UI-WebServer Map Solutions

Roger Barker had designed the UI-Webserver to use the free map service from mapblast/vicinity.com, which was blocked by Microsoft after the acquisition. Here is a set of <iframes> you can use as a replacement.

>>>>> I have added an OpenStreetMap Layer ("Mapnik") to the Google map. With an option you can start it as default.

>>>>> The Expedia Maps are no more available. I have replaced them with static Google maps.
Please use the new URLs.

>>>>> The Yahoo maps API is officially depreciated, but does still work.

>>>>> Please read and follow my usage guidelines.
The recent Google Terms of Use and increasing abuse force me and you to apply them.

After my initial approch to use static maps from the Expedia server, I added <iframes> for Google, Bing (ex MS Virtual Earth) and Yahoo maps. There is also a customized map for Viewpoint. After the shut-down of the Expedia map server I switched to static Google maps.

The dynamic maps extensively use JavaScript. You have to enable JavaScript in your browser and use a modern browser to see the maps. These maps may not work in some old browsers or in browsers with excessive security settings.

All <iframes> for the dynamic maps are valid XHTML and render in Standards Compliance Mode, if you use an appropriate browser, e.g. Firefox. You can check them with the W3C Markup Validation Service. The maps are accessible with IPv4 and IPv6.

If you should decide to use these maps, it is preferable to use the updated APRS symbol set for UI-View (see below), but it works also with the original symbol set. I convert some original symbol descriptions and you see always the currently valid symbol on the maps. Let me know if I forgot one.

The maps will only show correctly on your UI-WebServer. Not in a HTML editor, for example, because the server tokens are not substituted. Here is a summary of common errors.

The following paragraph for the static Google maps describes the basic principle of the map replacement for the UI-WebServer.

1. Static Google Maps

You can see an example of the result here for the generic UI-WebServer.

You only have to modify three pages in the 'Special Pages' folder of your UI-WebServer. At first make a back-up of this folder in case you should have problems when editing the pages. You also have to make sure that the pages do not have the "read-only" attribute set. If you mess them up, you can restore them from the folder "Default Pages".

Now you can edit the three pages:

info_call.html
infomobile_call.html
infowx_call.html

The simplest way is to use a suitable text editor, e.g. NoteTab Light.

In the three above HTML pages find the following lines:

Replace them with the following. The safest way is 'copy and past':

After you have saved the HTML files in the 'Special Pages' folder, the maps will be available immediately. The most frequent error is not to copy the first '<'. Also take care not to introduce any blanks in the string between "?call=" and "range=".

How does it work? I have placed a script on my ISP's server which converts the input from your UI-WebServer ( the tokens ##CALLSIGN##, ##LOCATION## and ##SYMBOL_DESCRIPTION## ) into an <iframe> with the appropriate map from the Google map server.

The ##SYMBOL_DESCRIPTION## token is used to place the correct APRS symbol on the maps. However, the UI-WebServer does not export overlay characters. Therefore only the basic icon is shown in these cases, without any overlay character.

At present the old URL for the static Expedia map is still working, but your browser will be redirected to new URL with the static Google map.

2. Dynamic Google Map

The default view I preset is 'Map' for Australia, Japan, North America and the EU, 'Satellite' elsewhere. The little overview map is shown when the map view is preset. With the below described options the map can be customized according to your personal preferences and location.

A generic version of the UI-WebServer with the three static Google maps and the dynamic Google map can be seen here.

Test it with your own call and browser. If your browser can display the dynamic Google map and you want to show it on your UI-WebServer, add the following <iframe> to the three information pages (see above):

My Google map script allows additinal options, if you enter &op= behind ##SYMBOL_DESCRIPTION## and one or more of the following characters:

L for a larger map with 800px * 600px instead of 600px * 400px (you have to adapt the iframe size, see below)

N to turn the overview map off

F to force and open the overview map

1 to start in street map mode

2 to start in satellite view mode

3 to start in hybrid map/satellite mode

4 to start in terrain mode (physical map)

5 to start in OpenStreetMap mode (Mapnik)

If you hence replace the token ##SYMBOL_DESCRIPTION## in the above Google map <iframe> by ##SYMBOL_DESCRIPTION##&op=LN3, you get a large Google map, no overview map and start in hybrid map mode. The options are not case sensitive. If you choose the larger map, you have to adapt the size of the <iframe> to width="800" height="600".

With an additional parameter &zl= you can set the default zoom level of the GMap. Possible values are between 1 and 18. The maximum usable zoom level depends on the region and the map type. My default zoom level is set to 13.

Make sure to update your UI-View32 symbol set to Rev. H in order to see all current symbols, including the Tractor. If you use the original symbol set you can use the maps, but you will always see the new symbols on the map. My script translates some of the changed symbol descriptions, e.g. RSGB. The symbol set is courtesy of WA8LMF.

The Google map API is still in development and changes must be expected. I try to keep the map up-to-date with the development of the API. The current version has the same zoom level as the maps on maps.google.com for the satellite view. For the map view Goggle uses different sources for the maps of the API and maps.google.com.

3. Bing (ex MS Virtual Earth) Map

The Bing maps are similar to Google maps, but show a minimum street level map nearly everywhere. In addition, they allow a "bird's eye view" for some parts of the world. You can see and compare the maps on my UI-WebServer, for example N6EX-4. Click on the link for the VE map above the other maps.

Please note that the Bing map may not work in some browsers, like Opera and Safari, because they are not supported by the Bing map API.

The <iframe> is the same as for the Google map, simply replace "gmap.php" by "vemap.php":

The options work as for the Google map, except for the overview map:

L for a larger map with 800px * 600px instead of 600px * 400px (you have to adapt the iframe size, see above)

1 to start in map mode

2 to start in satellite view mode

3 to start in hybrid map/satellite mode

4 to start in "bird's eye" mode (this start-up mode does not make much sense in most cases and may lead to errors in the display of the map)

My Bing maps use version 6.2 of the API. Bing now loads more than 800kB of Javascript and CSS to the browser, plus the map tiles. This is more than three times the code as compared to Google maps and may take a little moment.

4. YAHOO! Map

When I looked for a good overview map with always latin characters for the location names, I finally decided to add Yahoo! maps to my collection of <iframes>. You can see them on my Web server. For most parts of the world they don't offer street level.

If you want to use them, simply use the HTML for the Goggle map and replace gmap.php with ymap.php. The little inserted overview map does not exist for the Yahoo! maps.

The Yahoo maps API is officially depreciated. The maps should no more be used, because the server may go down any moment.

5. Map for Viewpoint+

After Brent, KH2Z, has kindly included the possibility to customize the GMap link in the setup of Viewpoint+, I have implemented a custom GMap which includes the reverse geocoder. In the Viewpoint+ Settings menue under [config] you find the key GLink. If you want to use my custom GMap with Viewpoint+, set this key to http://f5vag.nerim.net/maps/vpmap.php?q=#LAT#+#LONG#&ca=#CALL#&sym=#SYM1#_#SYM2#. An example page is here. Alternatively, you can also use the 400*600 pixel <iframe> as above with the URL http://f5vag.nerim.net/maps/gmap.php?q=#LAT#+#LONG#&ca=#CALL#&sym=#SYM1#_#SYM2#. If you replace "gmap.php" by "vemap.php" you get the MS VE map instead of the Google map.

Potential Pitfalls

Make sure that you copy and insert the complete IRAME between the <p align="center"> tag and the </p> tag.
Some HTML editors tend to mangle the HTML code and may produce garbled pages. The best way is to use a simple text editor for the three pages. MS Frontpage mangles the encoding of the ampersand and produces an invalid call of the IFRAME.
If you insert additional white-spaces (e.g. blank, CR, LF) between the above tags, they may break the page.
If you choose the larger maps, you have to adapt the <iframe> size to width="800" height="600". Otherwise the maps may not appear.
If you see an image instead of the map, the tokens of the UI-WebServer are not substituted correctly. My script performes a "sanity check" of the parameters to avoid abuse.
Not to read the "small print" below and to comply with it. My maps are frequently victims of abuse.

If you decide to run your own UI-WebServer, you might also want to look at my UI-WebServer FAQ.

73 de Gerhard, F5VAG (ex DL7MW)

All rights reserved. My map IFRAMEs are not free for any commercial use. CB use is excluded by the UI-View license conditions, i.e.
only licensed Radio Amateurs are authorized to use them for their hobby with UI-View32 on their UI-WebServers. The map IFRAMEs
shall not to be used for life support purposes. In using the maps you accept the terms of use, as well of my IFRAMEs, as the map providers.

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It was last modified 2012-May-17 08:33:40 UTC