Google LatLong

Welcome customers into your business on Google

2012-01-26T14:18:00.000-08:00

(Cross-posted on the Small Business Blog.)

When we initially announced the Business Photos pilot program, we wanted to give business owners an easy way to get customers in the door online using interactive, high-quality, 360-degree images of places on Google Maps and on Google Search results. With thousands of businesses under our belt — from salons to gift shops — we’ve been hearing the same question again and again from both business owners and photographers alike: How can I participate?

Well, with the overwhelming success of the first pilot, we’ve decided to unveil a complementary initiative that will help us reach more interested business owners, more quickly: Trusted Photographers.

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Click and drag to view the inside of Spice Market, New York City.

It’s simple. Visit our new website and search for a Google Trusted Photographer in your area. Either email or call a photographer in your area to schedule a time and agree on a price that you will pay the photographer for a photoshoot of your business. This self-serve model makes for easier scheduling and quicker turnaround, while also supporting the local photographers in your community. During the hour it should take for the shoot, you can collaborate with the photographer about how best to display and capture your business. When finished, the photographer will upload the images to Google, and shortly thereafter, you’ll see 360-degree panoramic views of your business on Google.com, Google Maps and on your Google Places listing.

See how Business Photos has helped Toy Joy of Austin, Texas.

Trusted Photographers are available in 14 U.S. cities, as well as in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and France. Don’t see a photographer in your area? Let us know, as that will help us determine where more Trusted Photographers are needed.

Posted by Gadi Royz, Product Manager, Google Maps

Google Earth 6.2: It’s a beautiful world

2012-01-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

(Cross-posted on the Official Google and SketchUp blogs)

We're taking bird's eye view to a whole new level with the latest version of Google Earth, released today. With Google Earth 6.2, we’re bringing you the most beautiful Google Earth yet, with more seamless imagery and a new search interface. Additionally, we’ve introduced a feature that enables you to share an image from within Google Earth, so you can now simply and easily share your virtual adventures with family and friends on Google+.

A seamless globe

The Google Earth globe is made from a mosaic of satellite and aerial photographs taken on different dates and under different lighting and weather conditions. Because of this variance, views of the Earth from high altitude can sometimes appear patchy.

Today, we’re introducing a new way of rendering imagery that smoothes out this quilt of images. The end result is a beautiful new Earth-viewing experience that preserves the unique textures of the world’s most defining geographic landscapes—without the quilt effect. This change is being made on both mobile and desktop versions of Google Earth. While this change will appear on all versions of Google Earth, the 6.2 release provides the best viewing experience for this new data.

Grand Canyon before and after

Sri Lanka before and after

Share your explorations with Google+
Google Earth is a great way to virtually explore the globe, whether revisiting old haunts or checking out a future vacation spot. With the Google Earth 6.2 update, we’ve added the option to share a screenshot of your current view in Google Earth through Google+. If you’ve already upgraded to Google+, you can share images of the places you’ve virtually traveled to with your Circles, such as family, friends or your local hiking club. To try this new feature, simply sign in to your Google Account in the upper right hand corner of Google Earth and click “Share.” Images of mountains, oceans, deserts, 3D cities, your favorite pizza shop on Street View—you can now experience all these amazing places around the world with people on Google+.

Search improvements
We’ve also made some updates to the search feature in Google Earth. Aside from streamlining the visual design of the search panel, we’ve enabled the same Autocomplete feature that’s available on Google Maps. We’ve also introduced search layers, which will show all the relevant search results (not just the top ten), so now, when looking for gelato in Milano, you can see all the tasty possibilities. Finally, we’ve added biking, transit and walking directions, so if you’re itching for a change of scenery or looking for a new route for your regular commute, you can now use Google Earth to generate and visualize all your options.

Biking directions in Google Earth

Download Google Earth 6.2 and start exploring and sharing today!

Posted by Peter Birch, Product Manager, Google Earth

New Biking Directions Legend

2012-01-26T07:31:00.000-08:00

If you’re looking for new ways to get around for fun or to work, or might be trying to live a greener lifestyle in 2012, why not try biking? In March 2010 we introduced biking directions and since then Google Maps has been sharing biking directions with cyclists across the U.S and Canada.

Since no bike path is the same, many users have requested an easier way to differentiate the different types of bike routes that are available. Starting today, a new legend feature can help you understand what the different colors on the bike maps symbolize.

Dark green is for dedicated trails and paths
Light green is for roads with dedicated lanes
Dotted green is for roads that are friendly for cyclists

Look for the biking legend in the upper right hand corner of the map

You can view this legend by clicking on the widget in upper right corner of Google Maps and selecting the Bicycling layer. You can also access biking directions on your Android device or by going to maps.google.com on your mobile browser.

Whether you want to drive, take transit, walk or even bike, Google Maps can help you get around. To see how it works on your Android phone take a tour here.

Posted by Dave Kim, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps

Public Alerts now on Google Maps

2012-01-25T06:07:00.000-08:00

(Cross posted from the Google.org Blog)

Today marks the launch of a new Google Crisis Response project: Google Public Alerts, a platform designed to bring you relevant emergency alerts when and where you’re searching for them.

If a major weather event is headed for your area, you might go online to search for the information you need: What’s happening? Where and when will it strike? How severe will it be? What resources are available to help?

The Google Crisis Response team works on providing critical emergency information during crises. Our goal is to surface emergency information through the online tools you use everyday, when that information is relevant and useful.

With today’s launch of Public Alerts on Google Maps, relevant weather, public safety, and earthquake alerts from US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Weather Service, and the US Geological Survey (USGS) will be accessible when you search on Google Maps. For instance, at the time of this post, “Flood Indiana” triggers an alert for a Flood Warning in Northern Indiana.

If you click through to “more info” on this alert, you’ll find a page showing more details about the alert, with the full description from the alert publisher, in this case the National Weather Service, a link to their site and other useful information.

Whether you see an alert depends on which alerts are active at a given location, their severity, and your search query. If you’re interested in seeing all of the active alerts in one place, visit our homepage at www.google.org/publicalerts. This page also provides a link to more information on our new platform and gives instructions to interested organizations who want to make their emergency data available through this tool.

We’re learning as we go and we’re working hard to continuously improve the range and relevance of the content you see, so we’d really like your feedback. Please send feedback our way using the link at the far right of our Google Public Alerts homepage.

We hope Google Public Alerts provides you with information to make better decisions in times of crisis.

Posted by Steve Hakusa, Public Alerts Engineer

Take a tour of South Korea using Street View

2012-01-24T07:48:00.000-08:00

Tourism to South Korea is on the rise, with neighbors from East Asia and beyond making trips to see the birthplace of Korean dramas and K-Pop, sample authentic kimchee, and find cutting-edge fashions in the capital’s Myeongdong shopping district. Today we’re introducing Street View imagery for the two biggest cities, Seoul and Busan, making it even easier for travelers to plan their next visit to South Korea using Google Maps.

For example, you can preview your vacation in Seoul by starting right in Gwanghwamun square. Viewing the surroundings and statue of naval commander Yi Sun-sin provides a sense of the city’s unique intersection of modern and traditional.

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For those who want to stretch their legs, we recommend walking in Insadong, a famous shopping area for art and antiques, and then taking in the beautiful autumn foliage at the Stone Wall of Deoksugung when it’s time for a rest. Fans of the universally-beloved Korean soap opera Winter Sonata may want to check out a few background sites from the show, including the hallowed gates of Choongang High School or the Seoul Plaza Hotel.

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In the southern seaside city of Busan, famous for its film festival, view the water from Namhang Bridge and then the woody romance of Dalmaji Road, famous as a spot for couples to view the moon at night.

We’re thrilled to release this new street-level imagery and hope it helps tourists — both real and virtual — better find their way to Korea’s great destinations. We also look forward to bringing more Street View coverage to Korea over the coming year.

Learn more about Street View here.

Posted by Sun-Gi Hong, Product Manager, South Korea

New 45° imagery available for 24 cities

2012-01-23T17:31:00.001-08:00

The second 45° imagery update of 2012 includes new imagery for 17 U.S. and 7 international locations in Google Maps.

Ulm is a university town in southern Germany, located at the Danube river. One of the most famous buildings in this town is the Ulm Minster in Gothic style which measures more than 160 meters in height. Climbing the 768 steps to the top platform, visitors will see a breathtaking panoramic view of the Alps on clear days.

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Cleveland, Ohio is an important hub at the southern rim of Lake Erie. Many banks, insurance companies, and healthcare firms are headquartered here; this is also the home of the famous Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame:

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In the southern hemisphere, we’ve published imagery of Porto Alegre in the very south of Brazil. It has more than one million inhabitants. The many parks in Porto Alegre makes this city one of the most beautiful in all of Latin America.

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Have fun exploring the new sites!

Here is a list of updated cities:

US:
Boise/Caldwell, ID; Buffalo, NY; Chattanooga, TN; Cleveland, OH; Denver, CO; Greenville, SC; Houston/Pasadena, TX; Kansas City/Gladstone, MS; Knoxville/Louisville, TN; Memphis/Bartlett, TN; Mobile, AL; Nashville, TN; Pensacola, FL; Racine, WI; Santa Monica, CA; Sarasota/Englewood, FL; Stockton, CA

Europe:
Baiona, Spain; Basel, Switzerland; Friedberg, Germany; Mannheim, Germany; Santander, Spain; Ulm, Germany

South America:
Porto Alegre, Brazil

Posted by Bernd Steinert, Geo Data Specialist

Biodiversity on the move

2012-01-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

Editor’s Note: Today’s guest author is Ari Daniel Shapiro from Atlantic Public Media (APM), a non-profit public media organization in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. APM was the recipient of a Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant, funded through the Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund at the Tides Foundation. We’re excited to showcase how Atlantic Public Media has weaved Google Earth and KML tours into engaging stories about the diversity of life.

Life gets around. Tiny Arctic Terns soar from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and back, in a single year. A kind of sea algae known as “sea grapes” roam from Australia to the Mediterranean as stowaways, and then promptly conquer their new home.

As a radio producer, I’m used to telling these kinds of stories with audio, weaving together interview tape, ambient sound, and narration. For the last two years, I’ve worked with Atlantic Public Media and the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) to produce an audio series entitled One Species at a Time. Each episode pays homage to a different organism that gallops or creeps or pulses on our planet. We collaborate on these stories with Marie Studer, the EOL's Learning and Education Director, who has championed our podcast as way to make the natural world come alive and generate excitement amongst people who want to learn about it and explore.

While our podcast and public radio programming brought these tales of the natural world to listeners all over the planet, we always look for ways to tell these stories better and share them more widely. Eduardo Garcia Milagros, a biologist and KML developer in Spain, approached us last year with the idea to use Google Earth as a platform for these mini-documentaries. Brimming with enthusiasm, he shared “When I first opened Google Earth, I went to see my hometown. Once I started exploring KML capabilities, I realized that Google Earth can be an amazing educational tool, especially when you have a good story.” Inspired by his excitement, we decided to identify species whose stories could really be best illustrated through a map, such as the Arctic Tern’s annual migration.

Our tour on Arctic terns can be viewed on YouTube or downloaded and explored in Google Earth.

Incorporating Google Earth into our narratives proved to be an interesting challenge for me and Jay Allison, my editor on the project and the Executive Director of APM. We wanted to make the most of the map as a medium to bring to life the tale of the Arctic Tern and other species for viewers. By integrating geographic animation and imagery from all over the world with the audio and images from contributing scientists, we were able to support and enhance the story. For example, in the sea algae tour below, we circle the globe to the Amazon rainforest to illustrate a phenomenon in the ecology of the Mediterranean.

Our sea algae tour can also be found on YouTube or downloaded for viewing in Google Earth.

These tours combine voice, sound, images, video, and data-driven animations to explain how two creatures have been able to travel so much of our planet. Coming from a public radio documentary background, we tend to approach things from a purely narrative or poetic angle, but Google Earth tours allow for audio/visual dialogue as well. The movement isn't purely in the story. The map can become part of a “conversation,” and we're just beginning to explore the possibilities.

We hope to produce more of these Biodiversity on the Move tours in the future; we’d like to hear what you think of them and what we can improve next time. Drop us a line on the Encyclopedia of Life blog.

Posted by Ari Daniel Shapiro, Atlantic Public Media and the Encyclopedia of Life

World Bank and Google join forces to empower mapping communities around the world

2012-01-16T08:34:00.000-08:00

Today the World Bank and Google announced a collaborative agreement aimed at improving disaster preparedness and development efforts in countries around the world.

Under this agreement, the World Bank will act as a conduit to make Google Map Maker source data more widely and easily available to government organizations in the event of major disasters, and also for improved planning, management, and monitoring of public services provision.

The free, web-based mapping tool called Google Map Maker enables citizens to directly participate in the creation of maps by contributing their local knowledge. Once approved, those additions are then reflected on Google Maps and Google Earth for others around the world to see.

The Google Map Maker data includes detailed maps of more than 150 countries and regions, and identifies locations like schools, hospitals, roads, settlements and water points that are critical for relief workers to know about in times of crisis. The data will also be useful for planning purposes, as governments and their development partners can use the information to monitor public services, infrastructure and development projects; make them more transparent for NGOs, researchers, and individual citizens; and more effectively identify areas that might be in need of assistance before a disaster strikes.

Community mapper in Kampala, Uganda

World Bank partner organizations, which include government and United Nations agencies, will be able to contact World Bank offices for possible access to the Google Map Maker data for their various projects. World Bank country offices in Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Moldova, Mozambique, Nepal, and Haiti plan to pilot the Map Maker agreement.

The World Bank Institute (WBI) and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) will manage the World Bank’s involvement in the collaboration, building on previous joint mapping efforts. For example in April 2011, members of the Southern Sudanese Diaspora participated in a series of community mapping events organized by World Bank and Google to create comprehensive maps of schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure in this new country via Map Maker technology.

Google has enjoyed a strong relationship with World Bank for many years. As indicated by the World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region Obiageli Ezekwesili, “Today’s technology can empower civil society, including the diaspora, to collaborate and support the development process. This collaboration is about shifting the emphasis from organizations to people, and empowering them to solve their own problems and develop their own solutions using maps.”

France Lamy, Program Manager, Google.org

Imagery Update: Week of January 9th

2012-01-13T15:15:00.000-08:00

Update (January 23, 2012): Some imagery was not included in the last update as expected. The following countries received updated imagery: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greenland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, Svalbard, Syria, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, United States, Wake Island, Yemen

It’s a new year and what better way to usher it in than with new aerial and satellite imagery published by the Google Earth and Maps Imagery Team! In this post, we’ll explore several international features captured in this latest update.

Our first example is part of an aerial image acquired last August of the central park grounds, fountain, and wasserturm (water tower) of Mannheim, Germany. Mannheim is the city where Karl Benz built and tested the world’s first automobile.

Mannheim Water Tower, Mannheim, Germany

Our next aerial example, also acquired last August, shows the water parks of Linz, Austria, adjacent to the Danube River. The park makes up part of the "Kulturmeile" ("culture mile") that includes museums and concert halls.

Sun and water bathers, Linz, Austria

The satellite image below shows the medieval grounds and structures of one of the oldest castles in the world, the Citadel of Aleppo in Syria. The citadel sits on a large hill that has been in use since the 3rd millenium BC, and is outlined by perimeter walls and a foundation that reaches 50 meters in height.

Citadel of Aleppo, Syria

This next satellite image highlights a section of the Great Wall of China in Badaling, Yanqing County, China. This site is the most visited section of the wall, and hosted U.S. President Nixon and Vice Premier Li Xiannian during Nixon’s historic visit to China.

