Thursday 4 January 2024

Sharing a Google "Plus Code" via a URL for Navigation

A lot of information exists on how to obtain a "plus code", but almost nothing about how they should be used.  

In this post I will use the local plus code for Monash Men's Shed (Australia) which is "4594+2C Glen Waverley, Victoria". You can see this place in maps here.  If you try to navigate there it will take you close to it (and often leave you to work out where it actually is, at least when compared with a street address).  In maps, below the phone number for the men's shed you will find the plus code listed.

Since a "+" is within all plus codes, you first need to escape it with "%2B" ("4594%2B2C Glen Waverley, Victoria") or it will be parsed to a space (they should have used another character...).

The URL "https://maps.google.com/maps?q=4594%2B2C Glen Waverley, Victoria" will open maps with the exact location highlighted (shaded red square) and navigation to it takes you to the exact spot.

You can also append the original or escaped plus code to "https://plus.codes/", see the location with the URL "https://plus.codes/4594+2C Glen Waverley, Victoria", this will redirect to "https://plus.codes/4RJ74594+2C" which unlike my original local one (which exists in multiple places around the globe), is a global that only exists in one spot.


No comments: