MapKit doesn’t natively support local search results, so I’m looking for a way to get a list of local pizzerias (or coffee shops, or a specific retailer) via some http api call.
The default google maps api requires javascript, so it’s not clear to me how to integrate this into an iPhone app (without displaying a UIWebView).
I have found that a url in a format such as this:
http://maps.google.com/maps?output=json&q=pizza&near=37.3,-122&num=10
Does return a JSON-like list of results, but my usual friendly JSON parser, json-framework, barfs when it tries to parse this (even if I do clever-sounding things like leaving out the “while(1);” at the start of the reply). I’m also not sure how legitimate this URL is to use for this purpose.
I’m on the same quest. It seems that one option would be to perform the local search using Google’s AJAX Search API, then plug that data into the mapkit.
That said, it’s not entirely clear to me yet that this approach is in the clear vis a vis google’s terms of service. Let’s see here. Alright, changed my mind because of this. It’s a post on google’s own ajax api blog including video of a native iPhone app. Looks like this is the approved solution.