Section of the Great Wall of China in Badaling, Yanqing County, China

Lastly, shown below is a satellite image of the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, in Dong, Taiwan. Shown at bottom center is the partially built circular Taiwan Photon Source facility, due to be completed in 2013.

National Synchrotron Radiation Center, Dong, Taiwan

If you’d like to receive an email notification when the Google Earth and Maps Imagery team updates your favorite site(s), we’ve got just the tool: The Follow Your World application!

These are only a few examples of the types of features that can be seen and discovered in our latest batch of published imagery. Happy exploring!

High resolution aerial updates:
USA: Baton Rouge, LA; Brady, TX; Downieville, CA; East Bay, CA; El Paso, TX; Greenwood, MS; Greenwood, SC; Kingman AZ; Level Land, TX; Long View, TX; Lufkin, TX; Ozona, TX; Quincy, CA; Radium Springs, NM; San Angelo, TX

Austria: Innsbruck, Linz,
Germany: Augsburg, Mannheim

Countries/regions receiving high resolution satellite updates:
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Svalbard, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Bank, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

These updates are now available in both Google Maps and Google Earth. For a complete picture of where we updated imagery, download this KML for viewing in Google Earth.

Posted by Eric Kolb, Geo Data Strategist

Explore your world, start here.

2012-01-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

Google has always been on a mission to help organize the world’s information, and our Google Maps and Google Earth teams constantly work to apply this to place and space. A quick retrospective look at 2011 shows a number of improvements to help our users discover and experience new places around the world, both digitally and in person.

To start, we’ve continued to add new satellite and 45 degree imagery on Google Maps and Google Earth, which reached 1B downloads last year, as well as expand our imagery coverage of Street View to Belgium, business interiors, partner locations like parks and even museums with the Art Project. If you want to follow these imagery updates, we expanded Follow Your World so you can get notifications about locations that interest you.

You may have also noticed improvements to the look and feel of our maps, especially with 3D buildings across the world (e.g. Rome, Italy) and smoother transitions with the introduction of Google MapsGL. Using WebGL technology your maps experience is much better with 3D buildings, smoother transitions between imagery and the ability to instantly “swoop” into Street View without a plugin.

Providing the latest map data has also been an important goal, which is why we introduced Google Map Maker in the U.S. and Canada to reach a total of 188 countries where users have an easier way to contribute local knowledge. Up-to-date maps can also enable other organizations be more effective, such as relief and aid organizations who were able to access imagery after the earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan, and organizations that use Google Earth Builder to build on top of our APIs.

Before and after the earthquake and tsunami.

And of course, your mobile device enables you to take Google Maps with you wherever you go. We recently made indoor maps available with a more accurate blue dot to help you orient yourself, as well as offline maps so you can still see a map area when you’re not connected. The video below shows some of the ways Google Maps can help through all parts of your journey.

In 2012, our goal is to continue making knowledge of the physical world more accessible and tailored to your needs. We want Google Maps and Google Earth to be your sidekick; making travel and exploration smarter and more efficient. Whether you want to map your excursion from point A to point B, find interesting detours along your way, or see new and foreign places, Google Maps can help you explore your world.

To learn more about some Google Maps features, check out our interactive tour at maps.google.com/starthere

Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering, Google Earth and Maps

Street View: your friendly campus tour guide

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

(Cross posted to Official Google Blog)

For many, the start of a new year is also the start of a new semester. Whether you’re a current student trying to familiarize yourself with campus, an applicant assessing your options or an alumnus feeling nostalgic, the Street View feature in Google Maps can be your tour guide without the backward walking. We recently added imagery of more university campuses to the existing special collections already available via Street View through our Partner Program. Let’s take a quick tour of some of the many beautiful campuses around the world.

In Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward, you can find Waseda University. Founded in 1882, it is known for producing some of the top Japanese politicians and business leaders in recent history. Check out the statue of Ōkuma Shigenobu, who founded the university.

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Halfway around the world, we can visit the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Founded in 1451, this university is one of the oldest in the world, and the fourth oldest in the English speaking world. Take a tour of the magnificent campus starting at the West Quadrangle of the Main Building.

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Hop the Atlantic and cross the U.S. to Stanford University, which was founded in 1891 in Palo Alto, Calif. Located near Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, both of our founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, attended Stanford for their graduate studies. Explore the campus starting at the palm-lined main quad with a view of Hoover Tower.

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Students, take note: Even though your campus is now available in your browser, you still need to go to class! To view other imagery collections of popular universities around the world see a complete list of the campuses or visit a few more highlights in the Street View gallery.

Posted by Chris Fiock, Program Manager for Street View

Get indoor maps of Las Vegas Casinos, the Convention Center and more

2012-01-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

At the 2012 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV, attendees will now be able to use Google Maps on their Android devices to help them find their way in the sea of exhibitors and attractions throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center, select resorts and casinos along the Las Vegas strip, as well as the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.

Las Vegas Convention Center with CES Exhibitors

Since November of last year, you’ve been able to use Google Maps in select places to get detailed floor plans and indoor location information within a few meters, as well as an accurate floor level location. Today, we’ve expanded the list of places with indoor maps by partnering with MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment and others, to provide indoor maps for Caesars Palace, Bellagio, The Venetian, The Palazzo, MGM Grand and many more.

