8

I want to create a rather visually appealing representation of time-series data (Costco Store Locations w/ opening dates).

My idea was to plot them on a map, in time-series, but it seems that the amount of markers on the map detracts from the image I want to present.

Building the map in Google Maps API v3, I was able to get THIS far..

I want to be able to cluster the markers as they drop down onto the map. Ie, The clusters would grow dynamically as the markers drop down on the map.

www.spatialanalysis.ca

code:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"/>
<title>Locations</title>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?sensor=false"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">

//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//
//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//
//**//  Author: Michael Markieta
//**//  Project: Costco Store Locations
//**//  Data retreived from: http://locationscomplete.com/store-list/costco
//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//
//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//

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        new google.maps.LatLng(48.147071,-122.188728),
        new google.maps.LatLng(21.966207,-159.379784),
        new google.maps.LatLng(39.64345,-106.888929),
        new google.maps.LatLng(35.819171,-78.624095),
        new google.maps.LatLng(38.314966,-85.575074),
        new google.maps.LatLng(45.091701,-93.424209),
        new google.maps.LatLng(36.137384,-86.882867),
        new google.maps.LatLng(33.881385,-84.467067),
        new google.maps.LatLng(34.138521,-117.443747),
        new google.maps.LatLng(33.707108,-116.272281),
        new google.maps.LatLng(46.61659,-111.997627),
        new google.maps.LatLng(40.148544,-82.977471),
        new google.maps.LatLng(41.601098,-87.8602),
        new google.maps.LatLng(39.993388,-104.978402),
        new google.maps.LatLng(40.403823,-79.920262),
        new google.maps.LatLng(26.488717,-81.786306),
        new google.maps.LatLng(26.681125,-80.218562),
        new google.maps.LatLng(33.698181,-117.824643),
        new google.maps.LatLng(34.939252,-81.991329),
        new google.maps.LatLng(34.83597,-82.312969),
        new google.maps.LatLng(37.389239,-121.883251),
        new google.maps.LatLng(41.677196,-83.626067),
        new google.maps.LatLng(43.31041,-87.924802),
        new google.maps.LatLng(39.72291,-121.810157),
        new google.maps.LatLng(34.515393,-117.319573),
        new google.maps.LatLng(32.364332,-86.140767),
        new google.maps.LatLng(39.18673,-76.794937),
        new google.maps.LatLng(29.577884,-98.318589),
        new google.maps.LatLng(41.263559,-96.104773),
        new google.maps.LatLng(46.561741,-120.49665),
        new google.maps.LatLng(36.294138,-119.318548),
        new google.maps.LatLng(47.358133,-122.601163),
        new google.maps.LatLng(35.194554,-106.65748),
        new google.maps.LatLng(38.893358,-104.718057),
        new google.maps.LatLng(38.669984,-121.724059),
        new google.maps.LatLng(30.462738,-84.214734),
        new google.maps.LatLng(34.112427,-117.828694),
        new google.maps.LatLng(39.709654,-74.286927),
        new google.maps.LatLng(25.6562,-80.412506),
        new google.maps.LatLng(33.389225,-111.667683),
        new google.maps.LatLng(40.056345,-74.155005),
        new google.maps.LatLng(38.009856,-121.83862),
        new google.maps.LatLng(37.78634,-121.256909),
        new google.maps.LatLng(43.097724,-89.523653),
        new google.maps.LatLng(39.645129,-105.008454),
        new google.maps.LatLng(39.558634,-104.776266),
        new google.maps.LatLng(45.028178,-93.040949),
        new google.maps.LatLng(29.732819,-95.438941),
        new google.maps.LatLng(42.905718,-112.45512),
        new google.maps.LatLng(47.353816,-122.12213),
        new google.maps.LatLng(38.668558,-76.87579),
        new google.maps.LatLng(42.605107,-83.293988),
        new google.maps.LatLng(41.908953,-88.340137),
        new google.maps.LatLng(36.171045,-115.16097),
        new google.maps.LatLng(33.850288,-118.141792),
        new google.maps.LatLng(21.327791,-158.088361),
        new google.maps.LatLng(33.918792,-118.343717),
        new google.maps.LatLng(32.907041,-96.444231),
        new google.maps.LatLng(33.994864,-118.143066),
        new google.maps.LatLng(33.59978,-111.98313),
        new google.maps.LatLng(37.479969,-122.216984),
        new google.maps.LatLng(38.903972,-104.81736),
        new google.maps.LatLng(40.795707,-73.932252),
        new google.maps.LatLng(38.596055,-90.505135),
        new google.maps.LatLng(41.313165,-81.817003),
        new google.maps.LatLng(37.61726,-122.088419),
        new google.maps.LatLng(46.14725,-123.917569),
        new google.maps.LatLng(34.272487,-118.427676),
        new google.maps.LatLng(40.733389,-73.86409),
        new google.maps.LatLng(43.259394,-123.351215),
        new google.maps.LatLng(32.817013,-117.154214),
        new google.maps.LatLng(38.96407,-76.851827),
        new google.maps.LatLng(34.946448,-85.249178),
        new google.maps.LatLng(33.872015,-84.330505),
        new google.maps.LatLng(41.908543,-87.835255),
        new google.maps.LatLng(41.723497,-88.038493),
        new google.maps.LatLng(42.21935,-87.905949),
        new google.maps.LatLng(44.748879,-93.293251),
        new google.maps.LatLng(45.621461,-122.471505),
        new google.maps.LatLng(34.247276,-77.874103),
        new google.maps.LatLng(32.621279,-96.911471),
        new google.maps.LatLng(40.690524,-111.957864),
        new google.maps.LatLng(40.890332,-111.894004),
        new google.maps.LatLng(38.645195,-77.299368)
    ];

