The official blog for Google Maps
Google Maps Roundup: From Canada to Latin America to Europe, August was a busy month!
August 31, 2012
We’re always working to make Google Maps even more comprehensive, accurate and useful. This month, we’ve crisscrossed the globe gathering more imagery, expanding features and growing our Map Maker community. In case you missed it, here are a few Google Maps highlights from August:
Explore amazing places with new Street View imagery
We recently released Street View imagery for more places around the world, making Google Maps even more comprehensive, including:
6,000 panoramic views in and around NASA’s
Kennedy Space Center
, enabling space enthusiasts around the world to walk in the footsteps of astronauts.
More than
7
0 cities
in Brazil and
30 Mesoamerican archaeological sites
in Mexico.
Stay tuned for imagery from
Cambridge Bay
, a tiny hamlet in Canada’s Arctic, where the Street View team is collecting imagery with the
trike
.
Get around more easily with the help of Google Maps
With enhanced directions, transit information and traffic data, Google Maps can help you get where you want to go more quickly.
We added turn-by-turn, voice-guided
biking navigation
to Google Maps Navigation (Beta) in 12 countries--more than 330,000 miles of biking directions are now available.
For those of you taking public transportation,
Google Maps now has public transportation schedules for
more than one million transit stops
worldwide in nearly
500 cities
, including New York, London, Tokyo and Sydney.
To make it easier for you to travel by car, we launched
real-time traffic conditions
for more than 130 cities in the U.S., plus the capital cities of Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Contribute your local knowledge to Google Maps
Volunteer mappers can improve the accuracy and detail of the maps of their countries.
Our community mapping tool,
Google
Map Maker
, became available in
Ukraine and Poland
, joining more than 200 other countries and regions where Map Maker is already available.
Posted by Brian McClendon, VP Google Maps and Earth
Half a gigameter of biking navigation in 12 countries in Google Maps for Android
August 29, 2012
(
Cross-posted on the
Official Google Blog
)
Whether you’re a seasoned century rider or a casual beach cruiser, finding the best biking routes can be a challenge. That’s why today we’re bringing mobile biking directions and navigation to the 10 countries where we launched
desktop biking directions last month
(Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK). Plus, we’re adding turn-by-turn, voice-guided biking navigation to
Google Maps Navigation (beta)
in every country with biking directions. Mount your device on your handlebars to see the turn-by-turn directions and navigation, or use speaker-mode to hear voice-guided directions.
Turn-by-turn biking navigation in Copenhagen
We know there are lots of ways to get from here to there, which is why
in 2010
we added
biking directions
to Google Maps in the U.S. and Canada, and continue to work to bring more biking features to more places. Today,
there are more than 330,000 miles (equal to more than 530,000 kilometers, or half a gigameter) of green biking lines in Google Maps.
Dark green lines on the map show dedicated bike trails and paths with no motor vehicles, light green lines show streets with bike lanes and dashed green lines show other streets recommended for cycling. Biking navigation even helps you avoid steep hills.
Bike layer showing recommended streets for cycling in Stockholm
Where
Map Maker
and biking directions are both available, riders can add bike trails, lanes and suggested routes to Google Maps, helping to create a more comprehensive map for everyone living in or visiting their community. Thanks to the contributions of
members of the biking community like Todd Scott
and
our partnership with nonprofits like
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
, we’ve added bike data for hundreds of cities and trails to Google Maps in the past two-and-a-half years.
When you’re pedaling from Point A to Point B, we hope biking navigation will make Google Maps for Android more useful to you.
Posted by Larry Powelson, Software Engineer, Google Maps
Map Maker updates for Lesotho, Oman and Trinidad & Tobago
August 28, 2012
Since 2008,
Google Map Maker
has enabled anyone with an interest in cartography to update the maps of the areas they know, and improve their level of detail and accuracy. Whether adding new businesses, outlining building footprints, fixing road geometries or even tracing a favorite cycling route, citizen cartographers have joined together to create the most comprehensive maps of the world as seen on
Google Maps
and
Google Earth
.
Just last week, top mappers across Africa attended the
Map Maker Africa Regional Conference
in Lagos, Nigeria where we proudly announced the release of Map Maker in Lesotho. This marks an important milestone, as the Map Maker tool now enables volunteer mappers to update and edit the entire continent of Africa. At the event, attendees shared learnings from past MapUps and ideas for future ones, told inspiring user stories, discussed product features with engineers, and closed out the conference with a sing-along led by users who wrote an original song about mapping!
A group photo of attendees at the Map Maker Africa Regional Conference in Lagos, Nigeria.
