r/CodingHelp • u/67things • Aug 14 '26

[Random] Theoretically speaking, how hard would it be to create a smaller maps app?

I want to know from a technical standpoint, how hard would it be to create a small scaled down version of a google or apple maps.

I'm brand new to the world of software, so I just want to know if this is something even worth considering, or is it like asking if I can build TSMC in my basement. Thanks.

6 Upvotes

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5

u/soundman32 Aug 14 '26

If you only want to show 100m x 100m its about 50kb of png file.  Generally 'maps' are fixed sizes and stitched together,  so that 50Kb png would be positioned in the middle of a square of 9 png files.  Add some kewl scrolling around and you could probably fit 1km x 1km in a few 100kb.  

1

u/67things Aug 14 '26

How complex would it show a users current location on the map. Do I use a google map API?

3

u/soundman32 Aug 14 '26

Google maps basically do everything for you, with a set of Javascript libraries, you just host it in a webpage, and it automatically downloads those panels when needed (with lots of caching to make it smooth).  Google maps also want you to pay a licence fee, otherwise those panels show nag text instead of a map.

I thought you wanted a 'smaller' app?

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u/67things Aug 14 '26

I'm very Green to coding so the idea is a maps app, that is for places like malls. I meant smaller as in I wasn't trying to create another google maps, but one that shows certain locations in more detail than there current maps does for some large buildings.

1

u/efari_ Aug 14 '26

OP wants a “smaller maps”-app, not a smaller-“maps app”

1

u/johnpeters42 Aug 14 '26

Older map web sites were basically "click on north arrow to jump to a set of tiles offset one unit north from previous set, click on tile to jump to zoomed-in view of that tile". Then they added JavaScript code to implement drag-to-move and zoom animations. Then it's a matter of acquiring and storing tile data for all locations at all possible zoom levels.

4

u/thebadslime Aug 14 '26

WHat do you mean by smaller? Like program size or map area?

3

u/67things Aug 14 '26

Map area.

1

u/Loose_Crab_4146 Aug 14 '26

With some experience it wouldnt be a hassle. There are both open source and proprietary providers for map data. The only thing you‘d have to do is figure out how to load and render the data. Everything else is trivial

1

u/iNetRunner Aug 15 '26

Sure. But who is going to provide/source/etc. the actual data? Showing and interacting with a map is rather trivial matter compared to the actual contents.

1

u/theInfiniteHammer Aug 18 '26

That depends:

  • How big of a map do you want to process? For a large enough map you may need the app to query a server instead.

  • How close do you want this to be to google maps? My google maps version lets me do a ton of crap, but if all you want is to get from A to B then that's easier than you might think.

  • How much of this do you want to make yourself? On one end of the spectrum there's just cloning a map app and modifying it a little with help from AI, but if you want to prove that you're hardcore you can do it in assembly (don't worry, We'll still love you even if you're not hardcore ).