations
Each marker descriptor must contain a set of one or more locations defining
where to place the marker on the map. These locations may be either specified
as
latitude/longitude
values or as
addresses
. These locations are separated using the
pipe character (
|
).
Note
: If you choose to specify marker locations using a method
that requires geocoding, such as human-readable address strings or polylines, the request
is limited to a maximum of 15 markers. This limit applies only to marker locations that require
geocoding. It does not apply to marker locations specified with latitude/longitude coordinates.
The location parameters define the marker's location on the map. If the
location is off the map, that marker will not appear in the constructed image
provided that
center
and
zoom
parameters are
supplied. However, if these parameters are not supplied, the Maps Static API server
will automatically construct an image which contains the supplied markers.
(See
Implicit positioning
.)
A sample marker declaration is shown here. Note that we define one set of
styles and three locations:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=Williamsburg,Brooklyn,NY&zoom=13&size=400x400&
markers=color:blue%7Clabel:S%7C11211%7C11206%7C11222&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
To define markers with differing styles, we need to supply multiple
markers
parameters. This set of
markers
parameters
defines three markers: one blue marker labeled "S" at 62.107733, -145.5419,
one tiny green marker at "Delta Junction, AK", and one mid-sized yellow marker
labeled "C" at "Tok, AK". These markers are shown in this example:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=63.259591,-144.667969&zoom=6&size=400x400
&markers=color:blue%7Clabel:S%7C62.107733,-145.541936&markers=size:tiny%7Ccolor:green%7CDelta+Junction,AK
&markers=size:mid%7Ccolor:0xFFFF00%7Clabel:C%7CTok,AK"&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Custom icons
Rather than use Google's marker icons, you are free to use your own custom
icons instead. Custom icons are specified using the
icon
descriptor in
the
markers
parameter. For example:
markers=icon:
URLofIcon
|
markerLocation
Specify the
icon
using a URL (which should be
URL-encoded
). You can use
URLs created by URL-shortening services such as
https://goo.gl
. Most
URL-shortening services have the advantage of automatically encoding URLs.
You may specify an anchor point for the custom icon. The anchor point sets how the
icon is placed in relation to the specified
markers
locations. By default, the
anchor point of a custom icon is the bottom center of the icon image. You can
specify a different anchor point using the
anchor
descriptor in conjunction
with your
icon
. Set the
anchor
as an x,y point of the icon (such as
10,5
), or as a predefined alignment using one of the following values:
top
,
bottom
,
left
,
right
,
center
,
topleft
,
topright
,
bottomleft
, or
bottomright
. For example:
markers=anchor:bottomright|icon:
URLofIcon
|
markerLocation1
|
markerLocation2
You can use up to five unique custom icons per request. This limitation does not mean that
you are limited to only 5 marked locations on your map. Each unique icon may be used with more
than one
markers
location on your map.
Icon format:
- Icon images may be in PNG, JPEG or GIF formats, though PNG is recommended.
- Icons may be up to 4096 pixels maximum size (64x64 for square images).
Custom icon examples
Example 1
creates custom icons and positions the icons using
anchors.
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?&size=600x400&style=visibility:on
&style=feature:water%7Celement:geometry%7Cvisibility:on
&style=feature:landscape%7Celement:geometry%7Cvisibility:on
&markers=anchor:32,10%7Cicon:https://goo.gl/5y3S82%7CCanberra+ACT
&markers=anchor:topleft%7Cicon:http://tinyurl.com/jrhlvu6%7CMelbourne+VIC
&markers=anchor:topright%7Cicon:https://goo.gl/1oTJ9Y%7CSydney+NSW&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Example 2
creates the same custom icons as example 1, but does not
set the icon positions using anchors, relying on the default anchor of bottom center.
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?&size=600x400&style=visibility:on
&style=feature:water%7Celement:geometry%7Cvisibility:on
&style=feature:landscape%7Celement:geometry%7Cvisibility:on
&markers=icon:https://goo.gl/5y3S82%7CCanberra+ACT
&markers=icon:http://tinyurl.com/jrhlvu6%7CMelbourne+VIC
&markers=icon:https://goo.gl/1oTJ9Y%7CSydney+NSW&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Maps Static API paths
The
path
parameter defines a set of one or more locations
connected by a path to overlay on the map image. The
path
parameter takes set of value assignments (
path descriptors
) of the
following format:
path=
pathStyles
|
pathLocation1
|
pathLocation2
|...
etc.
Note that both path points are separated from each other using the pipe
character (
|
). Because both style information and point
information is delimited via the pipe character, style information must appear
first in any path descriptor. Once the Maps Static API server encounters a
location in the path descriptor, all other path parameters are assumed to be
locations as well.
