In the simplest search, all you provide is the text you'd like to match in any part of the location details. So to accomplish this, you just set the `text` parameter to whatever you want to find. Let's see a few examples.
In the simplest search, all you provide is the text you'd like to match in any part of the location details. So to accomplish this, you just set the `text` parameter to whatever you want to find. Let's see a few examples.
#### Find a venue
#### Example time
Let's search for **YMCA**. Here's what you'd need to append to the base URL of the service, **search.mapzen.com**.
Let's search for **YMCA**. Here's what you'd need to append to the base URL of the service, **search.mapzen.com**.
@ -36,26 +39,17 @@ If you clicked on the query link above, you probably saw some cool **GeoJSON**,
Note that the results are spread out throughout the world. Since we haven't told the service anything about our current location or any other geographic context.
Note that the results are spread out throughout the world. Since we haven't told the service anything about our current location or any other geographic context.
## Narrowing your Search...
## Narrowing your Search
All this time you've been searching the entire world...
Sometimes it's necessary to limit the search to a portion of the world. This can be useful if you're looking for places in a particular region, or country, or only want to look in the immediate viscinity of a user with a known location. Different usecases call for different specifications of this bounding region. We currently support three types: **rectangle**, **circle**, and **country**.
Sometimes it's necessary to limit the search to a portion of the world. This can be useful if you're looking for places in a particular region, or country, or only want to look in the immediate viscinity of a user with a known location. Different usecases call for different specifications of this bounding region. We currently support three types: **rectangle**, **circle**, and **country**.
Sometimes your usecase might require that all the search results are from a particular country. Well, we've got that covered! You just need to set the `boundary.country` parameter value to the **alpha-2** or **alpha-3** [ISO-3166 country code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1).
Sometimes your usecase might require that all the search results are from a particular country. Well, we've got that covered! You just need to set the `boundary.country` parameter value to the **alpha-2** or **alpha-3** [ISO-3166 country code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-1).
#### Find **YMCA** only within **Great Britain**
#### Example time
We'll need to know that the **alpha-3** code for **Great Britain** is ***GBR*** and set the parameters like this:
Let's search for **YMCA** again, but this time only in **Great Britain**. We'll need to know that the **alpha-3** code for **Great Britain** is ***GBR*** and set the parameters like this:
In the case where you need to specify the boundary using a rectangle, all we need is a pair of coordinates on earth. Here are a few examples:
In the case where you need to specify the boundary using a rectangle, all we need is a pair of coordinates on earth. Here are a few examples:
##### Let's say you wanted to find museums in *London*
#### Example time
You'd need to set the `boundary.rect.*` parameter grouping to indicate the extent of the boundary.
Let's say you wanted to find museums in the state of **Texas**. You'd need to set the `boundary.rect.*` parameter grouping to values representing the bounding box around **Texas**: min_lon=-106.65 min_lat=25.84 max_lon=-93.51 max_lat=36.5
***PRO TIP:*** *You can lookup a bounding box for a known region [here](http://boundingbox.klokantech.com/)
Below is the region that will be searched. Museums located outside of this highlighted region will **NOT** be included in the results. The museums returned will be sorted based on how well they matched the `text` parameter, in this case **museum**.
Below is the region that will be searched. YMCA located outside of this highlighted region will **NOT** be included in the results. The museums returned will be sorted based on how well they matched the `text` parameter, in this case **museum**.
Diana Shkolnikov
9 years ago