page.title=Adding Maps
page.tags=mapview,location
page.article=true
page.trainingcourse=true
@jd:body


<img src="{@docRoot}images/google/gps-maps.png"
  width="300"
  style="float:right;margin:0 0 20px 20px"
  alt="Google maps sample image">

<p>
  Allow your users to explore the world with rich maps provided by Google. Identify
  locations with custom markers, augment the map data with image overlays, embed one
  or more maps as fragments, and much more.
</p>

<p>
  The <a href="https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android/">Google
  Maps Android API</a> allows you to include maps and customized mapping information
  in your app.
</p>


<h2 id="features">Key Developer Features</h2>

<h4>Add maps to your app</h4>
<p>
  With Google Maps Android API v2, you can embed maps into an activity as a fragment with a simple
  XML snippet. The new Maps offer exciting features such as 3D maps; indoor, satellite, terrain,
  and hybrid maps; vector-based tiles for efficient caching and drawing; animated transitions; and
  much more. <a class="external-link" href=
  "https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android/map">Add a map object</a>.
</p>

<h4>Customize the map</h4>
<p>
  Add markers onto the map to indicate special points of interest for your users. You can define
  custom colors or icons for your map markers to match your app's look and feel. To further enhance
  the app, draw polylines and polygons to indicate paths or regions, or provide complete image
  overlays. <a class="external-link" href=
  "https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android/marker">Draw markers</a>.
</p>

<h4>Control the user's view</h4>
<p>
  Give your users a different view of the world with the ability to control the rotation, tilt,
  zoom, and pan properties of the "camera" perspective of the map. <a class="external-link" href=
  "https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android/views">Change the view</a>.
</p>

<h4>Add Street View to your app</h4>
<p>
  Embed Street View into an activity and let your users explore the world through panoramic
  360-degree views. Programmatically control the zoom and orientation (tilt and bearing) of the
  Street View camera, and animate the camera movements over a given duration. <a class=
  "external-link" href="https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android/streetview">Add
  Street View</a>.
</p>


<h2 id="start">Get Started</h2>
<p>
  Google Maps Android API is part of the Google Play services platform. To use Google Maps,
  set up the Google Play services SDK in your app development project. For more information,
  see the <a class="external-link"
  href="https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android/start">Getting Started</a> guide
  for the Google Maps Android API.
</p>