Path styles
The set of path style descriptors is a series of value assignments
separated by the pipe (
|
) character. This style descriptor
defines the visual attributes to use when displaying the path. These style
descriptors contain the following key/value assignments:
weight:
(optional) specifies the thickness of the
path in pixels. If no
weight
parameter is set, the path will
appear in its default thickness (5 pixels).
color:
(optional) specifies a color either as a
24-bit (example:
color=0xFFFFCC
) or 32-bit hexadecimal value
(example:
color=0xFFFFCCFF
), or from the set
{black,
brown, green, purple, yellow, blue, gray, orange, red, white}
.
When a 32-bit hex value is specified, the last two characters
specify the 8-bit alpha transparency value. This value varies between
00
(completely transparent) and
FF
(completely opaque). Note that transparencies are supported in paths, though
they are not supported for markers.
fillcolor
:
(optional) indicates both that the path
marks off a polygonal area and specifies the fill color to use as an overlay
within that area. The set of locations following need not be a "closed"
loop; the Maps Static API server will automatically join the first and last
points. Note, however, that any stroke on the exterior of the filled area
will not be closed unless you specifically provide the same beginning
and end location.
geodesic
:
(optional) indicates that the requested
path should be interpreted as a geodesic line that follows the curvature
of the earth. When false, the path is rendered as a straight line in
screen space. Defaults to false.
Some example path definitions:
- Thin blue line, 50% opacity:
path=color:0x0000ff80|weight:1
- Solid red line:
path=color:0xff0000ff|weight:5
- Solid thick white line:
path=color:0xffffffff|weight:10
These path styles are optional. If default attributes are desired, you may
skip defining the path attributes; in that case, the path descriptor's first
"argument" will consist instead of the first declared point (location).
Path points
In order to draw a path, the
path
parameter must also be
passed two or more points. The Maps Static API will then connect the
path along those points, in the specified order. Each
pathPoint
is
denoted in the
pathDescriptor
separated by the
|
(pipe)
character.
The following example defines a blue path with default 50% opacity from
Union Square NY to Times Square, NY.
The specifics of the
path
parameter are:
path=color:0x0000ff|weight:5|40.737102,-73.990318|40.749825,-73.987963|40.752946,-73.987384|40.755823,-73.986397
The following example defines the same path instead defining a solid red
line with 100% opacity:
The specifics of this
path
parameter are:
path=color:0xff0000ff|weight:5|40.737102,-73.990318|40.749825,-73.987963|40.752946,-73.987384|40.755823,-73.986397
The next example defines a polygonal area within Manhattan, passed a
series of intersections as locations:
The specifics of this
path
parameter are:
path=color:0x00000000|weight:5|fillcolor:0xFFFF0033|8th+Avenue+%26+34th+St,New+York,NY|\
8th+Avenue+%26+42nd+St,New+York,NY|Park+Ave+%26+42nd+St,New+York,NY,NY|\
Park+Ave+%26+34th+St,New+York,NY,NY
Note that we set the path itself to be invisible and the polygonal area to
have a 15% opacity.
Encoded polylines
Instead of a series of locations, you may instead declare a path as an
encoded polyline
by using the
enc:
prefix within the location declaration of the
path
.
The following example outlines the course of the Alaska Highway from Dawson
Creek, BC to Delta Junction, AK with an encoded polyline:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap
?size=400x400¢er=59.900503,-135.478011&zoom=4
&path=weight:3%7Ccolor:orange%7Cenc:_fisIp~u%7CU}%7Ca@pytA_~b@hhCyhS~hResU%7C%7Cx@oig@rwg@amUfbjA}f[roaAynd@%7CvXxiAt{ZwdUfbjAewYrqGchH~vXkqnAria@c_o@inc@k{g@i`]o%7CF}vXaj\h`]ovs@?yi_@rcAgtO%7Cj_AyaJren@nzQrst@zuYh`]v%7CGbldEuzd@%7C%7Cx@spD%7CtrAzwP%7Cd_@yiB~vXmlWhdPez\_{Km_`@~re@ew^rcAeu_@zhyByjPrst@ttGren@aeNhoFemKrvdAuvVidPwbVr~j@or@f_z@ftHr{ZlwBrvdAmtHrmT{rOt{Zz}E%7Cc%7C@o%7CLpn~AgfRpxqBfoVz_iAocAhrVjr@rh~@jzKhjp@``NrfQpcHrb^k%7CDh_z@nwB%7Ckb@a{R%7Cyh@uyZ%7CllByuZpzw@wbd@rh~@%7C%7CFhqs@teTztrAupHhyY}t]huf@e%7CFria@o}GfezAkdW%7C}[ocMt_Neq@ren@e~Ika@pgE%7Ci%7CAfiQ%7C`l@uoJrvdAgq@fppAsjGhg`@%7ChQpg{Ai_V%7C%7Cx@mkHhyYsdP%7CxeA~gF%7C}[mv`@t_NitSfjp@c}Mhg`@sbChyYq}e@rwg@atFff}@ghN~zKybk@fl}A}cPftcAite@tmT__Lha@u~DrfQi}MhkSqyWivIumCria@ciO_tHifm@fl}A{rc@fbjAqvg@rrqAcjCf%7Ci@mqJtb^s%7C@fbjA{wDfs`BmvEfqs@umWt_Nwn^pen@qiBr`xAcvMr{Zidg@dtjDkbM%7Cd_@
&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
As with standard paths, encoded polyline paths may also demarcate polygonal
areas if a
fillcolor
argument is passed to the
path
parameter.
