The Web has changed our lives in many ways. The first online, on-demand driving directions from MapQuest very nearly rendered traditional road atlases obsolete. Today, many websites that provide driving directions also make their maps available to developers. Using these mapping APIs, you can plot your own points or make a mashup with geo-data from other websites.

Websites like MapQuest and Google Maps have transformed the way we think about maps. But these services do more than offer driving directions—they provide APIs that web developers can use to build highly customized map-based applications.

In Map Scripting 101, author Adam DuVander delivers 73 immediately useful scripts that will show you how to create interactive maps and mashups. You'll build tools like a local concert tracker, a real-time weather map, a Twitter friend-finder, an annotated map of Central Park, and much more. And because the book is based on the cross-platform Mapstraction JavaScript library, everything you create will be able to use nearly any mapping service, including OpenStreetMap, MapQuest, Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.

You'll also learn how to:

• Create, embed, and manipulate basic maps by setting zoom levels and map boundaries
• Show, hide, and filter location markers and info-bubbles
• Customize your maps for visitors based on their location
• Use common data formats like GPS XML, Google Earth's KML, and GeoRSS
• Create graphical overlays on maps to better analyze data and trends
• Use freely available geodata from websites like Yelp and Upcoming—and public domain geodata from the US government

Map Scripting 101 is perfect for any web developer getting started with map scripting, whether you want to track earthquakes around the world, or just mark the best coffee shops in Dubuque.