Google Maps Scraper

Overview

This script automates data scraping from Google Maps using Selenium. It performs searches based on user-provided queries, extracts detailed location information (name, coordinates, ratings, reviews, contact details, and more), and appends this data to a CSV file for further analysis.

Features

• Automates searching and data extraction from Google Maps
• Saves location data into a single CSV file named with a timestamp
• Handles errors gracefully if some data fields are unavailable
• Uses a configuration file (config.json) for query customization

Requirements

Before running the script, ensure the following are installed:

• Python 3.7+
• Google Chrome
• ChromeDriver (compatible with your version of Chrome)
• Install Selenium package

Installation

# Clone or download the repository

# Install required Python libraries
pip install selenium

# Download ChromeDriver
# Ensure ChromeDriver matches your Chrome version
# Add ChromeDriver to your PATH

Usage

1. Set up config.json:

   Create a file named config.json in the root folder. Define your search queries as follows:

   {
       "queries": [
           "restaurants near me",
           "cafes in New York",
           "hotels in Paris"
       ]
   }

2. Run the script:

   python script_name.py

3. Access the output:

   The results will be saved in the output folder with a filename like scrap-YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM-SS.csv.

Usage tip: As Google Maps limits the results per query, I strongly suggest using specific queries in the config.json file. For instance, specify query per state instead of a country.

Detailed Explanation

Code Workflow

1. Initialization: The script creates an output folder and a CSV file with headers for storing location data.
2. Configuration Loading: Reads search queries from config.json.
3. Google Maps Automation:
   • Launches Google Maps in a headless Chrome browser (or visible window for debugging)
   • Performs searches using the provided queries
4. Data Extraction: For each location result:
   • Extracts data like name, coordinates, ratings, reviews, address, phone, and website
   • Handles missing fields with fallback mechanisms
   • Appends extracted data to the CSV file
5. Cleanup: Closes the browser after processing all queries

Key Functions

• load_config: Reads and parses the config.json file
• open_google_maps: Initializes the Chrome WebDriver and opens Google Maps
• search_query: Searches Google Maps using a provided query
• get_place_data: Extracts details about a specific location
• click_all_elements: Iteratively clicks on location elements and triggers data extraction
• append_to_csv: Appends data to the CSV file

Output

The output is a CSV file saved in the output folder. The file includes the following fields:

• name: Name of the place
• url: URL of the Google Maps page for the place
• latitude: Latitude of the location
• longitude: Longitude of the location
• average_rating: Average review rating (if available)
• review_count: Number of reviews (if available)
• address: Address of the location (if available)
• phone: Phone number (if available)
• website: Website URL (if available)

Troubleshooting

• Ensure ChromeDriver is in your PATH and matches your Chrome version
• If elements are not found, verify that Google Maps has not changed its DOM structure. Update selectors as needed
• If the browser doesn't open or work properly, confirm that dependencies are installed correctly

Contact

For support or contributions, you can contact me at lorenzomarquesini@gmail.com