// initialize variables
    var infowindow = null;
    var directionDisplay;
    var directionsService = new google.maps.DirectionsService();
    var gmarkers = [];

    $(document).ready(function () { initialize(); });

    function initialize() {

        // directions
        directionsDisplay = new google.maps.DirectionsRenderer();

        var centerMap = new google.maps.LatLng(busipress_map_vars.center_lat , busipress_map_vars.center_long);

        var myOptions = {
            zoom: 4,
            center: centerMap,
            mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.TERRAIN
        }

        var map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map-canvas"), myOptions);

        setMarkers(map, sites);
        infowindow = new google.maps.InfoWindow({
                content: "loading..."
            });

        var start = busipress_map_vars.path_start;
        var end = busipress_map_vars.path_end;
        var request = {
            origin:start,
            destination:end,
            travelMode: google.maps.DirectionsTravelMode.DRIVING
        };
        directionsService.route(request, function(response, status) {
            if (status == google.maps.DirectionsStatus.OK) {
                directionsDisplay.setDirections(response);
            }
        });

        directionsDisplay.setMap(map);
    }

    /**
     * show locations
     */
    var sites = busipress_map_vars.locations;

    /**
     * set markers on map
     */
    function setMarkers(map, markers) {

        for (var i = 0; i < markers.length; i++) {
            var sites = markers[i];

            // default icon
            var defaultIcon = new google.maps.MarkerImage(sites[4][0],
                // This marker is 32 pixels wide by 32 pixels tall.
                new google.maps.Size(sites[4][1], sites[4][2]),
                // The origin for this image is 0,0.
                new google.maps.Point(0,0),
                // The anchor for this image is the base of the flagpole at 0,32.
                new google.maps.Point((sites[4][1] / 2), sites[4][2]));

            // default shadow
            var shadow = new google.maps.MarkerImage(sites[6][0],
                // The shadow image is larger in the horizontal dimension
                // while the position and offset are the same as for the main image.
                new google.maps.Size(sites[6][1], sites[6][2]),
                new google.maps.Point(0,0),
                new google.maps.Point((sites[6][1] / 2), sites[6][2]));

            // active icion
            var activeIcon = new google.maps.MarkerImage(sites[5][0],
                // This marker is 20 pixels wide by 32 pixels tall.
                new google.maps.Size(sites[5][1], sites[5][2]),
                // The origin for this image is 0,0.
                new google.maps.Point(0,0),
                // The anchor for this image is the base of the flagpole at 0,32.
                new google.maps.Point((sites[5][1] / 2), sites[5][2]));
            var shape = {
                coord: [9,0,6,1,4,2,2,4,0,8,0,12,1,14,2,16,5,19,7,23,8,26,9,30,9,34,11,34,11,30,12,26,13,24,14,21,16,18,18,16,20,12,20,8,18,4,16,2,15,1,13,0],
                type: 'poly'
            };

            var siteLatLng = new google.maps.LatLng(sites[1], sites[2]);
            var marker = new google.maps.Marker({
                position: siteLatLng,
                map: map,
                title: sites[0],
                icon: defaultIcon,
                shadow: shadow,
                zIndex: 1,
                html: sites[3],
                myDefaultIcon: defaultIcon,
                myActiveIcon: activeIcon
            });

            google.maps.event.addListener(marker, "click", function () {
                for (var i = 0; i < gmarkers.length; i++) {
                   gmarkers[i].setIcon(gmarkers[i].myDefaultIcon);
                }
                this.setIcon(marker[i].myActiveIcon);

                infowindow.setContent(this.html);
                infowindow.open(map, this);
            });
            gmarkers.push(marker);
        }
    }