TABLE OF CONTENTS


To use the Traffic integration with your DAKboard Paid Subscription and Custom Screens, you'll need to provide a Google API Key. Read on to learn how to create a Google API key and add it to DAKboard to view traffic and transit times.



Create a Google API Key:


Open https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials and log in or create an account if necessary. Once logged in, click on the Create Credentials button, and select the API key.


Note: You may need to create a project first. Complete this step if prompted to do so.



Next, you'll be presented with a pop-up containing your API key:



Copy this key to your clipboard then go back to your DAKboard account, and edit the traffic block on your custom screen. Paste the API key into the Google API Key field: 




Enable the Directions API:


Back in the Google console, enable the Directions API here: https://console.developers.google.com/apis/library/directions-backend.googleapis.com


Click the enable button:




Add Billing Information: 


Lastly, to use the Google API you will need to add billing information to your Google account. You can do so here: https://console.cloud.google.com/billing. From Google's documentation:


You must have a valid API key and a billing account to access our APIs. When you enable billing, you will get $200 free usage every month for Maps, Routes, or Places. Based on the millions of users using our APIs today, most of them can continue to use Google Maps Platform for free with this credit. Having a billing account helps us understand our developers’ needs better and allows you to scale seamlessly.


This $200 monthly credit is more than enough needed to use Traffic data on DAKboard.



Additional Optional Configurations:


Add a Schedule for the Traffic Block on DAKboard:


If this traffic information is only needed in the morning, afternoon, at a certain time of day, or day of the week, we recommend adding a schedule for the block. This will prevent the block from showing up when the traffic information is not needed and also prevent unnecessary calls to the Google API. To set a schedule, edit the block in your custom screen and click the Schedule tab. Here you can customize the schedule:




Add Restrictions to the API key for Added Security:


While not necessary, it is recommended to restrict your API key for use only with the Directions API. You can do this in your Google account by editing the API key (click the pencil icon). Under the API Restrictions tab, you can specify access to only the Directions API:




Save your changes and it will be effective within 5 minutes.