# Google Maps Area Scanner (`searchapi/google-maps-area-scanner`) Actor

Scan a bounded radius with overlapping Google Maps search cells and deduplicate public places.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/searchapi/google-maps-area-scanner.md
- **Developed by:** [Search API](https://apify.com/searchapi) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.99 / 1,000 search results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Google Maps Area Scanner

Scan a bounded area for public Google Maps places. With explicit center coordinates, the Actor creates a deterministic center-first circular grid of overlapping Maps searches, filters source coordinates to the requested radius, and deduplicates places globally across every query and scan cell. With a location name only, it performs one location-qualified Maps search per query.

### Input

```json
{
  "query": "coffee shops",
  "latitude": 40.758,
  "longitude": -73.9855,
  "radiusMeters": 2000,
  "cellSpacingMeters": 1500,
  "maxScanPoints": 9,
  "maxItems": 50,
  "maxItemsPerScan": 10,
  "minRating": 4,
  "closedPlaces": "skipClosed",
  "useApifyProxy": false
}
```

Use `queries` for a batch. The product of queries and scan points is capped at 100 requests. `maxItems` is global; writes are serialized even when multiple cells run concurrently. Legacy query/location/coordinate/radius/limit/filter/proxy aliases remain accepted.

### Output

Each strict dataset row includes stable Maps identity, exact Maps URL, public business fields, the originating query and scan point, requested center/radius/cell/zoom, global and per-cell ranks, place distance from the requested center, source, extraction method, and timestamp. Coordinate mode excludes source-backed places outside the requested radius.

Structured Maps responses are preferred and merged with a visible-card DOM fallback. Response listeners are scoped and removed, response reads are status/content-type/size/timeout bounded, and records never contain cookies, authorization material, raw responses, internal data blobs, proxy URLs, debug snapshots, geocoding credentials, or fabricated fields. Explicit no-results completes with an empty dataset; access challenges and selector/payload drift fail closed.

### Responsible use

The Actor accesses public Google Maps data only. It does not bypass authentication, CAPTCHA, account restrictions, or other access controls. Use modest scan sizes and comply with applicable terms and laws.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/searchapi/google-maps-area-scanner/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `query` (type: `string`):

Place category or keyword to search in every scan cell.

## `queries` (type: `array`):

Optional batch; takes precedence over query.

## `location` (type: `string`):

City, neighborhood, address, or region used when coordinates are omitted.

## `latitude` (type: `number`):

Optional precise center latitude; provide longitude too.

## `longitude` (type: `number`):

Optional precise center longitude; provide latitude too.

## `radiusMeters` (type: `integer`):

Circular scan radius in meters; coordinate mode filters places to this radius.

## `cellSpacingMeters` (type: `integer`):

Distance between overlapping scan centers.

## `maxScanPoints` (type: `integer`):

Hard number of grid cells per query.

## `zoom` (type: `number`):

Optional Google Maps zoom; otherwise derived from cell spacing.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Global hard limit across all queries and scan cells.

## `maxItemsPerScan` (type: `integer`):

Hard candidate limit for each query/cell request.

## `minRating` (type: `number`):

Optional minimum source-backed rating.

## `closedPlaces` (type: `string`):

Include all, skip closed, or return only closed places.

## `maxScrollRounds` (type: `integer`):

Maximum result-feed scrolls per scan request.

## `language` (type: `string`):

Google Maps interface language.

## `country` (type: `string`):

Two-letter result-localization country code.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Simultaneous scan requests; global writes remain serialized.

## `maxRequestRetries` (type: `integer`):

Bounded temporary browser/network retries.

## `navigationTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Maximum navigation seconds per scan.

## `requestHandlerTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Maximum handler seconds per scan.

## `responseBodyTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Maximum seconds to read one intercepted Maps response.

## `useApifyProxy` (type: `boolean`):

Route traffic through authorized Apify Proxy resources.

## `proxyGroups` (type: `array`):

Optional authorized Apify Proxy groups.

## `proxyCountryCode` (type: `string`):

Optional two-letter proxy country code.

## `proxyUrls` (type: `array`):

Credentials are never logged or stored.

## `proxySessionId` (type: `string`):

Optional stable authorized proxy session.

## `searchStringsArray` (type: `array`):

Backward-compatible alias for queries.

## `locationQuery` (type: `string`):

Backward-compatible alias for location.

## `lat` (type: `string`):

Backward-compatible numeric-string latitude.

## `lng` (type: `string`):

Backward-compatible numeric-string longitude.

## `radius` (type: `integer`):

Backward-compatible alias for radiusMeters.

## `maxCrawledPlacesPerSearch` (type: `integer`):

Backward-compatible alias for maxItemsPerScan.

## `placeMinimumStars` (type: `string`):

Backward-compatible minimum rating string.

## `closedPlacesFilter` (type: `string`):

Backward-compatible closed-place filter.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Backward-compatible Apify proxy-editor input.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "query": "coffee shops",
  "location": "Times Square, New York",
  "radiusMeters": 2000,
  "cellSpacingMeters": 1500,
  "maxScanPoints": 9,
  "maxItems": 50,
  "maxItemsPerScan": 10,
  "closedPlaces": "all",
  "maxScrollRounds": 3,
  "language": "en",
  "country": "US",
  "maxConcurrency": 1,
  "maxRequestRetries": 2,
  "navigationTimeoutSecs": 60,
  "requestHandlerTimeoutSecs": 180,
  "responseBodyTimeoutSecs": 5,
  "useApifyProxy": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("searchapi/google-maps-area-scanner").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("searchapi/google-maps-area-scanner").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call searchapi/google-maps-area-scanner --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,searchapi/google-maps-area-scanner"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/0igFCAXakCwbwoBUH/builds/MhzG5RBG9W48ig3vf/openapi.json