API Keys

API Keys for Map and Geocoding Vendors

photools.com supports different map vendors for the geocoding and mapping features included in IMatch and IMatch Anywhere™.

This gives our users more flexibility. We don’t want to force you to use a specific vendor to geocode your images.
Privacy issues, local availability in your country and other factors must be taken into account when choosing a map provider.

The following map vendors are supported in our products at this time:

OpenStreetMap OpenStreetMap is a free service with maps released under the Open Database License.
IMatch and IMatch Anywhere WebViewer uses this map by default.
Please consider a donation to support the project and to keep it free.

Website https://www.openstreetmap.org
License and usage https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright
Google Maps Google Maps is a commercial web service of Google Inc.

Website https://maps.google.com
License and usage https://developers.google.com/maps/faq

To enable Google Maps you need an API key. See below for details.
This key is also used for reverse geocoding.
Bing Maps Bing Maps is a commercial web service of the Microsoft Corporation.

Website https://www.bing.com/maps
License and usage https://www.bingmapsportal.com/

To enable Bing Maps you need an API key. See below for details.
HERE Maps HERE is a commercial web service of HERE.

Website https://www.here.com
License and usage https://legal.here.com

Older HERE apps (before 2020) used an App-Id and App-Code for authentication.
Since 2020 here uses API keys. IMatch 2020 supports both methods. See below for more info.
GeoNames.org GeoNames is a free/commercial geocoding service.
Please consider a donation to support the project.

Website https://geonames.org
Create Account:
 https://www.geonames.org/login
License and usage https://www.geonames.org/about.html

To use GeoNames.org you should use your own user name. See below for details.

Important

Don’t forget to enable your user name for the free web service, else it will not work.
Go to Manage Account after logging in and click on the activate link at the bottom
(the text is quite small).

API Keys

Most map providers require a user name / password or an API key before they give an application access their resources. photools.com provides the apps/features to use these services, but we cannot afford to pay for the Google/Bing API usage of our users.

Free Usage

For low-volume private use the API keys are usually free of charge and give you plenty of  ‘calls’ per day. The vendors just want to protect their resources from abuse. At the time of writing, a free API key usually gives you more than 10,000 map ‘calls’ per day – which is plenty for private use.

Applying Your API key

After requesting an API key, you enter it into the appropriate setting in IMatch (Edit > Preferences & Geo and Maps) or IMatch Anywhere WebViewer (Settings screen). IMatch and IMatch Anywhere WebViewer then take care for the rest and enable all related features.

Google Maps

To request your API key, visit this page:

https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/get-api-key

Reverse Geocoding/Searching with Google

If you want to perform reverse geocoding via Google (See Edit > Preferences > Geo & Maps in IMatch) you need to provide a Google API key which has the APIs

  • Geocoding

enabled. This is also required when you want to search using Google in the Map Panel.

Using Google Maps in the Map Panel

Enable these two APIs for your project:

  • Maps Elevation API
  • Maps Javascript API

this allows IMatch to load maps and run the JavaScript code which makes Google Maps work.

NOTE: You also need to enable payment for your project (e.g., add a credit card). Even if you never exceed your free monthly quota, Google requires a payment method before enabling the API access. If Google Maps is not working (Showing “For Development only” or similar) you did not enable payment for your account.

Bing Maps API Key

To request your API key, visit this page: https://www.bingmapsportal.com/ Click on the Sign In button and follow the instructions.

HERE App-Id and App-Code (Legacy)

It’s easy to get your free developer account and key. Visit the HERE developer site at https://developers.here.com and click on GET STARTED FOR FREE.

After entering your email and selecting a password, you will be prompted to create a new project. Do this. This gives you a free monthly usage quota and produces an App-Id and App-Code. Enter them in IMatch under Edit > Preferences > Geo & Maps to use HERE  Maps in the Map Panel. Just concatenate the App-Id and App-Code in the dialog like this: <YOUR APP-ID>:<YOUR APP-CODE>.

You need an REST API KEY. Not JavaScript.

HERE API Keys

It’s easy to get your free developer account and key. Visit the HERE developer site at https://developers.here.com and click on GET STARTED FOR FREE.

After entering your email and selecting a password, you will be prompted to create a new project. Do this. This gives you a free monthly usage quota and produces an API Key you can  use with IMatch 2020 and later. Enter the key in IMatch under Edit > Preferences > Geo & Maps to use HERE  Maps in the Map Panel.

You need an REST API KEY. Not JavaScript.

GeoNames.org User Name

GeoNames is a free service, provided by volunteers. Consider a donation.

If you want to perform reverse geocoding using GeoNames.org in IMatch, please get yourself a free GeoNames user account. The daily limits are generous and the user account is free.

To get a user name, just follow the instructions on this page: https://www.geonames.org/login.

Don’t forget to enable your account for the free web service, else it will not work.