Capture embedded google map image with Python without using a browser

Question

I have noticed that, from Google Maps page, you can get an \"embed\" link to put inside an iframe and load the map in a browser. (no news here)

The image size can be

Answer 1

@4Oh4's answer is right, but the maths are way more complicated than they need to be. Conversions between degrees and radians happen way more often than they need to. The Earth's radius is invoked for no reason at all—it cancels in all calculations. An offset is added to the pixel coordinates for no reason at all. The logo cutoff is way bigger than it needs to be. And a few other odds and ends, which have been written in the changes. Here's my version:

#!/usr/bin/env python
"""
Stitch together Google Maps images from lat, long coordinates
Based on work by heltonbiker and BenElgar
Changes: 
* updated for Python 3
* added Google Maps API key (compliance with T&C, although can set to None)
* handle http request exceptions

With contributions from Eric Toombs.
Changes:
* Dramatically simplified the maths.
* Set a more reasonable default logo cutoff.
* Added global constants for logo cutoff and max image size.
* Translated a couple presumably Portuguese variable names to English.
"""

import requests
from io import BytesIO
from math import log, exp, tan, atan, ceil
from PIL import Image
import sys

# circumference/radius
tau = 6.283185307179586
# One degree in radians, i.e. in the units the machine uses to store angle,
# which is always radians. For converting to and from degrees. See code for
# usage demonstration.
DEGREE = tau/360

ZOOM_OFFSET = 8
GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY = None  # set to 'your_API_key'

# Max width or height of a single image grabbed from Google.
MAXSIZE = 640
# For cutting off the logos at the bottom of each of the grabbed images.  The
# logo height in pixels is assumed to be less than this amount.
LOGO_CUTOFF = 32


def latlon2pixels(lat, lon, zoom):
    mx = lon
    my = log(tan((lat + tau/4)/2))
    res = 2**(zoom + ZOOM_OFFSET) / tau
    px = mx*res
    py = my*res
    return px, py

def pixels2latlon(px, py, zoom):
    res = 2**(zoom + ZOOM_OFFSET) / tau
    mx = px/res
    my = py/res
    lon = mx
    lat = 2*atan(exp(my)) - tau/4
    return lat, lon


def get_maps_image(NW_lat_long, SE_lat_long, zoom=18):

    ullat, ullon = NW_lat_long
    lrlat, lrlon = SE_lat_long

    # convert all these coordinates to pixels
    ulx, uly = latlon2pixels(ullat, ullon, zoom)
    lrx, lry = latlon2pixels(lrlat, lrlon, zoom)

    # calculate total pixel dimensions of final image
    dx, dy = lrx - ulx, uly - lry

    # calculate rows and columns
    cols, rows = ceil(dx/MAXSIZE), ceil(dy/MAXSIZE)

    # calculate pixel dimensions of each small image
    width = ceil(dx/cols)
    height = ceil(dy/rows)
    heightplus = height + LOGO_CUTOFF

    # assemble the image from stitched
    final = Image.new('RGB', (int(dx), int(dy)))
    for x in range(cols):
        for y in range(rows):
            dxn = width * (0.5 + x)
            dyn = height * (0.5 + y)
            latn, lonn = pixels2latlon(
                    ulx + dxn, uly - dyn - LOGO_CUTOFF/2, zoom)
            position = ','.join((str(latn/DEGREE), str(lonn/DEGREE)))
            print(x, y, position)
            urlparams = {
                    'center': position,
                    'zoom': str(zoom),
                    'size': '%dx%d' % (width, heightplus),
                    'maptype': 'satellite',
                    'sensor': 'false',
                    'scale': 1
                }
            if GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY is not None:
                urlparams['key'] = GOOGLE_MAPS_API_KEY

            url = 'http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap'
            try:                  
                response = requests.get(url, params=urlparams)
                response.raise_for_status()
            except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
                print(e)
                sys.exit(1)

            im = Image.open(BytesIO(response.content))                  
            final.paste(im, (int(x*width), int(y*height)))

    return final

############################################

if __name__ == '__main__':
    # a neighbourhood in Lajeado, Brazil:
    NW_lat_long =  (-29.44*DEGREE, -52.0*DEGREE)
    SE_lat_long = (-29.45*DEGREE, -51.98*DEGREE)

    zoom = 18   # be careful not to get too many images!

    result = get_maps_image(NW_lat_long, SE_lat_long, zoom=18)
    result.show()