Maps Platform
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Marker Clustering and Heatmaps: New features in the Google Maps Android API Utility Library
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
A new version of the
Google Maps Android API Utility Library
is now available, which includes some
cool
new data visualisation features - marker clustering and heatmaps.
Marker Clustering
When you have a lot of data to show, it can be hard to keep your app from becoming cluttered and messy. One solution is to group nearby markers into a single marker (cluster marker). When viewed zoomed in, individual markers are shown. However, as the user zooms out, markers group together into a single cluster marker.
You can also easily customize the appearance of individual and clustered markers.
Left: clustered markers with default look
Right: custom rendering for clusters using the
IconGenerator
utility
Marker clustering is ideal for visualising a large number of elements on a map whilst minimising clutter. You see a concise summary of your data when zoomed out, and as the markers separate when you zoom in, you don't lose any detail from your data.
Heatmaps
Heatmaps
are another new visualisation available in the utility library. Heatmaps represent geospatial data on a map by using different colours to represent areas with different concentrations of points - showing overall shape and concentration trends. Heatmaps are also known as "intensity maps".
For an overview of the heatmaps library, watch the video below:
You can use a heatmap to visualise any data set that has a geospatial component. For example, the below heatmap shows the population of cities around the world, with cities as points on the heatmap, weighted by population:
To get started with the Android Maps API Utility Library,
view the setup guide
- you can also view our guides on how to use the
marker clustering
and the
heatmap
features. For a summary of previously existing features in the utility library, view
Chris Broadfoot
's
Maps Shortcuts video
. As always, if you have any problems using the Android Maps API or the Utility Library, post to
StackOverflow
- our
support page
has the right tags to use.
Posted by Emma Yeap and Iris Uy, Engineering Practicum interns at Google Sydney
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