This article applies to The Photographer’s Ephemeris Web 2.x and later. Mobile versions of The Photographer’s Ephemeris include satellite maps as before.
TPE Web 2.x and later include satellite maps and other Google Maps styles in the PRO plan.
For financial reasons, it is unfortunately no longer possible to offer satellite maps as part of the free web plan. If you require or prefer satellite maps, please consider upgrading to PRO for access to this and other premium features.
Background
The cost of providing this web application has increased substantially in recent years. In addition to the cost of developing the software, it requires real-world outlay to provide elevation/geocoding, servers, databases, domain names, content delivery, caching, bug tracking, email delivery, helpdesk, privacy and cookie policies, and more. In particular, maps have risen to be the single largest cost of the application, and so we’ve had to make some changes to the maps available for free and those we can only provide through an optional paid plan [1][2].
Version 2.x and later can still be used free of charge, but it no longer includes Google Maps. Instead, we’re offering maps based on OpenStreetMap data under a free plan.
We believe Google Maps are of excellent quality, especially their satellite maps, which offer detailed high-resolution imagery at zoom levels greater than any alternative we have examined. The choice, therefore, was to remove support for Google Maps altogether or to offer a paid option.
Our costs for maps – and all the other services required to support the web application – are not one-off, but recur monthly or annually. That is why a recurring subscription model is the only financially viable solution.
[1] See:
- Google Maps API Price Hike Is Threatening the Future of Some Companies
- Developers react to changes in Google Maps API
- Google increases prices of Google Maps API
[2] It is often the case that maps used in web or desktop applications cost more than those used in mobile apps. Google Maps remain free to developers to use in native mobile applications. They are frequently not free to use in web applications.
