MapSwitcher
Chrome extension switches between online map apps, maintaining (as far as possible) the map centre, zoom level, & directions of the source map.
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Chrome extension switches between online map apps, maintaining (as far as possible) the map centre, zoom level, & directions of the source map.
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This article describes the MapSwitcher extension for the Google Chrome browser and should not be confused with another tool of the same name for Firefox browser, developed by which can be found here
This benefits of MapSwitcher for Open Source research are mainly:
Accuracy: Human error when handling copy and paste of system co-ordinates between apps is largely eliminated by using MapSwitcher.
Efficiency: Research work can be performed more quickly when transfer between apps is automated using MapSwitcher.
Quality: Where MapSwitcher makes it easy for researchers to switch quickly and accurately between apps, they are more likely to check their work using more than one system, which generally leads to more accurate results.
The most difficult part of using MapSwitcher is its installation as a Chrome Browser Extension, if you have not done this kind of installation before.
The Google Chrome browser must already be installed to allow the user to add MapSwitcher as an extension. There is no account necessary to use MapSwitcher over and above what is necessary to use Google Chrome browser.
MapSwitcher is limited to the Chrome Browser, and to the list of apps provided for each, which is a good spread of commonly-used Open Source research mapping tools, but by no means exhaustive.
If you try to use MapSwitcher on an app for which is not on its input/output list you will see the following message:
Technical Limitations on Switching Performance:
Where directions are specified by address (not coordinates), different services can geocode these in radically different ways. So the routes may not start or finish where they did on the input mapping service.
Zoom / scale may not always be exact, depending on the limitations of the input & output map services
Directions handle multi-segment routes (with intermediate specified locations) where possible. Only some services (Google, Microsoft) support this. In these cases, output services which only support single segments will show maps from the first location to the last location.
The Waze app may fail to handle zoom.
MapSwitcher use involves the ethical considerations surrounding the constituent mapping tools between which it interfaces.
Sophie Tedling
MapSwitcher is an extension for the Google Chrome browser, which can be downloaded from the . It aids Open Source research by assisting users to switch their focus of study from one geographical data app to another, whilst migrating the same location co-ordinates between apps. General aspect is also preserved as far as possible, i.e. zoom, direction, etc.
The list of different geographical data platforms which can be used with MapSwitcher is growing all the time. You can check the current status of any app you're interested in, either from the extension itself if you have it installed, or here on the . The list as of May 2024 is show below as an example, but this will not remain definitive:
Currently MapSwitcher is only available for Chrome Browser, but its author, , planned future versions for Firefox and Microsoft Edge. It is, however, possible to install Chrome Browser extensions on Microsoft Edge, although they may not be thoroughly tested on Edge, for instructions, see explanatory article
GitHub user and developer details:
's source code for Map_Switcher can be found on GitHub - see above.
