Google mapdata API Parameters Explained

Google has a simpler API to get map images and overlay markers as well. I think this is not part of the Google maps API, but nevertheless here's what I found...



Here's an example URL, mapping pizza outlets in Bangalore, India. The URL can be seen by accessing the new mobile search page of Google. The URL looks like this:

http://maps.google.com/mapdata?tstyp=4&latitude_e6=12982873&longitude_e6=77599426&image_format=1&w=285&h=165&cc=us&client=mobilefe-internal&zl=4&Point=b&Point.latitude_e6=12971606&Point.longitude_e6=77594376&Point.iconid=17&Point=e&Point=b&Point.latitude_e6=12980989&Point.longitude_e6=77602120&Point.iconid=18&Point=e&Point=b&Point.latitude_e6=12970048&Point.longitude_e6=77606600&Point.iconid=19&Point=e&Point=b&Point.latitude_e6=12970048&Point.longitude_e6=77606600&Point.iconid=20&Point=e&Point=b&Point.latitude_e6=12970048&Point.longitude_e6=77606600&Point.iconid=21&Point=e&Point=b&Point.latitude_e6=12990345&Point.longitude_e6=77589139&Point.iconid=22&Point=e&Point=b&Point.latitude_e6=12987049&Point.longitude_e6=77594915&Point.iconid=23&Point=e&Point=b&Point.latitude_e6=12972107&Point.longitude_e6=77606617&Point.iconid=24&Point=e&Point=b&Point.latitude_e6=12989932&Point.longitude_e6=77592090&Point.iconid=25&Point=e&Point=b&Point.latitude_e6=12974707&Point.longitude_e6=77609712&Point.iconid=26&Point=e

Some parameters are simple to understand:

w: width of the image
h: height of the image
zl: zoom level 1-9
image_format: 1,2 or 3 for gif,png and jpeg respectively

Few parameters that I'm not sure about:

tstype: font size? image quality?
cc: country?
client: type of browser?

Now coming to the coordinate specification. Coordinates are specified by the various latitude_e6 and longitude_e6 parameters. The first occurrence of latitude_e6 and longitude_e6 specify the map center point. Each point of interest to be marked in the map is wrapped by a begin and end marker.

begin: Point=b
end: Point=e

Each such point to be marked has a latitude and longitude and marker icon type.

Point.latitude_e6: lat of the point
Point.longitude_e6: long of the point
Point.iconid: the icon id to use