If you have not yet obtained a free Google Maps API Key follow the instructions in the previous section, Getting Your Google Maps API Key then return here.

This section uses CDA Grain Trader (version 3.3.10 or later) as an example. If you are using a different CDA Software program that supports Google Maps functionality the procedure will be similar, although the exact steps might be different. If you need assistance please contact us.

There are only two steps required to use Google Maps from within your program:

1. Save your Google Maps API Key in the program.
2. Record the geographic coordinates of the place(s) to be mapped.

Once you've completed these steps you will be able to display the location on a map and/or satellite image in your browser from within the program, any time you have Internet access.

Your Google Maps API Key needs to be saved only once within the program, which then transmits it as part of the data that requests a map be displayed when you later invoke this from within the program. In CDA Grain Trader you store the API Key on the Company Details branch of the Global Options window, as shown below:

You are probably familiar with map coordinates, at least in the simplest form (“B6”) as might be used in a town map or street directory. From your school days you might also vaguely remember learning about Latitude and Longitude, and some will also be familiar with military-style UTM grid references. A detailed discussion of the various coordinate systems is well beyond the scope of this documentation; suffice it to say that Google Maps requires that the coordinates of your location must be expressed as Latitude and Longitude.

You might know however that even these coordinates can be expressed in several formats such as Degrees Minutes Seconds, Degrees and Decimal Minutes or Decimal Degrees, and may either use the indications N, S, E and W for North or South of the equator and East or West of the zero meridian, or simply show a negative sign for South or West values. Google Maps uses Decimal Degrees (and in fact uses the negative variant to indicate South or West, however the program looks after this for you). Happily, this format is the very one that is almost universally available, so there's no need for panic!

In this sample we are using the coordinates for the Sydney Opera House: -33.856915, 151.215154. Some ideas on how to obtain the coordinates for the location you want to store are contained in the next section, Getting Map Coordinates.

In CDA Grain Trader you can use Google Maps to display the locations of your suppliers and customers. The coordinates are saved on the Contacts window, as shown in the sample below: