Posts Tagged ‘Maps’
Google Maps is pepped up!
At the beginning of August, Google’s local search feature, Google Maps, displayed a new face and overlooked a few new features.
According to the motto “Less is More”, the revised Google maps start page now presents a single entry screen, with which one can search the map as well as research services and providers at a desired location. The route planner has been banished from this view, but is to be found via a link in the blue navigation bar above the search results.
Almost at the same time as the appearance of the new layout, Google treated its users to a variety of other new functions. So, alongside its pedestrian navigation (see our report) in the route planer, there is now the possibility to refine routes by “avoiding toll roads”, which is above all useful for trips outside of Germany.
Especially practical are also the new print functions for the route planner, as indicated by Google programmers Andrew Gove and Jonathan Siegel in the Google Lat Long Blog. Users gain simplified options to print practical/relevant information that will help them en route. To do this, after generating the relevant route, click on “Print” in the blue navigation bar above the map view. On top of the resulting print-view of the map, once can choose whether one requires text descriptions for each leg of the route, or rather generate a “Street View”. In addition the user can choose whether the overview map (showing the overall route) is to be printed or not.
For those who only need descriptions, maps or Street-View pictures for certain legs of the journey, the “Text” link can be chosen. In the route description, one can have a map or street-view generated for each step of the way. This can be chosen with a mouse-over/contextual-option choice. The link “Street View” appears however only when there are existing photos of the chosen location/route. This has yet to appear on the German website.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search, News, Local Search Engines, Practical features | 
Tags: Druck, Google, google maps, lokale Informationen, Maps, Straßenansicht, Suchmaschinenriese | 
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Summer cleanup at Yahoo! Maps
Yahoo! has updated its USA maps and route portal Yahoo! Maps, offering some new features. Through this, the integration of local services has been improved, said Product Manager Gus Maldonado in the Yahoo! Geo Technologies Blog.
The route planner has become more user-friendly, with the left column with the route description has been widened, the font enlarged and thus made more legible. The Print View page has also been revised, allowing individual stages of the route, to be hidden in the event that their content is already known, thus saving paper and ink. For each change of direction/turn on the route, it is now possible to display a detail map. This feature now brings interactivity to the Print Version, by allowing zooming in or out, shifting the area (by mouse) to adjust its view ‘window’ or to display different areas. And these improvements are only just the beginning, according to Maldonado, who promises a further update in 2008.
Yahoo! actually does not limit its special map and route planner portal to the USA. This can also be found in Germany under the name Yahoo! Lokale Suche Routenplaner. It is however still in beta-phase and is nowhere near (or at least not yet) as user-friendly as the USA-version.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search, News, Local Search Engines, Practical features |
Tags: lokale Informationen, Maps, Yahoo, Yahoo! Local Maps, Yahoo! Maps |
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Google allows a glimpse backstage
The search engine giant wants to in the future provide its users with more information as to how personalized search results are generated. This was announced by Rachel Garb in the official Google Blog.
Google adjusts its search results according to each user. This means that the same search request may generate differing results, according to the location of the user, or between different users. The undertaking wishes to explain which data it thereby accesses. In so doing, Google has actually expanded its web search functionality by introducing a new feature, according to Garb. In the future, above and to the right of personalized results there will appear a short note, detailing which criteria were used in generating the results. The details may be expanded further by clicking a relevant link.
In order to personalize the search results, Garb says Google uses the latest search requests of the user, and also evaluates the recent web history of the logged-in web user, but only when this function has been explicitly activated by the user.
Further, the search engine also considers approximate (geo)location of the user when generating the personalized results. this is achieved usually by using the IP-Address of the computer being used. Google is able to usually ascertain the city in which the user is located and can adjust the search results accordingly. Whoever wishes to enter another search location can also do this, but a Google Account is a prerequisite for this feature. It is interesting that these location details are not used for the personalized search results of the web search, but actually are used for the improvement of the results of Google Maps.
The new feature should, at least in the USA edition of Google, be accessible in the next few days. There is no current information as to when or if Google plans to integrate this into its German-version.
Google Maps now with pedestrian navigation
Google Maps now appears not only in a new, simplified layout. Approximately a week ago, the search engine giant integrated a new service. Until now, route planning on Google concentrated exclusively on the needs of motorists; now this has expanded and pedestrians are also now able to find their way…
On the newly revised layout and now predominantly blue start page of Google Maps, the user is now able to access the pedestrian feature by a click on “Calculate Route”. Using a dropdown menu, users can choose whether to generate directions per car or foot.
As laid out by Google programmer Andy Schwerin in the Google Lat Long Blog, for a pedestrian route plan (contrary to those for motorists) one-way streets or “no left turns” are of course ignored, and parks and pedestrian zones are now included in the results.
