Optimisation suggestion
I have none of the tools setup to do a PR but I have noticed a performance problem that could be easily rectified.
Currently all markers models are watched using $watch. It would be far more efficient to watch them using $watchCollection which would also allow using modelsbyref="true" without having to replace the list every time you want to update it.
If it turns out $watch is best for most cases, an option for using $watchCollection instead would be teriffic
Further to this.
If I modify my local copy to use $watchCollection with modelsbyref="true"... My digest cycles go from 300ms+ per cycle to around 100ms now. A huge improvement as this is for the entire page.
Good catch! I've digged into it too and caught this comment: https://github.com/angular-ui/angular-google-maps/blob/master/dist/angular-google-maps.js#L4186
Maybe he's using $watch for markers on purpose as well? just a guess...
Yeah I saw that too actually. Thats for polylines though right? When I have static="true" I have no performance issues with those. I tested this a fair amount locally and never saw an issues with $watchCollection for markers being updated.