People’s enthusiasm for making maps more comprehensive and adding their local knowledge also continues to gain momentum in other parts of the world. Starting today, map data for Oman and Trinidad and Tobago, which has been added by people through
Map Maker
, will now appear as the base maps for these countries in Google Maps.
Below is a time-lapse video demonstrating how the map of Trinidad has evolved and changed over time—the result of many contributions people have made via Map Maker. Other time-lapse videos from around the world can be found
here
.
A big thank you to the passionate communities of volunteer mappers who made both the regional conference and Map Maker graduation possible. More mapping activity across the globe can be seen right as it happens via
Map Maker Pulse
. And remember, the maps of more than
200 countries and regions
are now open for updates and edits, and awaiting your local expertise.
Posted by Evans Arabu, Map Maker community team
Tropical Storm Isaac: Crisis Response map for projected path and preparedness information
August 27, 2012
(
Cross-posted on the
Google.org Blog
.)
Update 9/3/2012:
We've just added
NOAA
’s post-Isaac imagery of New Orleans, Slidell and more to the
Hurricane Isaac map
.
Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to make landfall as early as Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, and the path of the storm continues to update — with current projections toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. The Google Crisis Response team, working with the Red Cross, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and various government and NGO partners, have assembled a
Tropical Storm Isaac map
to track the storm’s progress and provide updated emergency information to those in need:
On the map you can find emergency preparedness information, including:
Isaac’s current location and projected path, courtesy of the
NOAA-National Hurricane Center
Weather updates and data, including radar and cloud imagery from
weather.com
and the
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Evacuation information and routes
Shelter and recovery centers locations
Storm-related YouTube videos, including many curated by
Storyful
We’ll be updating this map with more information as it becomes available. We hope you find the tools and information useful.
Posted by Raquel Romano, Software Engineer, Google Crisis Response
Google Maps heads north...way north
August 22, 2012
Search for [cambridge bay] on
Google Maps
and you’ll fly to a tiny hamlet located deep in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut in Canada’s Arctic, surrounded by an intricate lacework of tundra, waterways and breaking ice. High above the Arctic circle, it’s a place reachable only by plane or boat. Zoom in on the map, and this isolated village of 1,500 people appears as only a handful of streets, with names like Omingmak (“musk ox”) Street and Tigiganiak (“fox”) Road.
View Larger Map
Cambridge Bay in Google Maps
There are 4,000 years’ worth of stories waiting to be told on this map. Today, we’re setting out on an ambitious mission to tell some of those stories and to build the most comprehensive map of the region to date. It is the furthest north the Google Maps Street View team has traveled in Canada, and our first visit to Nunavut. Using the tools of
21st century cartography
, we’re empowering a community and putting Cambridge Bay on the proverbial map of tomorrow.
The hamlet of Cambridge Bay
We’re not doing it alone, but with the help of the community and residents like Chris Kalluk. We first met Chris, who works for the nonprofit
Nunavut Tunngavik
, last September at our
Google Earth Outreach
workshop in Vancouver, where he learned how to edit
Google Maps
data using
Google Map Maker
. Today Chris played host to a
community Map Up
event in Cambridge Bay, where village elders, local mapping experts and teenagers from the nearby high school gathered around a dozen Chromebooks and used Map Maker to add new roads, rivers and lakes to the Google Map of Cambridge Bay and Canada's North. But they didn’t stop there. Using both English and Inuktitut, one of Nunavut’s official languages, they added the hospital, daycare, a nine-hole golf course, a territorial park and, finally, the remnants of an ancient Dorset stone longhouse which pre-dates Inuit culture.
Catherine Moats, a member of the Google Map Maker Team, working with Chris Kalluk and others at the Community Map Up.
Now we’re pedaling the
Street View trike
around the gravel roads of the hamlet and using a tripod—the same used to capture
business interiors
—to collect imagery of these amazing places. We’ll train Chris and others in the community to use some of this equipment so they can travel to other communities in Nunavut and continue to build the most comprehensive and accurate map of Canada’s Arctic. As Chris put it to us, “This is a place with a vast amount of local knowledge and a rich history. By putting these tools in the hands of our people, we will tell Nunavut’s story to the world.”
The Street View Trike collecting imagery of Cambridge Bay.
So stay tuned, world. We look forward to sharing with you the spectacular beauty and rich culture of Canada’s Arctic—one of the most isolated places on the planet that will soon be, thanks to the people of Cambridge Bay, just a click away.
