[Google Maps API] z zoom param presence causes map to be incorrectly placed

[davidalejandroaguilar]

The z zoom param on the ll param for the Geographic Location filtering is broken. It forces you to add a z character, otherwise Serpapi complains. However:

• If you include it
  • The map is incorrectly placed.
• If you don't include it
  • The map is correctly placed.

Google Maps URL example

With z param

https://www.google.com/maps/search/things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia/@4.7110,74.0721,16z?hl=es-419

Without z param
https://www.google.com/maps/search/things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia/@4.7110,74.0721,16?hl=es-419

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Note It's worth mentioning that the zoom parameter on these Google Maps URLs doesn't seem to affect zoom in any way. e.g.

Without z param and setting it to 2

Produces the same result as above.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia/@4.7110,74.0721,2?hl=es-419

SerpApi URL examples:

With z param

https://serpapi.com/playground?engine=google_maps&q=things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia&ll=%404.7110%2C74.0721%2C14z&hl=es-419&type=search

Without z param

https://serpapi.com/playground?engine=google_maps&q=things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia&ll=%404.7110%2C74.0721%2C14&hl=es-419&type=search

SerpApi Geographic Location param

[hilmanski]

Thank you for your report and for sharing your findings, @davidalejandroaguilar. We'll investigate this.

Just to point out, based on your example:

Without the z parameter:
https://www.google.com/maps/search/things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia/@4.7110,74.0721,16?hl=es-419

The URL is adjusted to this after a few seconds https://www.google.com/maps/search/things+to+do+Bogota,+Colombia/@4.2820925,-74.2225269,351455m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1?hl=es-419&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDExNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Whereas Google Maps uses m (meter) instead of z. We've logged this as well in this thread: #2196

[schaferyan]

I think this may be location based depending on your IP address - when I open https://www.google.com/maps/search/things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia/@4.7110,74.0721,16?hl=es-419 it adds the z parameter:

https://www.google.com/maps/search/things+to+do+Bogota,+Colombia/@4.2820925,-74.2225269,9z/data=!3m1!4b1?hl=es-419&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDExNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[schaferyan]

Another note that might be helpful @davidalejandroaguilar - when you include the data parameter, the map is displayed correctly:

https://serpapi.com/playground?engine=google_maps&q=things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia&ll=%404.7110%2C74.0721%2C14z&hl=es-419&data=!3m1!4b1&type=search

[davidalejandroaguilar]

Thank you all for chiming in, indeed adding the data param with !3m1!4b1 seems to fix it, except that the zoom doesn't seem to change much between single values, you have to change by 2 for the zoom to change, e.g.:

• 11z https://serpapi.com/playground?engine=google_maps&q=things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia&ll=%404.7110%2C74.0721%2C11z&hl=es-419&data=!3m1!4b1&type=search

• 12z https://serpapi.com/playground?engine=google_maps&q=things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia&ll=%404.7110%2C74.0721%2C12z&hl=es-419&data=!3m1!4b1&type=search

Until I set 10z https://serpapi.com/playground?engine=google_maps&q=things+to+do+Bogota%2C+Colombia&ll=%404.7110%2C74.0721%2C10z&hl=es-419&data=!3m1!4b1&type=search

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Having said that, I guess this is indeed a "bug" that will be resolved until either the ll param allows not passing the z attribute or passing m?

Not sure what the proper solution is, since the above seems like a "hacky" workaround that doesn't respond well to the zoom param (it's either too zoomed in or too far away). I thank you for taking a look, however.

[hilmanski]

Thank you for sharing your findings @davidalejandroaguilar. We'll investigate it further.

I'm currently seeing a different behavior.

For 11z

For 12z