We hope that these indoor maps will come in handy when finding your way through the slots and to the shops. And for those of you who catch gadget-fever with CES in town, we've also partnered with a number of Best Buy stores in the Las Vegas area. For more detailed list of indoor maps partners, go to our help center or to see a demo, start here.

Left: MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, Right: Caesars Palace
Starting today, we’re also releasing some of the first floor plans in Google Maps that were uploaded through the Google Maps Floor Plans tool. From malls to convention centers, museums and educational institutions from California to New York you will now be able to see these floor plans in Google Maps for Android.

So the next time you are looking for the perfect table to win the jackpot or can’t find the nearest restroom, simply open Google Maps on your Android device and let indoor maps show you the way. If you’re attending CES, please come by the the Google Maps booth to learn more and preview our upcoming Google Maps game!

Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering, Google Earth and Maps

The Great Migration Game: Sea Turtle Tracking in Bonaire

2012-01-09T04:30:00.000-08:00

Over the years we’ve shared a variety of Google Earth tracking opportunities, including oceanic expeditions, hurricanes, and even Santa's annual flight around the world on Christmas Eve. Recently, the Google Earth Outreach team has been following another type of long distance journey: Jklynn, the female Hawksbill sea turtle, on her annual migration.

Jklynn’s travels are available to all -- thanks to the efforts of WIDECAST, the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network, a recipient of a Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant. Using the Google Maps API, they’ve developed the “Great Migration Game” to follow the movements of Jklynn and make the task of tracking her journey interactive for students in Bonaire. Middle and high school students can predict where the sea turtle will end up after the nesting season for the chance to win prizes.

The migration began in October 2011, when Jklynn was outfitted with a satellite transmitter by Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire. The study aims to improve our understanding of the migration routes and nesting areas of Hawksbill turtles. Jklynn has nested and laid eggs multiple times off of Klein Bonaire, with 86 students eagerly watching her progress. Now, she’s now well on her way again and keeping the students guessing every step of the way!

Follow Jklynn’s migration in Google Earth

Jklynn’s satellite transmitter sends regular updates of her position to the map, developed by Ojingo Labs. Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire was also on hand to film Jklynn’s first hatchlings emerge from their nest on Klein Bonaire.

Jklynn’s first nest hatches!

As her trek continues, you can also follow Jklynn on Twitter or on Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire’s Facebook page. Enjoy the rest of the journey!

Posted by Tanya Birch, Google Earth Outreach

Santa Claus is coming to town... find out where with Google and NORAD

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

(Cross-posted on the Official Google blog)

It’s that time of year again! The stockings are hung by the chimney with care and Google and NORAD are ready to answer the question of “where?”

NORAD’s tradition of tracking Santa on Christmas Eve started in 1955, when a Sears and Roebuck ad promoting the Talk-to-Santa hotline inadvertently sent callers to CONAD (NORAD’s predecessor) commander-in-chief’s operations hotline. After recovering from the surprise that the call was not from the Pentagon or the White House but instead a little boy inquiring if the commander was Santa Claus, Colonel Harry Shoup asked his team to check their radar for signs of Santa’s sleigh and a tradition was born.

The Santa tracking tradition has grown over the years and today it’s also possible to track Santa using Google Earth and Google Maps on the NORAD Santa site, and on your mobile phone as well. Starting tomorrow (Saturday, December 24) at 2:00 a.m. EST, visit www.noradsanta.org to follow Santa’s journey from the North Pole to homes all over the globe. This year there are many ways to keep tabs on Santa’s sleigh, no matter how quickly it moves:

Follow Santa on Google Maps: Visit www.noradsanta.org to see where Santa is currently flying and where he’s headed next on Google Maps. Click on the video icons to watch “Santa cam” videos from all over the world, and the gift icons will display information about each city along the route.
Watch Santa fly in 3D with the Google Earth plug-in: If you have the Google Earth plug-in installed on your computer, you can track Santa’s location in 3D and see him deliver presents everywhere from the mountain villages of the Swiss Alps to the white sand beaches of Hawaii.
Track Santa from your mobile phone: Follow Santa on the go by searching for [santa] on the Google Maps for mobile app.
Get updates via social media: The NORAD team will be posting updates about Santa’s flight throughout the day on December 24. Follow them on Google+, Twitter or Facebook for live updates.
Subscribe to the NORAD Tracks Santa YouTube channel: All “Santa cam” videos will be posted on the NORAD Tracks Santa YouTube channel as they’re captured. You can also watch a recap of Santa’s 2010 trip. Check back often for updates!

Santa flying over London in Google Earth

NORAD Tracks Santa is a special project near and dear to all of us involved. I started working on the program seven years ago and it’s been a thrill to watch it grow over the years. Recently, I was given the opportunity to speak at TEDActive about the origins of NORAD Tracks Santa and how Google has brought this to life in Google Earth.

I’d like to thank all of Santa’s “elves” that helped out across Google and NORAD far and wide. Happy Holidays!

Posted by Bruno Bowden, Lead Google Engineering Elf

New 45° imagery for Detroit and 4 other cities

2011-12-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month we highlighted 21 new cities with updated 45° imagery on Google Maps. In our last 45° imagery update of the year, we have 5 new cities from the Midwestern and Southern regions of the US.

Detroit, Michigan is one of those cities I’m particularly excited to share with you. Growing up nearby this great international city, I’ve gotten to know its beauty, character and deep history. Recently Detroit has attracted much international attention for its auto sector and changing urban landscape.

