Articles about Google Maps

Google has been busy with its Maps service the past couple of days, including a new desktop version, announced yesterday, that will be rolling out soon. But the company has not been too busy for a little vacation, this time traveling to India.

The country is known for many sights, though the most prominent is likely the Taj Mahal, a white marble building that has become a top tourist destination. That wasn't the only place that Google visited, though. 29 more monuments were also included in the new Street View of the country.

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I haven't witnessed the devastation of the Amazon, but I've been fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to travel through the American Northwest, a place where "clear-cutting" ran rampant in the 80's. Today's laws have somewhat subsided that practice, but the Oregon and Washington areas are a small sample size on a vast, global scale.

Now Google Maps takes on the issue that faces everyone today -- we need the space, though less-so the paper, and certainly need the oxygen produced. The search giant has put together a new mapping program that is tracking the forests around the world -- or the dwindling numbers of them.

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Google continues to enhance its Maps offering, combining it with Street View to bring comprehensive coverage of every possible area -- even trails in national parks. Now the search giant is announcing more improvements will be arriving on customers' desktops very soon.

"It’s now even easier to plan your next trip, check live traffic conditions, discover what’s happening around town, and learn about a new area -- with Pegman’s help if needed", states Brian McClendon, vice president of Google Maps.

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Ah, Valentine's Day...a day of love. Just mentioning the holiday conjures images of heart-shaped candy boxes, flowers and holding hands. Yes, it is a grand day for all that have a significant other. But, for single people, it can be quite depressing.

For those of us fortunate enough to have a significant other, the love and happiness is rivaled only by anxiety. You see, getting the right gift and making a reservation at the right restaurant can be quite daunting. You only have one opportunity to succeed each year on Valentine's Day. Failure may result in certain doom. Google however, has your back. The search giant has some great suggestions for having a romantic day, powered by Google Maps.

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Fans of cinema may recall seeing the Godzilla films. No, I'm not talking about the 1998 abomination starring Matthew Broderick, I am referring to the classic films from the 1950s and 60s. The films focused on a giant lizard, named Godzilla, who terrified Tokyo.

Besides Godzilla, another memorable character from the films was a monster called Mothra. This monster looked like a moth or butterfly and was able to fly. Thanks to Google, you too can fly through Tokyo, plus other Japanese locations, just like Mothra -- well, virtually at least.

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Google has updated its mobile Maps apps for Android and iOS with the release of Google Maps for iOS 2.5.0 and Google Maps for Android 7.4.0.

Both apps include the obligatory bug fixes, but there they diverge, with iOS users now able to see flight, hotel and restaurant reservations from Gmail, while Android users get improved tools for step-by-step directions and commuting.

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Despite summer being viewed as 'vacation season', the holidays are a popular travel time, with families reuniting from far-flung locations. Travel, especially at the holidays, can be tricky, with added crowds and delays. In fact, this year it could be complicated on the US east coast, thanks to inclimate weather expected over the long Thanksgiving weekend.

Google Street View, which seems fearless in its roamings, is looking to help out the wayward traveler. The search giant unveils new travel maps that encompass various depots, such as airports and train stations.

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Google continues to push forward its mapping program, earlier today unveiling its Street View team's trip around the city of Venice, Italy. While that may be fun and display pretty scenery, the latest update the company announces takes a more serious note. Cataloging the systematic destruction of our planet's forests.

"In a collaboration led by Dr. Matthew Hansen at the University of Maryland, we’ve built the first detailed maps of the world’s forests, from 2000-2012, documenting and quantifying forest landscape changes such as fires, tornadoes, disease and logging", says Rebecca Moore and Matt Hancher, of the Google Earth Engine team.

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Google continues to expand its Street View imagery to new areas, ranging from the Great Barrier Reef to the Grand Canyon and countless locations in between. This time, the intrepid team has invaded the canals of Venice, Italy. The romantic city can now be viewed by armchair travelers everywhere, no gondola required.

The city presented a new challenge for the Google team -- "It was impossible for us to collect images of Venice with a Street View car or trike -- blame the picturesque canals and narrow cobbled walkways -- but our team of backpackers took to the streets to give Google Maps a truly Shakespearean backdrop", says Daniele Rizzetto, Street View Operations Manager.

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Over the past year there has been an endless supply of jokes about Apple Maps and a cry of relief when Google finally swept in to "save the day". But, with all the jokes aside, when Google claims it will send you to multiple destinations, it does not mean being lost in the outback of Australia.

Today, the search giant announces that it is rolling out a major update for its Maps program, though not quite in time for summer travel.

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While long-distance travel has evolved to the airplane, many people still "ride the rails" and use trains. People choose the old-fashioned train option for multiple reasons. Passengers may prefer it because it is less expensive, they have a fear of flying, or they simply do not like the TSA pat-downs (which some people say border on molestation). However, even though a train may be viewed as antiquated, Amtrak is aiming to bring modern technology to the classic mode of transportation.

Today, Steve Alexander, Creative Director of E-commerce at Amtrak announces that the company has partnered with Google Maps to bring tracking to its passenger trains.

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CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (yes the acronym doesn't work unless you speak French) and LHC, the Large Hadron Collider, have been in the news quite a bit in recent times. The search for, and possible discovery of, the elusive Higgs Boson, the so-called "God-particle", is a major step forward for science.

Now the Google Maps Street View team have hung up their snorkels, dusted off their hiking boots, sailed home from the Galapogos and set their sights on a bit of science.

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You will not be the first to explore the islands' biodiversity, and you won't be arriving on the HMS Beagle, but you also no longer need to face the hardships of a long sea journey to visit the Galapogos. Google Street View has made the trip for you and, as the team always does, it recorded every moment so that you can visit without leaving your computer.

The search giant partnered with the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Foundation in order to capture panoramic imagery of the small island group. The company hopes the data will not just be a source of enjoyment for Street View users, but also "play an instrumental role in the ongoing research of the environment, conservation, animal migration patterns, and the impact of tourism on the islands".

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On March 11, 2011 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, but despite the extremely high intensity of the tremor itself, it was the resulting tsunami that caused the real damage. Most notable, and scary, was the meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Now, two years after the tragedy that cost more than 15,000 people their lives, Google Maps, through Street View, takes users back into the teeth of this disaster.

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"Someone told me it's all happening at the Zoo". Google's Street View team has traveled around the world from coral reefs to canyons and down the trails of National Parks. This time the trekkers caught a break with something a bit more relaxing than a miles long hike or a dive in an area known for its sharks.

Now the team visits zoos, allowing you to get a sneak peak of a place you wish to visit, or simply enjoy the view from the comfort of your chair. "Lions and tigers may be standard attractions, but starting today, you can also use Street View to see the panda bears noshing on bamboo and tumbling around the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. More than 30 percent of this endangered species calls this important conservation and breeding facility home", says Deanna Yick, Street View Program Manager.

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