Why not support maps other than Google Maps?

[김경은]

구글 지도 말고 네이버 지도를 화면에 보이게 하고 싶어요! 네이버 지도를 왜 지원하지 않는지 이유를 알 수 있을까요?

I want to have Naver map on the screen, not Google Maps. Why not support maps other than Google Maps?

(I want it to be visible on the screen, not pressed in like a hyperlink)

There's an api open source on Naver map, can't it be applied?

[SteveJG]

App Inventor 2 has built in capability to use OpenStreetMap tiles using the Map component and uses Google Map tiles with Google Static Maps using the Google Static Map API

You may be able  to use the Naver map API but will have to link to it yourself  possibly in a way similar to how App Inventor 2 uses the Google Static Map API..  Why don't you try?

You say 'I want it to be visible on the screen, not pressed in like a hyperlink)"; what does that mean?  You should be able to plot to your Naver map using the App Inventor 2 location control.  I am not familiar with Naver map so I do not know for sure..

Regards,

Steve

[김경은]

It means not linked! Thanks a lot XD

[SteveJG]

Naver Maps JavaScript API embeds  Naver Maps (maps of Korea) in web pages.   A link to the api is here:  https://navermaps.github.io/maps.js/docs/index.html 

This probably means to use the api, the device must be linked to the Web.  Since the api is in JavaScript, a developer should be able to create an app since App Inventor 2 can embed javascript.

Here is a tutorial showing how an App Inventor 2 developer can use javascript within his/her app  http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/ai2/webview-javascript.html  .  This tutorial is less helpful but contains information that may allow you to use the javascript api http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/ai2/firebase.html   .

This shows how Naver accesses its map tiles.  https://navermaps.github.io/maps.js/docs/tutorial-1-maptypes-tilecheck.example.html

To use this api not linked a developer would have to access Naver's tile library and place it in his/her device.  I don't read Korean so I can't determine whether is is allowed by the terms of service or even possible.  If you want to 'capture' a map image, and if you can display the map using App Inventor's WebViewer, you might use an extension to capture a device screen image and save that image as a map. 

I mentioned in my previous post that AI2s Map component uses OpenStreetMap map tiles ... this link seems to show that Naver also uses those tiles https://navermaps.github.io/maps.js/docs/tutorial-2-maptypes-imagemaptype.example.html  or at least has the flexibility to use those and its own tiles.

Here is what an OpenStreetMap tile in Seoul looks like:

A Korean reader would have to sort this out.

...and how it would look using the MIT Map component  :

Using only this code:  

You also can use Blocks to show your current location on the map.

To 'capture' a map you might use Taifun's extension here https://puravidaapps.com/screenshot.php  if you want a 'map' you can save.

Good luck.

Regards,

Steve