In recent years, Google has devoted resources to build a complete map of the world. They constantly scan the territory, collecting a large amount of data that provides updated and complete geographic information. This allows us to have an interoperable map that provides the end user with a search tool, not only of routes but also of shops, equipment and any type of geo-referenced information. In addition, Google Maps provides a series of Application Programming Interface (API), which provides a library of set of subroutines, functions and procedures (in object-oriented programming) that can be used by other software to automate the extraction of information of the Google platform. These free applications can be technological innovations of great utility for applied social research. In this article, we intend to present an experience with this application of Google in applied social research and show the potentials and weaknesses of these APIs in applied research