Mapping Locations

The Android SDK provides two different methods to show a location with Google Maps. The first method is to use a location Uri to launch the built-in Google Maps application with the specified location. The second method is to use a MapView embedded within your application to display the map location.

Mapping Intents

In the previous section, we demonstrated how to determine the latitude and longitude for a place name. Now we map the location using the built-in maps application. The following block of code demonstrates how to perform this:

String geoURI = String.format("geo:%f,%f", lat, lon);
Uri geo = Uri.parse(geoURI);
Intent geoMap = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, geo);
startActivity(geoMap);

The first task is to create a String that conforms to the URI handled by the mapping application. In this case, it’s geo: followed by the latitude and longitude. This URI is then used to create a new Uri object for creating a new ACTION_VIEW Intent. Finally, we call the startActivity() method. If the latitude and longitude are valid, such as the location for the Hoover Dam, the screen would look like Figure 13.3.