Google My Maps to GTFS shapes.txt converter

[Brandon Martin-Anderson]

Hey Y'all,

Here's a tool which converts customized Google Maps into shapes.txt files. I made it last night.

http://bmander.com/makeshapes/

Does anyone know how to programatically get line coordinates from a driving directions URL? A driving directions -> shapes.txt converter would be useful also, for those who don't enjoy tracing streets by hand.

-B

[Joe Hughes]

Cool idea, Brandon, you're on a roll lately!

A word of warning: I'm not a lawyer, but I suspect that any data that
you traced off of Google Maps in this way might inherit IP
restrictions from Google's upstream data providers (Navteq, in the
example map you link to on that page). If you used the resulting
shape data in a non-Google-Maps application, Navteq could probably
come around and hit you up for cash and/or C&D you.

Maybe there's a way to do something similar but based on
OpenStreetMap? Or does that have IP restrictions that would keep you
from using it with Google Maps?

Joe

[Brandon Martin-Anderson]

Hey Joe,

It occurred to me halfway through implementing the converter that, strictly speaking, derivative works have IP problems. Whether, practically speaking, that's an issue for a couple of 5-route rural agencies, remains to be seen.

-B

[Tom Brown]

Try &output=kml
http://groups.google.com/group/googletransit/browse_thread/thread/08dc771ab6183e17
Watch out, I've noticed that sometimes it isn't exactly the same as what you see in the browser, maybe because it comes from a different data provider. As Joe says, there are potential legal issues but I can't provide any advice on that front.

On Thu, Aug 7, 2008 at 11:25 AM, Brandon Martin-Anderson <bad...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Kieran Huggins]

We've found that the API seems to use TeleAtlas, while Google Maps uses NavTeq, and the data is definitely different. TeleAtlas seems to have a lot more issues like reversed one-way streets and the like.

Depending on your usage (and the coverage in your area) OpenStreetMaps might be a better data source... and it's CC if I'm not mistaken.

Cheers,
Kieran

[Ian Leighton]

nice work Brandon!

Ian Leighton

Founder / Designer

Embark Inc. / www.letsembark.com

On Tuesday 16 April 2013 at 13:27 , Derived wrote:

You rock on many levels!

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[rainerl...@gmail.com]

Hi Brandon, cool tool,

but with your example URL it doesnt work (output=something went wrong)

even if I append &output=kml

Can you help?

Is the code for the tool somewhere online ,github or so?

Kind regards

[Brian Ferris]

I think Google My Maps has changed a bit since Brandon originally wrote his conversion tool.  Specifically, My Maps now has an explicit option for KML export (as opposed to tweaking the output link).  Unfortunately, I don't think Brandon's tool will work so well as result.

However, I whipped up a new KML => GTFS Shapes tool that should do the job:

http://bdferris.github.io/kml-to-gtfs-shapes/

It should work with any KML file, whether generated by Google My Maps, Google Earth, or even some non-Google product ; )  It runs right in the browser (assuming you have a reasonably modern one).  Please try it out and let me know if you have issues.

Thanks,

Brian

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[dtippet...@gmail.com]

Brian -- Does your tool still work?  I just tried to convert a kml, but didn't get any shp.txt in the output window.

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