Google Local Search API + Python

Question

I am trying to crate a program (in python) that will output query Google’s Local Search and print results to the console. I want to be able to search for “café in London” and get the company names addresses and phone number printed on screen. I found an easy-to-use Python wrapper for the Google Maps and Local Search APIs on available at:

http://py-googlemaps.sourceforge.net/#googlemaps-methods

The wrapper essentialy returns data in JSON format but it only seems to return 32 results out of the available thousands. My question is how do I access more?

The code does something like this:

url = query_url + encoded_params
request = urllib2.Request(url, headers=headers)
response = urllib2.urlopen(request)
return (url, json.load(response))

That results in urls:

/local?q=cafe+near+London&start=0&rsz=large&v=1.0
/local?q=cafe+near+London&start=8&rsz=large&v=1.0
/local?q=cafe+near+London&start=16&rsz=large&v=1.0
/local?q=cafe+near+London&start=24&rsz=large&v=1.0

..and JSON formated data The difference in the urls is the 'start=' value that increments by 8. However when substituting start= 32 I get an error. The maximum number of results seems locked at 32 in total. How do I go beyond that?

Thanks in advance for all your help

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 27 '11 at 23:13

1

Google allows only 32 on 4 pages. The URLs you get are for pagination. Check this link

http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/localsearch/devguide.html

and search "There is no way to get more than" on that page using ctrl-F

answered Dec 27 '11 at 23:13

Shaunak

17,377
5
53
84

Thank you for your prompt answer. Quite disappointing though that you only get 32 results and that’s it! No wonder I have been trying and trying to no avail. Anyway, thanks again. :) – user1118372 Dec 27 '11 at 23:31

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 28 '11 at 09:56

Are you sure your use of the Google API complies with the TOS? Im no lawyer but I recall that saving or re-using the results was not allowed.

Having said that, there is another approach. you could just screen scrape the results. not that I would of course recommend such an Illegal activity. That way you could go over the results using the url like this:

http://www.local.google.com/?q=café+in+London&start=0
http://www.local.google.com/?q=café+in+London&start=10
http://www.local.google.com/?q=café+in+London&start=20
http://www.local.google.com/?q=café+in+London&start=30

etc.

In any case the results number is limited to 160 this way.

Google Local Search API + Python

2 Answers2