In a previous blog, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps and Mapquest were discussed. Google Maps is probably the most used online mapping service and understandably so because of the features and speed.
One of the great feature of Google Maps is when you type the name of a location, Google predicts the results of your search as you are typing in a manner similar to doing a Google search. Type your search in the search bar and you will see what Google thinks you are searching for. This can speed up your search since if your result shows you can just click on it and the map will show the location you are seeking. The ease of zooming in and out using your mouse's scroll wheel is just another reason this a good map.
Google Maps allows you to get directions by car, mass transit, walking or bicycling. Of the 4 maps that have been discussed it is the only one where you can get directions by all of the choices mentioned. Bing Maps allows directions for all but bicycling. Whether getting directions for a trip or navigating to an address, you can get both live traffic and the expected traffic based upon date and time of your expected travel. The expected traffic is based upon past traffic patterns. You will sometimes get more than 1 route when searching for directions. On a long trip, the difference can be a matter of a few minutes but the longer route could be more scenic. The choice is yours.
Google Street view is much improved but the picture quality still trails Bing Maps. That said, it is quite a bit easier to go to/from Google Street than going to/from Bing Maps Streetside view. What I personally like is the ease of navigation. I was showing a friend of mine great vantage points NW of San Francisco to get great views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Using the street view enabled me to give him a preview of what he would see in person on his trip.
As you zoom in an area, you can see the location of points of interest. Further to the right of the search bar is an option, "What's Around Here"? You will see letter codes that correspond to the listing on the left side of the map.
The others have their features (the quality of pictures when using Bing Streetside, the turn by turn directions using Mapquest). The features of Google Maps such as its speed and ease of use are why it is the preferred mapping site to use.
Showing posts with label google maps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label google maps. Show all posts
June 23, 2011
June 1, 2011
Maps Online - Part I
Some may remember the days of going to the neighborhood gas station and getting a free map to plan your trip or if it was a trip farther away, writing and getting directions from the oil companies such as Sinclair, Esso, etc. Well those days are long gone. They have been replaced by online maps, GPSes and even smartphones.
For online mapping there are 4 primary websites: Bing Maps, Google Maps, MapQuest and Yahoo Maps. Bing Maps, MapQuest and Yahoo Maps will be covered in this blog. Google Maps will be covered in a future blog.
Bing Maps is the new map on the block comparatively speaking. The map allows you to get directions for driving, walking or public transportation. It also is easy to send the directions to your email or cell phone. You can get directions based upon current real time traffic conditions though this is generally limited to the major thoroughfares. Directions do note at the end of the route if you have reached a certain location that you have gone too far which is a nice touch. The "What's Nearby" feature is also useful. I found it easy to zoom in and out using the road view and arial view. Where it has already been photographed, the Streetside view has clear pictures an certainly clearer than the heralded Google Maps. However when moving along the street in Streetside view there is not an indication of about where you are. I do like the 3D views with which you can rotate/pan and zoom functions. That said, it is relatively slow to open and also to go from view to view as well as going to the location you choose. There is certainly room for improvement here. Also if you wish to reverse your route after you have gotten directions, you need to go back to the search page. This is not a good thing.
MapQuest has a lot of the features that the others have with 1 notable exception. You cannot use your scroll wheel to zoom in and out on the map. You can only get directions by car. No walking, public transit, etc. directions can be obtained using MapQuest. It has a street view known as 360 view but the areas available are relatively few and slower than expected. I did not find 360 view to be user friendly. Like the others, there is a way to search for businesses in the area. MapQuest has a drop down menu of choices or you type your own in the search bar under "Find a Business". A real good feature of MapQuest when searching for directions is you can get turn by turn directions if you wish. This and Google Maps are the only ones of the 4 maps where you can do this. Bing Maps allow you to go to the text indicating the turns and click to go to the location on the map but MapQuest's turn by turn directions is preferred.
Yahoo Maps offers live traffic and a points of interest finder. It also computes a route rather quickly. Yahoo Maps is better used to computing a route by car. There is not a way to determine a route by other means. Yahoo Maps is also the only map that I am reviewing that does not have any drop down menu for locating businesses. Google Maps does have a very limited one which is stretching it a bit and will be covered in a future blog as noted earlier. You also can use it to find a business along the map that is showing on the screen. This is done by typing the category in the search bar under "Find a Business on a Map". It is more of a no frills map to mainly be used for directions by auto and finding a business. There is no street view like in Bing Maps or Google Maps. Further you cannot get a map for turn by turn directions or click on the text directions to go to that part on the map.
One final note here. All 4 maps allow you to click to change a route by dragging any part of the route.
Also for those subscribing by email to my blogs, please check your spam settings if you are not receiving them. Some have noted that the email of this blog has gone to their spam folder. It should be marked as "not Spam".