At present, not everything functions correctly. In our own test, conducted by Lokalesucheblog.de searching for a route in Stuttgart, Google for example ignored paths through major city parks, such as the Schlossgarten, and completely missed smaller green areas. Suggested were also routings where no paths exist. This problem has been recognized by the Googlers… Schwerin explains that for this and other reasons, the program is still in beta-testing. the Googlers are working on the issues, actively gathering new data on footways. Google also encourages user feedback, so that this feature can be improved upon.
Interestingly in the post, Schwerin mentions that the link “Footpath” [de=Fußweg] only appears when the foot-route result is no longer than ten kilometers. This was not the case on the old site, but has apparently now been changed. However, one can actually view the foot-route from Stuttgart to Hamburg, which takes five days and 17 hours, assuming the walker does not take any breaks. According to the site (at present) a walker could wander from Munich to London in eight days and ten hours.
Google Maps is not the only local search service offering pedestrian navigation. Services such as the local search engine suchen.de has long offered a pedestrian option, limiting the distance of the route to twenty kilometers. Suchen.de, contrary to Google, does indeed cover parks, and doesn’t deliver routings without sidewalks. Live Search Maps, Microsoft’s local search service also offers foot ways up to 30 kilometers.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search, News, Local Search Engines, Practical features |
Tags: Fußgänger, Fußweg, Google, google maps, lokale Informationen, Maps, Microsoft, Navigation, Routenplaner, suchen.de, t-info, zu Fuß |
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Google Maps mobil hört zu
30 Jul. 2008 | Author: AWo |
Die mobile Ausgabe der lokalen Suchmaschine Google Maps kann nun auch per Spracheingabe gesteuert werden. Allerdings befindet sich dieser Dienst noch im Test und ist bislang nur in den USA für wenige Handy-Modelle verfügbar.
Wie die Google-Mitarbeiter Jonathan Matus und Luca Zanolin im Google Mobile Blog berichten, können Besitzer von Black-Berry-Geräten (Pearl 8110, 8120 und 8130) in den USA nun ihre lokale Suchanfrage nach Unternehmen ins Handy sprechen, statt sie über die Tastatur einzugeben.
Besonders praktisch sei diese Art der Suche dann, wenn man gerade nicht tippen könne, der Name des Unternehmens lang sei oder man nicht wisse, wie der Name buchstabiert werde. Die Suche per Stimme sei einfach. Man halte – nachdem man die Kartenansicht auf den eigenen Standort zentriert habe – die Sprachwahltaste auf der linken Seite des Black-Berry und spreche den Namen oder die Branche des gesuchten Unternehmens. Darauf hin lasse man den Knopf wieder los, worauf die Spracherkennungstechnik die Frage interpretiere und das gewünschte Unternehmen finde.
Dieses neue Google-Maps-Feature nutzt die gleiche Spracherkennungstechnik wie die kostenlose computergesteuerte Telefonauskunft GOOG-411 des Suchmaschinenriesen (wir berichteten), erklären Matus und Zanolin. Allerdings scheint die Genauigkeit noch nicht vollständig zu überzeugen, denn die beiden Googler versprechen auch, dass sich die Technik im Laufe der Zeit, wenn mehr Leute diese Suchfunktion per Spracheingabe nutzen, verbessern werde.
Tour-de-France-Route in Google Street View
The 95th Tour de France has been taking place from July 5 -27, 2008. For this great cycling event, Google has placed its first Street Views of France on-line.
The 360° Views are to be found in Google Maps, Google’s local search wing. By clicking on “Street View”, a virtual view of the entire race routing is to be found. What’s more, the view is presented from the rider’s perspective, as was reported by Google employee Daniel Ratner in the Google Lat Long Blog. According to Ratner, the absolute latest features of Street View have been implemented for the 21-stage France tour, encompassing ‘Face Blurring’ and high image resolution (see our post).
So, for the first time users are able to access panorama views of Europe, via Google Maps. Until this introduction, users were only able to view USA cities, national parks and recreational areas in Street View. The Tour-de-France route is only the beginning ― Google has already announced that views of other European cities and areas will be forthcoming (see our report). At the moment, German cities are being documented (as noted in the Google Watch Blog). Street-View cars have been already spied in Munich and Berlin– confirmed by a report in the Berlin Tagesspiegel, which also mentions that Google is also shooting in Frankfurt am Main. When these Street Views will be posted on-line is any body’s guess.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search, News, Local Search Engines, Practical features |
Tags: Frankreich, Google, google maps, lokale Informationen, Maps, Panoramaansicht, Panoramabilder, Radrennen, Straßenansicht, Streckenverlauf, street view, Suchdienst, Suchmaschine, Suchmaschinenriese, Tour de France |
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Point of View – “Street View” in Germany
A report by news magazine ‘Focus’ reports that Google intends to introduce its panorama photo innovation for German towns and cities. Deutsche Post AG plans a similar venture. The call to action for data privacy activists has been sounded…
To realize the Google Maps Feature “Street View” for Germany, the foreseeable future will show cars sporting specialized cameras, cruising the streets of local towns and shooting innumerable 360º photos. “We are at the moment already on the go in Europe and will also come to Germany”, confirmed Google’s data security executive Peter Fleischer to ‘Focus’ magazine.