With this 45° imagery update, and also using the Street View feature of Google Maps, you can now explore for yourself the wonderful revival that has happened in Detroit’s downtown core. Here at the corner of Montcalm and Woodward you can see the historic Fox Theatre and the famed Hockeytown Cafe, with the home of the Detroit Tigers and Lions just a short walk away:

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(If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can even have a look at what the site of the old Tiger Stadium now looks like!)

You can also view some of Detroit’s stunning architecture, among the most beautiful in North America. The GM Renaissance Center standing proudly among many of the majestic 1920s era office buildings is a poignant contrast of Detroit’s history and progress:

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This new 45° imagery in Detroit extends a few neighborhoods in each direction of the downtown area so I encourage you to zoom in and rotate the compass ring to explore this great city from the air!

While you’re at it, be sure to take a look at other new updates in these US cities:

Fayetteville, AR, Nashville-Franklin, TN, Baton Rouge, LA, Huntsville, AL

Posted By Mike Pegg, Google Marketing

Imagery Update: Week of December 12th

2011-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Google Earth and Maps Imagery Team has done it again, delivering another collection of updated aerial and satellite imagery from around the globe, just in time for the holidays. Below we’ll show several new high-resolution aerial imagery examples of important locations and landmarks of where large groups of people congregate.

Our first example is known the world over and houses one of the most impressive art collections ever assembled: the Louvre in Paris, France. The right half of the aerial image below shows the entire museum grounds, and the left center section is the garden and palace of past cardinals and kings, the Jardin du Palais Royal.

The Louve and Jardin du Palais Royal, Paris, France

The next example is an aerial shot of the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. The lower right section shows part of the campus grounds and athletic fields, and the upper left shows Mitchie Stadium, home of the Black Knights football team. Army played the Navy Midshipmen for the 112th time this past week, narrowly losing to Navy in one of the more exciting meetings in their storied rivalry.

United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
The image below is an aerial shot of the Empire Polo Club in Indio California, site of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It looks empty now, but this past year’s festival drew over 75,000 attendees on each day, and a total of 190 musical acts. Rock on!

The Polo Grounds, Indio, California
Speaking of rock concerts, the unassuming black-roofed building at the center of the aerial image below is home to the 40 Watt Club venue that helped launch the American punk and New-Wave music genres. It’s the place where the band R.E.M launched their career.

Home of the 40 Watt Club, Athens, Georgia

If you’d like to receive an email notification when the Google Earth and Maps Imagery team updates your favorite site(s), we’ve got just the tool: The Follow Your World application!

These are only a few examples of the types of features that can be seen and discovered in our latest batch of published imagery. Happy exploring!

High resolution aerial updates:
USA: Athens, GA; College Station, TX; Palm Springs, CA; Pine Bluff, AR; Meridian, MS; Poughkeepsie, NY; Rockdale, TX; Rutland, VT; St George, UT; Seguin, TX; Seminole, TX; Sonora, TX; Stockton, CA; Waco, TX

Spain: Catalonia, Zamora

France: Paris

Countries/regions receiving high resolution satellite updates:
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Svalbard, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Bank, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

These updates are now available in both Google Maps and Google Earth. For a complete picture of where we updated imagery, download this KML for viewing in Google Earth.

Posted by Eric Kolb, Geo Data Strategist

Mapping made easier with the new Google Map Maker

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

With 2012 approaching, we're getting a head start on our New Year's resolution to shed some excess weight and improve our overall appearance. You may have seen our ongoing efforts to improve the look, feel, and user experience across many other Google products to date. And with Google Map Maker available in the United States, Canada, and more than 180 other regions, it's time for another makeover. Today, we’re revealing a new version of Google Map Maker to help users map the places they know best and make their hometowns sparkle on Google Maps.

Start with a walkthrough of the new Google Map Maker

With Map Maker, you can easily help ensure that the changing world around you is accurately reflected on the map. Add your favorite gift shop, the nearest tree farm, or even the golf course where you once got that hole in one. It’s also easier to mark the best route to Grandma’s house and draw better buildings with courtyards and crisper corners. The options are endless when it comes to mapping the places you know and love. Once approved, your contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile for all the world to see.

You don’t have to be an expert to start using Google Map Maker. High school student and Eagle Scout Tommy Bruce is a mapping superstar who finds mapping fun, fulfilling, and a simple way to help those in his community have the best, most comprehensive information possible. He started by mapping bike trails in his hometown of Mooresville, North Carolina and is now on an exchange program in Puebla, Mexico, mapping unmarked rivers that run through town! After witnessing Tommy’s accomplishments firsthand at the U.S. Geo User Summit, even his mother Margaret began thinking of places that she’s eager to put on the map. Why not make your New Year’s resolution to improve the map for millions of people? Start here.

Posted by Kaushik Sridharan, Software Engineer

Experience the tsunami-affected areas of Japan through Street View

2011-12-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

(Cross posted on Official Google Blog)

Back in July, we announced our initiative to digitally archive the areas of Northeastern Japan affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Today, we’re making good on that promise—after driving more than 44,000 kilometers through the affected regions, 360-degree panoramic imagery of those areas is now available through the Street View feature in Google Maps. The images can also be viewed via a special website called “Memories for the Future,” where you can easily compare before and after shots of the towns changed by these events.