For online mapping there are 4 primary websites: Bing Maps, Google Maps, MapQuest and Yahoo Maps. Bing Maps, MapQuest and Yahoo Maps will be covered in this blog. Google Maps will be covered in a future blog.
Bing Maps is the new map on the block comparatively speaking. The map allows you to get directions for driving, walking or public transportation. It also is easy to send the directions to your email or cell phone. You can get directions based upon current real time traffic conditions though this is generally limited to the major thoroughfares. Directions do note at the end of the route if you have reached a certain location that you have gone too far which is a nice touch. The "What's Nearby" feature is also useful. I found it easy to zoom in and out using the road view and arial view. Where it has already been photographed, the Streetside view has clear pictures an certainly clearer than the heralded Google Maps. However when moving along the street in Streetside view there is not an indication of about where you are. I do like the 3D views with which you can rotate/pan and zoom functions. That said, it is relatively slow to open and also to go from view to view as well as going to the location you choose. There is certainly room for improvement here. Also if you wish to reverse your route after you have gotten directions, you need to go back to the search page. This is not a good thing.
MapQuest has a lot of the features that the others have with 1 notable exception. You cannot use your scroll wheel to zoom in and out on the map. You can only get directions by car. No walking, public transit, etc. directions can be obtained using MapQuest. It has a street view known as 360 view but the areas available are relatively few and slower than expected. I did not find 360 view to be user friendly. Like the others, there is a way to search for businesses in the area. MapQuest has a drop down menu of choices or you type your own in the search bar under "Find a Business". A real good feature of MapQuest when searching for directions is you can get turn by turn directions if you wish. This and Google Maps are the only ones of the 4 maps where you can do this. Bing Maps allow you to go to the text indicating the turns and click to go to the location on the map but MapQuest's turn by turn directions is preferred.
Yahoo Maps offers live traffic and a points of interest finder. It also computes a route rather quickly. Yahoo Maps is better used to computing a route by car. There is not a way to determine a route by other means. Yahoo Maps is also the only map that I am reviewing that does not have any drop down menu for locating businesses. Google Maps does have a very limited one which is stretching it a bit and will be covered in a future blog as noted earlier. You also can use it to find a business along the map that is showing on the screen. This is done by typing the category in the search bar under "Find a Business on a Map". It is more of a no frills map to mainly be used for directions by auto and finding a business. There is no street view like in Bing Maps or Google Maps. Further you cannot get a map for turn by turn directions or click on the text directions to go to that part on the map.
One final note here. All 4 maps allow you to click to change a route by dragging any part of the route.
Also for those subscribing by email to my blogs, please check your spam settings if you are not receiving them. Some have noted that the email of this blog has gone to their spam folder. It should be marked as "not Spam".
May 19, 2011
How Far Is That?
Before I blog about the subject at hand, I wanted to mention that you can subscribe to this blog by email or RSS feed. On the right side towards the upper part is a "Subscribe Via Email" link. On the bottom of the page is a "Subscribe to Blog" tag. By clicking on Posts, you can select the RSS service you wish to link this blog to.
Recently I went running out of town and could not get my GPS to work for me to know how far I ran. By using Google Maps, I later was able to map out the route and determine how far I actually ran instead of guessing the distance. The days of driving your car to determine that distance of the route is in the past. Further it does not work well where there are one way streets involved. Note a few weeks ago I did a post about Google Maps. I did not include this feature as it deserves its own space.
First you need to set up a Google account if you already do not have one. Once that is done, go to Google Maps. In the top right there is in red "New!". Select this option. Find the option "Distance Measurement Tool" and select "Enable". On the lower left of the map itself is an icon that looks like a small ruler. Once you have zoomed in on the map to your desired starting point click on this small ruler with your mouse. Then go to your starting point and click here with your mouse. Click at the first turn and all subsequent turns. If you make an error select the option on the left side to "Delete last point". While you are mapping your route the total distance to this point shows on the left side. When you are done, the distance I just mentioned is now the total distance of that run, walk, or bicycling that you have done.
I used this to measure the distance of a run I already did. You can of course it to plan a path for running, bicycling, walking, etc. It is a tool that can come in handy. However the next time you tell someone that it is a short walk to wherever you want to walk with them to, they can check if it really is a short walk later on.
Recently I went running out of town and could not get my GPS to work for me to know how far I ran. By using Google Maps, I later was able to map out the route and determine how far I actually ran instead of guessing the distance. The days of driving your car to determine that distance of the route is in the past. Further it does not work well where there are one way streets involved. Note a few weeks ago I did a post about Google Maps. I did not include this feature as it deserves its own space.
I used this to measure the distance of a run I already did. You can of course it to plan a path for running, bicycling, walking, etc. It is a tool that can come in handy. However the next time you tell someone that it is a short walk to wherever you want to walk with them to, they can check if it really is a short walk later on.
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