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How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

blog.cityflo.com

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Re: How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

#101

Post by pedro_hab »

karussell wrote: post #42

If they have their own fleet they can generate their own (historic) traffic data e.g. via Map Matching and use an open source routing engine like GraphHopper with OpenStreetMap data. (disclaimer: I'm one of the developers of GraphHopper.) It is unclear to me whether their current practice is in harmony with the Google Maps TOS. For some places there are also open traffic data sources: https://github.com/graphhopper/o…

Yeah, I think you can't cache gmaps data, each user has to request at the time of use, "to ensure the freshness of the data".

But I'm not sure if it applies to this use case.

Re: How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

#102

Post by rkda »

Reason077 wrote: post #37
rkda wrote: post #25

Author mentioned OSM but they could also use Mapbox's navigation APIs if they don't want to host things themselves. https://www.mapbox.com/navigation/

It would certainly be interesting if they had compared the quality of Mapbox’s traffic data to Google’s. Perhaps the authors tried this and the data wasn’t as good? But it’s not mentioned. OpenStreetMap itself is just the base map, not a provider of traffic data or routing.

Yeah. Mapbox is getting there but I don't think they have the same volume of users contributing traffic data as Google does.

Re: How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

#103

Post by ankit219 »

I like the assumption made while the bus is between two stops but that could be very inaccurate in a geography like Mumbai. I have seen your posters at one of the metro stations and assume that you operate in the city. I feel the biggest choke point in the city is the number of signals - around the metro stations - and hence the uncertainties around timing before and after crossing the signal. Traveling in a cab, this is where Google maps timing fails too by about 5-10 minutes. Not a big deal as a customer, just a mildly interesting titbit in my daily travel (before Corona)

One thing to look at given you would have everyday data is to see if there is a pattern (if not already did it). Then you can suggest commuters to take the bus now and save commute time v taking after 15 mins.

Re: How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

#104

Post by [deleted] »

raverbashing wrote: post #79
DeathArrow wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have many options if you need high accuracy: you have to pay a lot or try to trick Google which might be both immoral and against the law and for sure is tricky, hard to maintain and you can't count on it in the long run. Let's hope there will be alternatives to Google provided traffic data. For now they seemed to monopolized it by offering it for free while losing money to discourage competition.

> You don't have many options if you need high accuracy: you have to pay a lot What happened to actually trying to solve problems with programming? Interpolation is one solution. Caching is another. Temporal analysis. Put everything together. You don't need to query the magic Google box for every small update you make (and they might get that info from the transit providers, which given my experience are not that gre…

[deleted]

Re: How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

#105

Post by masonhensley »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #99
the_gipsy wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I worked at a company where they did the same thing, for a different Google API. It didn't work out, and it still baffles me how anyone thought it could.

It usually works until it doesn’t.

The wrong kind of “do things that don’t scale”

Re: How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

#106

Post by idontusegoogle »

disillusioned wrote: post #13

Well, that's more clever than a company I did due diligence for. Their strategy was to have a pool of API keys attached to new accounts that would take advantage of the Google Maps API free tier, and monitor its usage. As the free tier usage would run out, the system would roll over to a new API key automatically. Wrote that one up in big red marker in my report...

You have a moral right to misuse their services, because Googlo betrayed people and increased their prices by 1000% for Map API. Google is a fraud company and deserved this.

Re: How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

#107

Post by idontusegoogle »

idontusegoogle wrote: post #106
disillusioned wrote: post #13

Well, that's more clever than a company I did due diligence for. Their strategy was to have a pool of API keys attached to new accounts that would take advantage of the Google Maps API free tier, and monitor its usage. As the free tier usage would run out, the system would roll over to a new API key automatically. Wrote that one up in big red marker in my report...

You have a moral right to misuse their services, because Googlo betrayed people and increased their prices by 1000% for Map API. Google is a fraud company and deserved this.

haha google employee already downvoted this. I don't use anything from your dirty company. Downvote this as much as you want.

Re: How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

#108

Post by progval »

rfrey wrote: post #96
missosoup wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would violate the ToS.

Google's ToS says you're not allowed to do any computation on your own? I mean, I'm not disputing it, I just hadn't realized we were already there.

Section 3.2.3 of the Google Maps ToS

> (c) No Creating Content From Google Maps Content. Customer will not create content based on Google Maps Content.

> (d) No Re-Creating Google Products or Features. Customer will not use the Services to create a product or service with features that are substantially similar to or that re-create the features of another Google product or service.

https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform/terms/

Re: How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

#109

Post by idontusegoogle »

idontusegoogle wrote: post #106
disillusioned wrote: post #13

Well, that's more clever than a company I did due diligence for. Their strategy was to have a pool of API keys attached to new accounts that would take advantage of the Google Maps API free tier, and monitor its usage. As the free tier usage would run out, the system would roll over to a new API key automatically. Wrote that one up in big red marker in my report...

You have a moral right to misuse their services, because Googlo betrayed people and increased their prices by 1000% for Map API. Google is a fraud company and deserved this.

I will buy my next smartphone from Huawei as well to avoid using any garbage from google

Re: How We reduced our Google Maps API cost

#110

Post by baq »

progval wrote: post #108
rfrey wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google's ToS says you're not allowed to do any computation on your own? I mean, I'm not disputing it, I just hadn't realized we were already there.

Section 3.2.3 of the Google Maps ToS > (c) No Creating Content From Google Maps Content. Customer will not create content based on Google Maps Content. > (d) No Re-Creating Google Products or Features. Customer will not use the Services to create a product or service with features that are substantially similar to or that re-create the features of another Google product or service. https://cloud.google.com/maps-platf…

i don't see how using this is different from using the directions api for the purpose in the article?
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