    var markers = [];
    var iterator = 0;

    function initialize() { 
        drop();
        var mapOptions = {
            zoom: 3,
            panControl: false,
            zoomControl: false,
            scaleControl: false,
            streetViewControl: false,
            overviewMapControl: false,
            mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP,
            center: new google.maps.LatLng(49.645,-95.315),
        };
        map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map_canvas"),
        mapOptions);
    }

    function drop() {
        for (var i = 0; i < locations.length; i++) {
            setTimeout(function() {
            addMarker();
            }, i * 50);
        }
    }

//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//
//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//
//**//  Custom map markers created with:
//**//  Google Map Custom Marker Maker 2011
//**//  http://www.powerhut.co.uk/googlemaps/custom_markers.php
//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//
//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//**//

    function addMarker() {
        var image = new google.maps.MarkerImage('markers/costco_image.png',
        new google.maps.Size(12, 12),
        new google.maps.Point(0,0),
        new google.maps.Point(6, 12));
        var shadow = new google.maps.MarkerImage('markers/costco_shadow.png',
        new google.maps.Size(22, 12),
        new google.maps.Point(0,0),
        new google.maps.Point(6, 12));
        markers.push(new google.maps.Marker({
            position: locations[iterator],
            map: map,
            draggable: false,
            animation: google.maps.Animation.DROP,
            shadow: shadow,
            icon: image,
        }));
        iterator++;
    }
</script>
</head>
<div id="map_canvas" style=
    "position: absolute;
    top: 50%;
    margin-top: -300px;
    left: 50%;
    margin-left: -500px;
    width: 1000px;
    height: 600px;
    border-style: solid;
    border-width: 1px;
    border-color: darkgray;">
    </div>
<body onload="initialize()">
</body>
</html>
Improve this question
4
  • 1
    Nice map! I like the approach you've taken of having the markers fly in. This is not a strict answer to your question, but what about using a different shape which looked better en masse? There's a nice example on Flowing Data which uses circles. This might remove the need to cluster the features.
    – Stephen Lead
    Commented Sep 26, 2011 at 4:20
  • 1
    Have taken the suggestion and updated the map: spatialanalysis.ca/time-series-data/costco.html
    – Michael Markieta
    Commented Sep 26, 2011 at 5:40
  • 1
    Looks better, but you're right that it still needs a clusterer. I tried hooking it up to the MarkerClusterer but that removes the markers when it adds the clusters. Not much help, sorry
    – Stephen Lead
    Commented Sep 26, 2011 at 22:44
  • Thanks for your help anyways! I dont think the two (drop and clusterer) play well together.
    – Michael Markieta
    Commented Sep 28, 2011 at 1:30

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
7

This may not be the most elegant solution, but, with some fine-tuning of the timeout durations and customization of the cluster icons, I think you can get the effect you are looking for. See this example.

The trick is to first create a marker and set the map attribute in the marker options object. This adds the marker to the map with the nice drop animation. Then, the createMarker function returns the marker object so that we can add it to the cluster after it is dropped on the map. The adding of the marker to the cluster is wrapped in its own setTimeout function so that there is a delay between the marker dropping on to the map and being added to the cluster. Otherwise, it all happens too fast to see.

Note that to have control over the cluster icons you have to use MarkerClusterPlus, the enhanced version of MarkerCluster. MarkerClusterPlus is backwards compatible.

Here is the JS code:

var map;
var mc;
var cityHall = new google.maps.LatLng(39.95240, -75.16362);

//multiplier min and max, for our random numbers
var min = .999;
var max = 1.001;

function initialize(){

    var options = { 
        zoom: 11, 
        center: cityHall, 
        mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP 
    }; 

    map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'), options); 

    //marker cluster
    mc = new MarkerClusterer(map);  

    //plot a 100 markers that are randomly scattered around City Hall
    var i=0;

    for (i=0;i<=100;i++) {

        setTimeout(function() {
            var marker = addMarker();

                setTimeout(function () { 
                    mc.addMarker(marker);
                }, 1500);

        }, i * 50);

    }

}

function addMarker() {

    var newLat = cityHall.lat() * (Math.random() * (max - min) + min);
    var newLng = cityHall.lng() * (Math.random() * (max - min) + min);      

    var marker = new google.maps.Marker({
        position: new google.maps.LatLng(newLat,newLng),
        animation: google.maps.Animation.DROP,
        map: map
    });

    return marker;
}
Improve this answer
3
  • Thank you, this is exactly what I was searching for. Cheers mate.
    – Michael Markieta
    Commented Oct 21, 2011 at 18:52
  • Sorry for hijacking this thread. Trying to implement your solution here into my sample map but no luck. Just wonderinmg whether you would be able to give me some pointers what I'm doing wrong? gis.stackexchange.com/questions/35535/…
    – wibni
    Commented Oct 13, 2012 at 16:01
  • Hi @wibni I provided an answer to your question in the other thread.
    – Casey
    Commented Oct 14, 2012 at 21:47

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