Google API

1. Sicon Service Google Maps Service Usage Explained

In Sicon Service, we use the following Google Maps Platform APIs:

• Distance Matrix API
  • SKU: Distance Matrix
• Geolocation API
  • SKU: Geocoding
• Maps Javascript API
  • SKU: Javascript
• Map Tiles API
  • SKU: Map Tiles

1.1. Sicon Service - where & when clicks are charged

There are two areas of Sicon Service that will use API credits:

1. Within a Work Appointment when travel is added and using the Travel Estimate “Calculate from To/From” button. This calculates the estimated travel time and mileage from the addresses/postcodes selected in the “To/From” section.
2. Within the Map visualisation:
   • Map Tiles API: When loading and using the Map, the ‘tiles’ or ‘chunks’ of the map need to be loaded from Google’s servers. These provide the geographical context for other information displayed, such as pins. At time of writing, Map Tiles are billed per 1,000 tiles requested.
   • Geocoding API: When saving a case with the Geocoding functionality enabled, Service will call out to this API to translate the postcode for the case into Latitude and Longitude. These will then be saved against the case, and allow that case to be displayed on the Map without any further geocoding requests. When opening the Map, a list of cases in the ‘Reschedule’ state will be loaded. For each of these, Service will call out to the Geocoding API if Latitude and Longitude aren’t already saved against the case. This may result in a large burst of Geocoding queries on the first load, so that coordinates for cases created with the Geocoding API turned off (thus with no coordinates) can be retrieved and saved against the case. However, after that first load, the number of cases without coordinates will be dramatically fewer resulting in a slower trickle of requests in line with the number of cases being logged.

2. Sicon Approvals Google Maps Service Usage Explained

In Approvals Expenses, we use the following:

• MAPS API
  • SKU: Dynamic Maps
• Directions API
  • SKU: Directions Advanced Service
• Places API
  • SKU: Places Basic Data
  • SKU: Autocomplete
  • SKU: Geocoding

2.1. Sicon Approvals Expenses – where & when clicks are charged

Within the Expenses module, Google API charges apply when adding a new mileage line.

If an API Key is enabled, when you click ‘Calculate distance between two locations’ (highlighted in the above screen shot), the following screen will open and clicks will be charged as follows:

1. When the screen opens, the map will focus in on your current location, Geocoding will charge once and Dynamic maps will charge once.
2. Destination Starting Point
   • Start typing to find your address and for each keystroke, Autocomplete will charge per character you type.
   • (NB: there is an option in settings that will stop Autocomplete charging until you have entered a certain amount of characters, i.e. it will only start charging once per keystroke when you reach 4 characters).
   • Once you start typing, the system will start to bring up places starting with the characters you have typed (Only once you reach the characters specified as above if applicable):

• • Once you click on the relevant address, Places will charge once for a places request.  Geocoding and maps will also charge once also.  If you drag or zoom the map, there will be no charge.

3. Destination End Point
   • Start typing to find your address and for each keystroke, Autocomplete will charge per character you type.
   • (NB: there is an option in settings that will stop Autocomplete charging until you have entered a certain amount of characters, i.e. it will only start charging once per keystroke when you reach 4 characters)
   • Once you start typing, the system will start to bring up places starting with the characters you have typed:

• • Once you click on the relevant address, Places will charge once for a places request.  Geocoding and maps will also charge once also.  If you drag or zoom the map, there will be no charge.

4. Calculate Distance: once you have your start, finish and any waypoints completed, click on calculate distance. The map will add the journey points to the map, this will create directions and will charge for one directions request.

3. Pricing & Billing

3.1. Pricing Changes as of July 2018

Google states:

“On July 16, 2018, a new pay-as-you-go pricing plan went into effect for Maps, Routes, and Places. This new plan gives you more flexibility and control over how you use our APIs: You can use as much or as little as you need and only pay for what you use each month. We would also like to highlight that we’ve changed the pricing for our Maps, Routes, and Places products. For more information on what’s changing, you can review the API-specific billing changes and the guide to Understanding Billing. You can also estimate your monthly bill with the pricing calculator.

When you enable billing, you get $200 free usage every month for Maps, Routes, or Places. Based on the millions of users using our APIs today, most of them can continue to use Google Maps Platform for free with this credit.”

Source: https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform/pricing

3.2. 'Pay As You Go' Pricing Plan

Google Maps now offer a ‘Pay As You Go’ option for the Maps API utility.

For those with an account, Google provide a $200 USD credit per month, which will cover up to 40,000 of the above type of clicks or c.10,000 case/appointments per month.

On Googles pricing platform, this is now 28,500 maploads per month for no charge.

NB: in order to benefit from this credit, you must add payment card details onto your account.  Google will then charge that card if you go over the credit amount.

3.3. Monitoring Usage

Usage can be monitored to see if the quotas are being exceeded by viewing the dashboard.

4. FAQ's

5. Obtaining a Google API Key

A Google account is needed in order to generate an API key – https://accounts.google.com/signup/v2/webcreateaccount?hl=en&flowName=GlifWebSignIn&flowEntry=SignUp

N.B a fee may be chargeable, please follow this link for information on pricing structure and for further information – https://cloud.google.com/maps-platform/pricing/ 

5.1. Creating and Configuring Google API key

If your organisation is using Google Business Apps, the administrator will need to enable API access first. To do this, open the Admin console, click the Security icon (this may be located in the more controls section at the bottom of the screen). Click on API reference and check the box next to Enable API Access and save changes. At this point it is possible to enable the required APIs through the developer console, please find Google notes on generating API keys; https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/get-api-key#key

Log into the Google API console using the created Google Account, a prompt will appear to create a new Project – enter a suitable project name (i.e. organisation name), the project name can be changed at a later stage if required. There will be a prompt to enter credentials:

Follow the link to create an API key and enter a description; any description e.g. Organisation Name API can be used.

Once created, the text string of the API key will be shown; take note of this as this key will need to be configured in Sicon Approvals.

Specific APIs will need to be enabled from the Google API library.

Select the item from the list and enable the API.

• For Service
  • Distance Matrix API
  • Google Maps JavaScript API
  • Geolocation API
  • Map Tiles API
• For Sicon Approvals
  • Direction API
  • Places API
  • Maps JavaScript API
  • Geocoding API
  • Distance Matrix API