Google Maps and privacy

I get asked a lot about how Google Maps works with our data (like the grid viewer, quicksilver, rodsa-dai, etc). Specifically, concerns about privacy and security of sending your data to Google.

There is a popular misconception about Google Maps and how it handles data. Way back in the olden days (~2006) the easiest way to use google maps was to hand google a KML file and google would draw it on their maps site. This was convenient but involved passing your data points to google within a KML file.

PHGrid does NOT do this. We use the Google Maps API which sends no data on to google maps other than requests for map images. No counts or conditions or calls or any data is passed to the google servers. All that stays on PHGrid web servers and users' web browsers. All of the polygons and pins are drawn using Javascript without passing data points back to maps.google.com.

So from a privacy concern, Google can tell that a random user is requesting a map of the state of georgia (and scrolling and zooming) but will not know the polygons drawn, the pins placed, the counts that affect the colors or any of the actual AMDS data.