spatial

Geofield Map is a sub module of Geofield and offers a basic mapping implementation for it. It is intended as a simple way to get site builders up and going with the Geofield module.

The module itself uses the Google Maps v3 Javascript API. It provides a basic field formatter and Views module integration, both of which have basic configuration settings and allows to display Geofield data on Google Maps street, satellite, hybrid and terrain tiles.

Enable

Enable Geofield Map at /admin/modules

Configure

Go to /admin/structure/types, choose the desired content type and click Manage display to use a Geofield Map as output formatter.

Views

Geofield Map is also available as a format in Views. To use this, create a page display in Views and add a field that contains geospatial data. Then choose Geofield Map as format. In the format settings you define which field contains the geospatial data and what the map looks like.

Alternatives to Geofield Map

If you need more than basic mapping needs, please use the OpenLayers module and library or the module Leaflet which is under development.

Geocoder is a Drupal 7 module that will extract (geocode) geographical data from just about anything you throw at it such as addresses, GPX files, Geotags from EXIF data in photos, and KML files.

A convenient way to allow users to enter an address and have it automatically geocoded is to use it in combination with the Addressfield and Geofield modules.

Geocoder uses the external geocoding services from Google, Yahoo and Yandex.

Don't confuse the Geocode and Geocoder modules. Geocode is only available for Drupal 6.

Install

Install and enable the Geocoder module and its required modules geoPHP and Chaos tool suite in the usual way. Install and enable the optional modules Addressfield and Geofield.
Learn more about installing Drupal modules.

Configure

Assign the necessary permissions at /admin/people/permissions#module-geocoder

If you have enabled the modules Addressfield and Geofield you can start using Geocoder in a content type, e.g., an event.

Drupal is an amazing tool for mapping. It integrates with a lot of libraries, technologies and third party services. There are solutions for simple maps but also for complex mapping needs.

On mapping there isn't one ideal solution, because it depends of the project. Although, there is always a path: input > storage > process > output, some modules may provide more than one of these steps.

If you start mapping with Drupal, you almost likely use a combination of modules to achieve your goal. The documentation section contains a description of main modules to help you on your selection.

Widely used approaches

There are several approaches:

• Location (D6, D7) & Gmap (D6, D7)
• Geofield & OpenLayers or Leaflet (all D7)
• Get Locations (Google Maps v3 solution for D6, D7), either by itself or with Geofield (D7) or Geolocation field (D7)