The following example outlines a polygonal area for Brooklyn, NY:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap
?size=400x400¢er=40.653279,-73.959816&zoom=11
&path=fillcolor:0xAA000033%7Ccolor:0xFFFFFF00%7Cenc:}zswFtikbMjJzZ%7CRdPfZ}DxWvBjWpF~IvJnEvBrMvIvUpGtQpFhOQdKpz@bIx{A%7CPfYlvApz@bl@tcAdTpGpVwQtX}i@%7CGen@lCeAda@bjA%60q@v}@rfAbjA%7CEwBpbAd_@he@hDbu@uIzWcWtZoTdImTdIwu@tDaOXw_@fc@st@~VgQ%7C[uPzNtA%60LlEvHiYyLs^nPhCpG}SzCNwHpz@cEvXg@bWdG%60]lL~MdTmEnCwJ[iJhOae@nCm[%60Aq]qE_pAaNiyBuDurAuB }}Ay%60@%7CEKv_@?%7C[qGji@lAhYyH%60@Xiw@tBerAs@q]jHohAYkSmW?aNoaAbR}LnPqNtMtIbRyRuDef@eT_z@mW_Nm%7CB~j@zC~hAyUyJ_U{Z??cPvg@}s@sHsc@_z@cj@kp@YePoNyYyb@_iAyb@gBw^bOokArcA}GwJuzBre@i\tf@sZnd@oElb@hStW{]vv@??kz@~vAcj@zKa%60Atf@uQj_Aee@pU_UrcA
&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Viewports
Images may specify a
viewport
by specifying visible locations using
the
visible
parameter. The
visible
parameter
instructs the Maps Static API service to construct a map such that the existing
locations remain visible. (This parameter may be combined with existing
markers or paths to define a visible region as well.) Defining a viewport in
this manner obviates the need to specify an exact zoom level.
The next example requests a map centered on Boston, MA containing both MIT
and Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=Boston,MA
&visible=77+Massachusetts+Ave,Cambridge,MA%7CHarvard+Square,Cambridge,MA&size=512x512&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Implicit positioning
of the map
Normally, you need to specify
center
and
zoom
URL
parameters to define the location and zoom level of your generated map.
However, if you supply
markers
,
path
, or
visible
parameters, you can instead let the Maps Static API
determine the correct center and zoom level implicitly, based on evaluation of
the position of these elements.
If supplying two or more elements, the Maps Static API will determine a
proper center and zoom level, providing generous margins for the elements
contained. This example displays a map containing San Francisco, Oakland,
and San Jose, CA:
https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=512x512&maptype=roadmap\
&markers=size:mid%7Ccolor:red%7CSan+Francisco,CA%7COakland,CA%7CSan+Jose,CA&key=
YOUR_API_KEY
&signature=
YOUR_SIGNATURE
Larger image sizes
If you need images with sizes larger than 640 x 640 pixels (or 1280 x 1280
pixels with a scale value of 2), please
contact the support team
and provide the following information:
- Your use case and why you need large size images.
- Whether you considered using other Google Maps Platform APIs
(Maps JavaScript API, Maps Embed API,
Maps SDK for Android, or Maps SDK for iOS) and why don't
they meet your needs.
- Screenshots, mocks, or samples of how you will use large size images.
- Your estimated monthly usage for large size images.
We will review your request based on the information you provide and
determine if your use case complies with
Google Maps Platform Terms of Service
.
The maximum size we can provide is 2048 x 2048 pixels.
Troubleshooting and support
For more information on using the Maps Static API, take a look at
the
support page
.
The Maps Static API may issue an error or warning when something
goes wrong. You should check for warnings in particular if you notice that
something is missing from the map. It's also a good idea to check for warnings
before launching a new application. Note that the warnings may not be
immediately apparent because they appear in the HTTP header. For more
information, see the guide to
errors and
warnings
.