A virtual tour via Street View profoundly illustrates how much these natural disasters have transformed these communities. If you start inland and venture out toward the coast, you’ll see the idyllic countryside change dramatically, becoming cluttered with mountains of rubble and debris as you get closer to the ocean. In the cities, buildings that once stood proud are now empty spaces.

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In the bottom left corner of each image you’ll also see a month and year that tells you when a particular photograph was taken. When looking at images of the magnificent cities side-by-side with images of the ruins left in their place, this additional context demonstrates how truly life-changing this tragedy has been for those who live there and witnessed the destruction of their homes, neighborhoods and even entire districts. This timestamp feature has been the most requested Street View feature for the last few years, and it is now available on Street View imagery worldwide. Professionals such as historians, architects, city planners and tourism boards—as well as regular users including travelers and home-buyers—can now get a sense of how fresh the online photos are for a locations that interests them.

In the case of the post-tsunami imagery of Japan, we hope this particular digital archiving project will be useful to researchers and scientists who study the effects of natural disasters. We also believe that the imagery is a useful tool for anyone around the world who wants to better understand the extent of the damage. Seeing the street-level imagery of the affected areas puts the plight of these communities into perspective and ensures that the memories of the disaster remain relevant and tangible for future generations.

Posted by Kei Kawai, Senior Product Manager, Street View

New 45° imagery available for 21 cities

2011-12-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

Viewing 45° imagery can make the map much more fun and informative by enabling you to see a tilted aerial perspective of some of your favorite spots. In this month’s 45° imagery update in Google Maps, I highlight one of my favorite towns in Colorado.

Boulder, Colorado is a mecca for outdoor hiking, cycling, and climbing excursions and 45° imagery can help users plan their adventures. Located at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder is at an elevation of 5,430 feet (1,655m) above sea level which makes for fun terrain to look at from a bird’s eye view. Here’s an image of Folsom Stadium at the University of Colorado, Boulder:

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The “Strip” in Las Vegas, Nevada is also included in the latest batch of 45° imagery. Now you can see the some of the large casinos and resorts that dot the famous Las Vegas Boulevard.

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Next we head to the southern hemisphere to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. The city sits high up on a plateau and some say the aerial view of Brasilia resembles an airplane. Now you can fly even closer and get a 45° look.

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Happy exploring!

Here is a list of updated cities:

U.S.
Albuquerque (west), NM; Benton, AR; Boulder, CO; Eldridge, IA; Boston (east), MA; Centennial (south), CO; GooglePlex, CA; Indianapolis (south), IN; Las Vegas Strip, NV; Montgomery (outskirts), AL; Olathe, KA; Petaluma, CA; Tulsa, OK

South America
Brasilia, Brazil

Posted by Wayne Thai, Geo Data Strategist

A new view of Google Earth on 48 screens

2011-12-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Back in 2009, Google developed the first Liquid Galaxy, an entirely new way to display Google Earth on eight screens - which creates an immersive experience of virtually flying around the globe. Since then, we’ve built dozens of Liquid Galaxies all over the world and open sourced the code so anyone can build their own.

Late last year, the Paris Center for Architecture and Urbanism: Le Pavillon de l’Arsenal, approached us asking if they could use Google Earth to power a new interactive display highlighting the Paris metropolitan area in 2020 with upcoming buildings in 3D. Naturally, we were excited about the project, especially when they shared that the display would be 40 square meters - posing a fun and unique challenge.

A year later, we are excited to share that the first 48 screen Liquid Galaxy is now on display in Paris. We believe this to be the largest screen showing Google Earth to date!

Photo: Vincent Fillon
What started as a 20% project to support the new Google Cultural Institute resulted in a stunning display of the Earth in almost 100M pixels - powered by 48 instances of Google Earth synchronized and operated through 4 multi-touch screens with pinch and zoom functionality. The view is even sharper due to a refresh of the entire Paris area with higher resolution imagery.

As a Parisian, it’s amazing to be able to see what the city will look like in the future. If you can’t make it to France in the near future, you can preview it at home by downloading this KML file and opening it in Google Earth.

The Canopy and Transport Hub: Patrick Berger and Jacques Anziutti architects
This project was a close collaboration between Google and Le Pavillon de l’Arsenal, as well as technology JCDecaux, End Point and design partners ultranoir.

Over the next few months we’ll be fully open sourcing this work on Liquid Galaxy, as well as the graphical interface. Keep an eye out on our source code page for updates.

Posted by Pierre Lebeau, Product Manager

New Cities in 3D - Rome, Seville, Las Vegas, and more.

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Google Maps continuously works to bring you real-life 3D representations of your favorite cities from around the world. Google Maps in 3D combines a functional map with stunning visuals. You can tour an increasing number of cities in 3D and experience the streets and sights right from your computer or Android device.

Since embarking on our 3D mapping efforts, we have amassed a collection of cities that allows you to feel like a jet-setter. We have recently expanded and improved this collection to include more cities in Europe and the US, to name a few. You can experience a few cities below.

Hop on your scooter and take a romantic tour through Rome, Italy.

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Tour Seville, the artistic, historic, and cultural capital of southern Spain.

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Or take a look at the casino resorts that dot the Las Vegas Strip which has also been updated with 45 degree satellite imagery as well.

