How to decode the Google Directions API polylines field into lat long points in Objective-C for iPhone?

Question

I want to draw routes on a map corresponding to directions JSON which I am getting through the Google Directions API: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/direct

Answer 1

Python Implementation

This isn't in Objective-C, but this thread is where Google drops you if you're looking to decode polyline strings from Google Maps. In case anyone else needs it (much like I did), here's a Python implementation for decoding polyline strings. This is ported from the Mapbox JavaScript version; more info found on my repo page.

def decode_polyline(polyline_str):
    index, lat, lng = 0, 0, 0
    coordinates = []
    changes = {'latitude': 0, 'longitude': 0}

    # Coordinates have variable length when encoded, so just keep
    # track of whether we've hit the end of the string. In each
    # while loop iteration, a single coordinate is decoded.
    while index < len(polyline_str):
        # Gather lat/lon changes, store them in a dictionary to apply them later
        for unit in ['latitude', 'longitude']: 
            shift, result = 0, 0

            while True:
                byte = ord(polyline_str[index]) - 63
                index+=1
                result |= (byte & 0x1f) << shift
                shift += 5
                if not byte >= 0x20:
                    break

            if (result & 1):
                changes[unit] = ~(result >> 1)
            else:
                changes[unit] = (result >> 1)

        lat += changes['latitude']
        lng += changes['longitude']

        coordinates.append((lat / 100000.0, lng / 100000.0))

    return coordinates