Hi Shay,
The static maps that could be generated on terms using the Code field is a legacy feature added in a very early version of ICA-AtoM and scarcely touched since. Consequently, when the setting was added for the Google Maps API key (to support the ability to
add dynamic maps to digital objects, this feature was not integrated with it.
Previously Google allowed calls to its Maps API without an API key. After a bit of searching online, it seems that they ended this practice in 2016. So you're correct that we'll need to integrate this feature with the Maps API key setting to get it working again.
We will try to address this for the next release, but please note that filing a ticket alone does not guarantee it will be addressed. You can see
this page for more information on how we maintain and develop AtoM.
If you or your institution is interested in sponsoring a fix for this work, please feel free to contact me off-list. Meanwhile, I've added several code references on the ticket from more recent Maps API integrations in AtoM that could be used as a reference for addressing this - so if you are (or have) a developer and would like to submit a pull request to address this, please review
this page - we would welcome your contribution!
Cheers,