Google Lets Users Create Own Maps
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Google has introduced a new feature to its maps service that aims to make the process of map notation easier, by allowing the user to add placemarks, draw lines and shapes, and embed content. Called My Maps, the service will support drag-and-drop functionality and would give each unique map a public URL and make it searchable within Google Maps. "Humans have been making maps since the Stone Age," Google Maps product manager Jess Lee said. "Nowadays, people make maps online using tools like the Google Maps API -- but using an API isn't as easy as scribbling on a cave wall." Several internal examples of what can be done with My Maps are already available. They include an oral history of Route 66; a photo essay of life at Google's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters; and 2004 presidential election results. This is not a novel concept by any means. Several other mapping services offer similar functionality. Microsoft Live Search Maps and Ask.com's Ask City allows for the annotation and sharing of maps as well, while Flickr uses Yahoo! Maps to plot where pictures have been taken. What is different here is the ability and extent to customize maps to a user's liking. Embeddable content includes text, video, and audio, while users can draw lines and shapes directly on the maps. Others would be able to see the user-generated content as well; instead of the tradional red pushpin for information commissioned by Google, user-created information would appear with a blue pushpin.
Regards, Satips.
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Google has introduced a new feature to its maps service that aims to make the process of map notation easier, by allowing the user to add placemarks, draw lines and shapes, and embed content. Called My Maps, the service will support drag-and-drop functionality and would give each unique map a public URL and make it searchable within Google Maps. "Humans have been making maps since the Stone Age," Google Maps product manager Jess Lee said. "Nowadays, people make maps online using tools like the Google Maps API -- but using an API isn't as easy as scribbling on a cave wall." Several internal examples of what can be done with My Maps are already available. They include an oral history of Route 66; a photo essay of life at Google's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters; and 2004 presidential election results. This is not a novel concept by any means. Several other mapping services offer similar functionality. Microsoft Live Search Maps and Ask.com's Ask City allows for the annotation and sharing of maps as well, while Flickr uses Yahoo! Maps to plot where pictures have been taken. What is different here is the ability and extent to customize maps to a user's liking. Embeddable content includes text, video, and audio, while users can draw lines and shapes directly on the maps. Others would be able to see the user-generated content as well; instead of the tradional red pushpin for information commissioned by Google, user-created information would appear with a blue pushpin.
Regards, Satips.
Satips wrote:
Called My Maps,
They've had this available in GoogleEarth for a while, via KML. All they have done is prettied up the user interface and made it easier for the user. I am not saying that is not a good thing, just not a new thing. It's easier, but not new. :)
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
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Satips wrote:
Called My Maps,
They've had this available in GoogleEarth for a while, via KML. All they have done is prettied up the user interface and made it easier for the user. I am not saying that is not a good thing, just not a new thing. It's easier, but not new. :)
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)
This is in Google Maps which != Google Earth. They use a similar dataset but are different systems.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote:
And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...
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Google has introduced a new feature to its maps service that aims to make the process of map notation easier, by allowing the user to add placemarks, draw lines and shapes, and embed content. Called My Maps, the service will support drag-and-drop functionality and would give each unique map a public URL and make it searchable within Google Maps. "Humans have been making maps since the Stone Age," Google Maps product manager Jess Lee said. "Nowadays, people make maps online using tools like the Google Maps API -- but using an API isn't as easy as scribbling on a cave wall." Several internal examples of what can be done with My Maps are already available. They include an oral history of Route 66; a photo essay of life at Google's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters; and 2004 presidential election results. This is not a novel concept by any means. Several other mapping services offer similar functionality. Microsoft Live Search Maps and Ask.com's Ask City allows for the annotation and sharing of maps as well, while Flickr uses Yahoo! Maps to plot where pictures have been taken. What is different here is the ability and extent to customize maps to a user's liking. Embeddable content includes text, video, and audio, while users can draw lines and shapes directly on the maps. Others would be able to see the user-generated content as well; instead of the tradional red pushpin for information commissioned by Google, user-created information would appear with a blue pushpin.
Regards, Satips.
Hasn't this been around for like 6 months?
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http://www.smoothjazzy.com/ - see the "Programming" section for freeware tools and articles. -
Google has introduced a new feature to its maps service that aims to make the process of map notation easier, by allowing the user to add placemarks, draw lines and shapes, and embed content. Called My Maps, the service will support drag-and-drop functionality and would give each unique map a public URL and make it searchable within Google Maps. "Humans have been making maps since the Stone Age," Google Maps product manager Jess Lee said. "Nowadays, people make maps online using tools like the Google Maps API -- but using an API isn't as easy as scribbling on a cave wall." Several internal examples of what can be done with My Maps are already available. They include an oral history of Route 66; a photo essay of life at Google's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters; and 2004 presidential election results. This is not a novel concept by any means. Several other mapping services offer similar functionality. Microsoft Live Search Maps and Ask.com's Ask City allows for the annotation and sharing of maps as well, while Flickr uses Yahoo! Maps to plot where pictures have been taken. What is different here is the ability and extent to customize maps to a user's liking. Embeddable content includes text, video, and audio, while users can draw lines and shapes directly on the maps. Others would be able to see the user-generated content as well; instead of the tradional red pushpin for information commissioned by Google, user-created information would appear with a blue pushpin.
Regards, Satips.
Similar functionality has existed for some time on http://local.live.com[^](the Microsoft equiv of google maps) in the form of the scratch pad, which lets you add trails, areas, pushpins, etc., and associate text, photos and custom URLs with them, and then share them alone or in groups for other people to use. Live.com maps have better imagery than google for my city, so I started using live to create maps last year. I've used it to create maps for friends to find bus routes to and from particular locations in terms of how far they would have to walk to and from the relevant bus stops using the trail feature. Knowing outdoor distances in feet is pretty important when it's below freezing outside ;) J
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Google has introduced a new feature to its maps service that aims to make the process of map notation easier, by allowing the user to add placemarks, draw lines and shapes, and embed content. Called My Maps, the service will support drag-and-drop functionality and would give each unique map a public URL and make it searchable within Google Maps. "Humans have been making maps since the Stone Age," Google Maps product manager Jess Lee said. "Nowadays, people make maps online using tools like the Google Maps API -- but using an API isn't as easy as scribbling on a cave wall." Several internal examples of what can be done with My Maps are already available. They include an oral history of Route 66; a photo essay of life at Google's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters; and 2004 presidential election results. This is not a novel concept by any means. Several other mapping services offer similar functionality. Microsoft Live Search Maps and Ask.com's Ask City allows for the annotation and sharing of maps as well, while Flickr uses Yahoo! Maps to plot where pictures have been taken. What is different here is the ability and extent to customize maps to a user's liking. Embeddable content includes text, video, and audio, while users can draw lines and shapes directly on the maps. Others would be able to see the user-generated content as well; instead of the tradional red pushpin for information commissioned by Google, user-created information would appear with a blue pushpin.
Regards, Satips.
They've nicked my idea! www.dealer-consultancy.co.uk/quickmaps/start.aspx I'm going to sue! :-(
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts."