Create interactive web illustrations with google maps

TL;DR: This technique enables interactive display of a high-resolution image with the familiar Google Maps controls, and creating a Web illustration this way is easy, platform neutral and produces visually appealing results.

Abstract: The use of Google Maps to display geographic content is commonplace. Google Maps is also useful in displaying high-resolution images on the Web, allowing visitors to move, zoom and pan within the image view window. A digital image is needed, along with a Google account to obtain a Google maps Application Programming Interface (API) key, Web space to load content that can use JavaScript, a computer that can run Java and an html editing application. GMap Image Cutter software may be downloaded from the University College London Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) site.The Image Cutter software divides a hi-resolution image into many small tiles. These tiles enable zooming to levels specified by the user during initial image cutting. An html file and a folder of image tiles are generated, usable on local systems with no further processing, but requiring a Google maps API key when posted to a Web server. Where a fully featured digital imaging library solution is impractical or unavailable, this technique enables interactive display of a high-resolution image with the familiar Google Maps controls. Though the underlying technology is complex, creating a Web illustration this way is easy, platform neutral and produces visually appealing results.