Starting from 1st January 2012, Google intends to charge for excessive use of the Google Maps API on third-party websites.
The Google Maps API enables advanced integration of the Google Maps service in to a website. Typically companies use the feature to provide customised map locations, street view and driving directions to their customers.
Google will begin charging sites that go beyond 25,000 loads per day, typically focusing on websites that form their core business around location services such as travel agents or travel review sites. Google is expected to charge between $4 and $10 for every 1,000 loads beyond this limit.
Most site owners do not have to worry, as 25,000 daily loads far exceeds typical usage, with Google suggesting that this new levy "will only affect 0.35 per cent of users".
Google Maps API product manager Thor Mitchell had this to say, "We understand that the introduction of these limits may be concerning, however, with the continued growth in adoption of the Maps API, we need to secure its long-term future by ensuring that even when used by the highest-volume for-profit sites, the service remains viable."
Though the notion that Google Maps may no longer be free rings alarm bells in the heads of users, wondering if it will stop at just the top 0.35 per cent, this move seems quite reasonable, as most sites receiving above 25,000 loads per day are likely to be raking in money at the expense of Google processing power and bandwidth. Google has long since offered a Premier API that starts at $10,000 per year intended for business use; large for-profit companies still on the standard API are effectively free-riding the service despite Google's Premier incentives.