In the USA, this service has been on display since May 2007 and is constantly being expanded. From the launch, Google’s display of highly detailed photos – some of which clearly show faces of pedestrians or license plates (and occasionally still do) – has been cause for discussion and uproar. For example: a couple whose house was visible in “Street View”, felt their privacy had been invaded and took Google to court. In Europe the situation will not be any easier for the search-engine market leader. On the contrary – according to a report posted in the online magazine PCWorld, the EU’s data protection supervisor, Peter Hustinx has expressed his reservations concerning “Street View” and warns against its introduction, as its present format is not compatible with European legislation.
Google has actually already started to blur the faces of people caught in “Street View”, using a technique aptly named “Face Blurring”, which automatically recognizes faces and blurs them. This technology was first tested in documenting Manhattan, according to Google’s Lat Long Blog. It is planned to be universally implemented in Europe, and will obliterate not only faces but also vehicle license plates as well. “In all European locations, no faces or vehicle license plates will be recognizable [in Street View]”, promised Fleischer to ‘Focus’.
However this doesn’t satisfy many privacy watchdogs. As outlined in the ‘Focus’ report, the Deutsche Post AG is working on a very similar project. For this project, watchdogs are calling for not only the blotting out of faces and license plates, but also house numbers. According to ‘Focus’, concerns are mounting regarding public display of private buildings. These could then be linked to specific people [and invade their privacy].
Whether these fears are unwarranted, is questionable. Actually, “Street View” is a nice and useful feature. Shouldn’t it, assuming that faces and license plates are unrecognizable, also be granted the blessing of the data protection legislators?
Exploring with Google Maps
Using Google Maps, the world is now ever more discoverable than before. User-uploaded photos, videos and maps, matched to the locality of the requested search, have recently been added to the arsenal of Google’s local search capability, providing yet more local and background information.
To do so, one enters a location into the search field. A preview of the results appears in the menu adjacent to the map. If one wants to see more, just click either on “Explore this location” [de= ‚Erkunden Sie dieses Gebiet’] or on “More Photos, Videos and User-Created Maps” [de= ,Mehr Fotos, Videos und von Nutzern erstellte Karten’]. On clicking, an expanded results list appears. Simultaneously thumbnails of the photos and videos appear overlaid on the map, where they in turn can be clicked to view. Using the search results it is also possible to click on User-Maps, and select whether further photos or videos should be displayed. These extended results are then only accessible via thumbnails on the map-view. Shifting position or changing viewing scale of the map reveals further results.
Whether photos, videos or maps – the newly access content is completely user-generated and uploaded. The photographs originate from [geo-tagged user photos, from] the Web2.0 photo service Panoramio, which was acquired by Google in July 2007. They show interesting buildings, attractions or city views. YouTube, an acquisition of Google in October 2006, delivers the videos. However Google’s usual high quality controls are not in evidence – the videos are seldom really useful, as regards local information. The User-Maps have been assembled by other users of Google Maps’ “My Maps” [de=„Meine Karten“], and categorized by the creator us “public” accessible.
Google Maps: Route Planning with Street View
The USA-version of Google Maps now offers yet another new feature. The search engine giant has now integrated its panorama view “Street View” into its route planner.
Thereby users are able to orient themselves before their journey as to the waypoints and local features, as outlined by Google staffer Andy Szybalski in Google Lat Long Blog. This works only for localities where street views have been documented and released. Whether or not this feature is available, is indicated by a camera icon within the route instructions generated.
With a click on the photo icon, the street view opens on the map, for the specified location. Using the fat white arrow, one is able to manipulate the view to gain an ‘actual’ idea of the planned stretch of roadway, seeing attractions, speed limits or the construction/layout of the street in question.
Google has also provided a short video to enlarge on the details of this new function.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search, News, Local Search Engines, Practical features |
Tags: google maps, lokale Informationen, Maps, Panoramaansicht, Routenplaner, street view |
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Google Maps now with YouTube videos
As revealed in Google’s Lat Long Blog, another new feature for the search giant’s Local Search function has surfaced: enterprises can augment their entries with YouTube videos.
Last Fall (2007), geo-tagged YouTube videos were already accessible using Google Earth. This function has now expanded to Google Maps.
This allows companies to add films about their undertakings to their Google Maps entries, along with photos, descriptions and weblinks, thus affording users an even better idea of the services on offer.
All that is required (of the enterprise), is to upload (up to 5) videos to a YouTube account, and then link these in the Google Maps Local Business Center, to their existing entries. The user will then be able to find these videos listed in the information window (found by clicking on the “More Information” link, under the subsection Photos and Videos.
Posted in Local Search per PC, News, Local Search Engines, Practical features |
Tags: Film, Google, google maps, lokale Informationen, Maps, Mittelstand, User Generated Content, Video, web2.0, YouTube, YouTube-Videos |
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