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New 3D maps coverage is available in:

US: Foster City, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Norfolk,Palo Alto, Portland, Redwood City, Riverside, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Sunnyvale.
Europe: Rome, IT, Rotterdam, NL; Seville, ES; Stuttgart, DE, Amsterdam, NL

Posted by Brian Brewington, Google Maps

Updating the Maps of the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Sweden

2011-12-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

As always, our team continues to work hard to provide up-to-date and accurate base map data for places around the world. Today, we are happy to announce updated maps for the UK, Germany, Finland and Sweden.

You may notice many improvements to Google Maps in these countries, such as improved water bodies and more comprehensive local park coverage. Many of these and other changes are the result of us working directly with a variety of organizations, agencies and data providers. For example, Germany's Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie) supplied us harmonized data from surveying and mapping agencies of all 16 federal states (Länder). And in the case of Finland, we acquired water body data directly from the National Land Survey. We're thankful to these and other data providers for helping us ensure that our digital maps accurately reflect real life.

We’d also like to thank all our users who report problems and help make Google Maps better for everyone. Starting today, the “Report a Problem” tool will appear in the lower right corner of the map for the UK, Germany, Finland and Sweden. So, if you see anything amiss, do let us know and we’ll do our best to update the map as quickly as possible, sometimes within just a few days!

Posted by Valient Gough, Software Engineer

Exploring ancient ruins in 3D with Google Earth

2011-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

(Cross-posted on the Inside Search Blog)

Searches can become stories. Some inspire us, others change the way we see the world or just make us smile. This is the latest in a series of videos about people who have used Google to discover or do something extraordinary.

The field of archaeology has changed much over the years. New modes of transportation have made even the most remote sites accessible, while cameras simplify how a historical record is created and shared with the world.

Spurred on by these innovations, researchers are also embracing technology as a creative way to aid their research and explore ancient sites. To conduct archaeological studies in the Middle East, Professor David Kennedy of the University of Western Australia turned to Google Earth.

From his office chair in Perth, Professor Kennedy has remotely identified thousands of archaeological sites without having to step foot on Saudi Arabian or Yemeni soil. Historically it has been difficult to undertake ground surveys and aerial photographs of these areas are seldom available for research, making the countries some of the least explored archaeologically. By carefully studying satellite imagery of the Arabian peninsula in Google Earth, Professor Kennedy has unearthed an enormous record of archaeological sites, from ancient geoglyphs to stone Wheels to Pendant-shaped tombs and animal traps called kites that could be up to 9,000 years old.

Watch Professor Kennedy’s Search Story video to see how Google Earth aided his search for these ancient sites across the Middle East.

Professor Kennedy isn’t the only archaeologist to discover the potential in using satellite imagery to aid traditional field methods. Visit www.OneWorldManyStories.com to discover how the scientific community has used Google Earth to uncover ancient relics, find a new hominid ancestor, identify hidden forests, and put craters on the map.

Do you have a great Google Earth story? Share it with us.

Posted by Vicky Homan, Google Earth Product Marketing

Looking for stores in a shopping mall or doctors in a hospital?

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, being a well-informed and efficient shopper is more important than ever. That’s why we’re excited to introduce a new feature in Google Maps that can help you find places that are located within or are part of larger buildings, such as malls, office buildings, and hospitals.

When appropriate, the name of the overarching location will be added to the listings that appear in Google Maps, just beneath a place’s address. For example, you can now easily tell that the Disney Store near you isn’t a standalone store, but rather, located at the Hillsdale Shopping Center. Similarly, you can more easily see that a specific doctor’s office is at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, or that the restaurant you’re looking for is actually in the same structure as a local hotel.

Labels for the shopping malls where a store is located

If you click on the name of the overarching location - in this case, Hillsdale Shopping Center - you’ll see a detailed list of all the businesses or professionals at that particular location. Up to 20 listings are provided, and clicking the “More at...” link will give you the complete list.

List of stores and restaurants located at the shopping mall

This feature is available starting today for a variety of U.S. locations and venue types, and we hope to expand it to more categories and countries over time.

Happy holiday shopping!

Posted by Sean Wonjoon Choi, Product Manager

Pedal to find your dream home with Google Maps

2011-12-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

The features available in Google Maps are equally functional and fun. You can tour distant cities with Street View or map out a trip with multiple destinations using Custom Maps. Not only is Google Maps a great tool for everyday personal use, but it’s can also be used as a practical business tool. Such is the case for Matt Kolb, owner of Pedal to Properties.

Matt is an avid cyclist and a realtor based in Boulder, Colorado. In 2006, Matt decided to blend his hobby and career by founding his own real estate agency called Pedal to Properties. His company is built on the idea that by touring homes via bicycle, one can get a better sense of the local community and determine if a particular property is the right fit.

When Matt meets with clients, he locates various properties on Google Maps and creates a biking route of the houses they’ll visit that day, using Bicycling Directions as a guide. Home buyers are encouraged to interact with the map, using Street View to check out a property and its surrounding neighborhood, and using nearby search to take a look at local schools and businesses. Through this process Matt is able to narrow down viable homes for a specific buyer, making the experience enjoyable and time-efficient.

If you have interesting stories about how you use biking directions, Street View, or other Google Maps features to enhance your business, comment on our Google+ Page with #mygmapstory

Posted by Dave Kim, Product Marketing Manager