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Tuesday 30 November 2010

Google Fusion Table Just Got Better

Few months ago, i have posted a blog demonstrating how easy it is to display spatial data in Google Maps using Google Fusion table. Today, i just found that Google Fusion table has improved! Previously, it was only possible to display markers as default red marker but now it's easy to choose from a set of markers. Google fusion table has published approximately 200 additional marker names recognized by Fusion Tables. You can also visually examine what those additional markers in this link.You can click in a markers and get the name of that marker. Just place a column in your own table as a TYPE and put appropriate name of the markers which best describes your point. You will find additional tab Configure Style when you visualize your data as map. Click it and select column tab to select your type column in your data. And it's done.

Here is the same data that I used before displayed with different markers. It looks more eye pleasant than the one before. Don't you agree? I remember that when I want to build similar kind of map using Google API for Flex, it took me app. 10 days to learn Flex and build something similar. But, using Google Fusion table, it took me just 5 minutes. GOOGLE is just great.



Despite these improvements, I am yet to be satisfied with Google Fusion table. Why not to allow a user to match his Type column to available list of markers? Then user doesn't have to alter his data. For example, I had a type "Essen" (German word which literally means to eat) to represent Restaurant in my data set but then i had to change that to "dining" to match with available marker list. Why don't they add a feature to link my "Essen" to their " dining" so I don't have to change my dataset?
Google Engineers, are you listening? I think this feature will be added in next update.

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