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Google Map Creator
Download Google Map Creator Get HelpWhat is it and who is it for?
Google Map Creator is an application designed to make thematic mapping using Google Maps simpler. The application takes a shapefile containing geographic areas linked with attributes and automatically generates a working Google Maps website from the data. It does this by pre-creating all the necessary files and saving them into a directory. 
The main problem with creating Google Maps is that the number of tiles can be very large. The
application manages this problem by allowing the user to control the maximum level of zoom and the extents of the
geographic area. For example, with a map of worldwide Gross Domestic Product by country, there is no point in zooming
in beyond the point where one country fills the whole screen, so the maximum level of zoom is limited and the number of
tiles kept within a manageable level. In this example, six zoom levels are adequate for the data, resulting in 962 files
occupying 5MB on the disk. At the other end of the scale is data from a GPS tracked carbon monoxide sensor used within
a 1KM grid square in London. In this case, the maximum zoom level is used to show the 5 metre data grid, but only 71
files (less than 1MB) were created as the geographic area is so limited.
Credits: Google Map Creator was developed by GeoVUE, based at University College London, which was the part of NCeSS which researched Geographic Simulation. GeoVUE has now evolved into GENeSIS node, which is researching generative eSocial Science.