I am trying to build a map based query interface for my website and I am having difficulty finding a starting point besides http://developer.google.com. I assume this is a rather simple task but I feel as though I am on a wild goose chase. Anyway the problem is the existing site places people into a category based on their address (primarily the zip code), this is not working out because of odd shapes and user density so I would like to solve the problem by creating custom zones. I am not looking for a proprietary solution because I would really like to accomplish this on my own, I just need some better places to start or better suggestions for searches.
I understand that I will need to create a map with my predetermined polygons. I understand how to create a map with polygons via js. I do not understand how data will request which zone it is within and how it will return it as a hash I can store. eg. user=>####, zone=>####, section=>#####
http://blog.appdelegateinc.com./point-in-polygon-checking-with-google-maps.html
has some JS you can add to give the ability to test whether a point is within a polygon (sample: http://blog.appdelegateinc.com./static/samples/point_in_polygon.html ) using this approach: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_in_polygon#Ray_casting_algorithm
I think as you place the markers, you'll hold them in an array (of objects)...then loop through, doing some sort of reduction of which polygons to test, testing those that remain, if inPoly, set marker.zone and marker.section to whatever suits your needs