One set of maps, built on Google Maps

Part 28 of 39 of Building TradeYoke, the story of how the platform was built, from January 2024 to today. Previous: September 2025: directions to the door, from the job or the customer. Next: November 2025: where is everybody? Live monitoring begins. See every part on the build timeline.

Quick answer

Quick answer: TradeYoke uses one shared set of map components built on Google Maps, so the map on a customer, a job and the live team map behave the same. When a map is opened, your browser or app loads it from Google, which receives your IP address and the area you are viewing; TradeYoke does not send Google your name, account or workspace details.

Key takeaways

One shared set of map components is used everywhere a map appears.
Maps and directions are provided by Google Maps Platform.
When you open a map, Google receives your IP address and the area you are viewing. It does not receive your name or workspace details from us.
The privacy policy says this in plain words.

Maps in more than one place

By October 2025 maps were needed in a lot of places: the customer's address, a job's location, the planner and, soon, where the team is. The easy way to do that is to build a map each time. The result is maps that look different and behave differently, and a bug fixed in one that is still there in the others. So we built one shared set of map components and used them everywhere.

Why Google Maps

We chose Google Maps for the map itself because it is the map tradespeople already know: the satellite view shows a roof or a garden, and Street view shows a gate. Customers and staff do not need to learn anything.

What you can do with it

See a customer or a job on a map, with the address pinned.
Switch between Map and Satellite, useful for seeing a roof or a lawn.
Choose what to show, such as vehicles, jobs and customers, on the full map.
Get directions, from the same place.

Being straight about privacy

Using Google Maps means Google is involved, and we think you should know how. When you open a map, your browser or app loads it directly from Google, so Google receives your IP address and the area of the map you are viewing. When you ask for a route from where you are, Google also receives that starting position. We do not send Google your name, your account or your workspace details, and maps in TradeYoke are not used for advertising. If you never open a map, nothing is sent. This is written into our privacy policy, in the section on who we share data with.

The engineering lesson

A shared component is only worth it if everyone uses it. The rule we set was that no screen draws its own map: it asks for the shared one. That made later features, including live monitoring, far quicker to build.

November: the question every van owner asks at some point. Where is everybody?

Questions people ask

What does Google receive when I open a map in TradeYoke?

Your IP address and the area of the map you are viewing, and your starting position if you ask for a route from where you are. TradeYoke does not send Google your name, account or workspace details.

Can I see satellite view in TradeYoke?

Yes. On the full-screen map you can switch between Map and Satellite.