Do you know where the sun is shining?
Do your website visitors? In this global era, it's an important question. DaylightMap.com can help supply the right answer, with a real-time graphical display of worldwide daylight on your own website.
Businesses with offices around the world can show at a glance which are in the middle of the night. For websites facilitating international communication (phone, IM, SMS, etc), users can immediately see where others are likely to be awake. Any business or organization with activities on more than one continent can benefit.
Websites using my daylight layer include:
- NASA – tracking the International Space Station
- LiveLook – webcam directory
- WinkSite – live chat network
- Bonstio's Clicky Map – Google Gadget showing website visitors
You have three options to choose from:
Option One: DIY
My daylight layer can be added to any Google Maps API implementation with just a few lines of JavaScript. If you've already added a Google map to your own site, or you're planning to, this is probably the best choice for you. See the Get Your Own page for complete instructions.
The daylight layer is available free of charge for most users, but an access fee is required for high-traffic sites:
| Max Hits per Month | Price per Month | Cost per 1000 hits |
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 | Free | - |
| 60,000 | US $30 | $0.50 |
| 200,000 | US $60 | $0.30 |
| 600,000 | US $120 | $0.20 |
| 2,000,000 | US $240 | $0.12 |
| 6,000,000 | US $480 | $0.08 |
A hit is defined as a single client map access, typically a single pageview of a page containing the map with the daylight layer. For more information, or to get started at a paid access level, please contact me.
Option Two: A Custom Google DaylightMap
If you'd rather leave the Google Maps API integration to an expert, you've found one. Solutions range from a simple, static world map with live day/night layer (shown at left) to functionality exceeding that on DaylightMap.com's home page. The map can be integrated directly into your own web pages, or I can host your "private label" DaylightMap here. Whatever works best for you.
If you're interested, please contact me for more information (including pricing). Also, please be aware when planning your site that any Google map integration will need to conform to the Google Maps API Terms of Use.
Option Three: Other Maps
For applications where a Google map isn't appropriate – such as corporate intranets and pay-for-access sites – the daylight layer can be added to any standard world map. This can be an off-the-shelf map image, or virtually any map that's specific to your organization. While this approach obviously doesn't include all the built-in functionality of a Google map, the door is open to a world of complete customization. Additionally, these maps can be built for greater accessibility than is possible when using the Google Maps API.
The second example at left is built from public-domain NASA seasonal satellite imagery, rather than a Google map, and would be suitable for placement on any web site.
Again, please contact me to discuss your needs.
Google Map Development
In addition to daylight maps, I'm available for hire on a contract basis to bring virtually any AJAX or Google Maps API interface task to successful completion. I've been integrating with Google Maps since before the official API was released; additional examples of my work are available at the following sites.
I am solely responsible for the coding on all of these sites, as well as a couple of others that are not yet in public release. Additionally, I have been a professional software engineer since 1991, and have been engaged in full-time remote freelance development since 1998. Drop me a line and see what I can do for you.