Posted by Karin Tuxen-Bettman, Google Earth Outreach team
Mapping the Motor City with Google Map Maker
August 22, 2012
Hailed as the birthplace of the automotive revolution, the city of Detroit, Mich. is taking its transportation legacy down new paths. As Detroit embraces a greener, non-motorized outlook, cycling is steadily increasing in popularity.
The Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance
is facilitating this transition by creating an interconnected statewide system of trails and greenways, including the development of bike paths throughout the Detroit area.
As these new bike paths change the city’s landscape, Motor City residents need a more comprehensive map showing bike friendly routes. Todd Scott, the Detroit Greenways Coordinator, discovered that he could use
Google Map Maker
-- a free tool that allows anyone to make contributions to
Google Maps
-- to add new information on biking paths and trails in and around Detroit.
Adding new bike paths
not only makes the map more accurate, it also improves
biking directions
, making it even easier for people to find the quickest routes through town. Anyone can also enhance existing trails by including details such as the official name, surface type and bicycle suitability. Keeping Google Maps updated with the latest information means everyone in the community is able to find and enjoy these new additions to the trail system.
Learn more about Todd Scott and his mission to improve the map for cyclists in Detroit.
Building a more comprehensive, accurate and usable map for local cyclists is just one part of Todd’s mission. From the smallest town to a rapidly evolving city like Detroit, maps reflect the heart of a community. Whether you’re improving directions, adding local businesses or mapping an entire area from scratch, your local expertise will help make life easier for not only you, but all Google Maps users. As Todd says, “It goes beyond map making. It’s a way to take back your neighborhood.”
How are you mapping your world? Join the
Map Maker Community
and tell us your story.
Posted by Lori Savageau, Map Maker Community Manager
AXS Map makes it easy to find accessible businesses in your community
August 17, 2012
Editor’s Note:
Today’s guest author is
Jason DaSilva
from
AXS Lab
, a non-profit organization focused on accessibility issues in Brooklyn, New York. When I Walk 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 When I Walk has used the Google Places API to make finding accessible businesses easier for anyone in a wheelchair.
When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis seven years ago, I didn't realize how much it would affect my freedom and decisions in regards to where I could or could not go. Not being able to walk created barriers. For example, on the street lined with stores and businesses, I'd only be able to get into one out of 10 of these places. Only the places that had wheelchair accessible entrances were available to me.
So I came up with an idea. Why not document and track all be accessible places around us? If there was an online database of accessibility hotspots in any given city, the disabled community and their supporters can share all the places that are accessible with each other.
Google Maps
provided the easy-to-use map platform for people to search and find these places. So voilà, with help from funders and our developer
Kevin Bluer
,
AXS Map
(pronounced “access map”) was born.
Watch a short video about AXSmap.
With AXS Map, you can document how easy it is to enter a restaurant with a wheelchair or cane or whether the restroom is wheelchair-accessible. With all of this information available on the web, the disabled community is able to easily find places to eat, sleep or get a haircut. With our recently launched mobile app for Android, built using the
Google Places API
, AXS Map users can now find and review businesses while they’re on the go.
Download the app
now and share a review on the accessibility of a business or public place. The more you review, the better AXS Map gets!
Learn how
to use the AXS Map app to review places.
I hope that AXS Map makes it easier for you or someone close to you to find accessible businesses in your own community.
Posted by Jason DaSilva, Founder, AXS Lab
Tour Brazil and prehispanic Mexican cities with more Street View imagery in Google Maps
August 17, 2012
Our ongoing effort to build great maps—ones that are accurate, easy to navigate and cover every corner of the world—continues to progress. Over the last few months, Google Maps has taken people everywhere from
the Amazon
to
Antarctica
, and we’re continuing to add imagery of even more places around globe. Beginning this week, you can dive even deeper into Latin America with new Street View imagery of Brazil and Mexico.
Street View first became available for Brazil in 2010, and as of this week, we’ve grown our collection of panoramic imagery to more than 70 cities throughout the country. You’ll now find colonial cities like
Fortaleza
, architecturally compelling cities like
Brasilia
and coastal landmarks like
Recife
,
Natal
and
Salvador
. You can even virtually travel to the west side of Brazil and visit Foz de Iguaçu, or if you’re planning an upcoming trip, preview the the area around your hotel as well as nearby shopping malls, historic monuments, restaurants and more. With so many upcoming events, like the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, we’re excited to share the riches of Brazil’s cities not only with tourists from around the world, but also with locals who might want to visit a city, neighborhood or landmark they’ve not yet experienced.
Street View imagery of Brazil available before mid-August 2012
Street View imagery of Brazil available beginning mid-August 2012
We’ve also introduced Street View imagery of 30 Mesoamerican archaeological sites in Mexico. Start your adventure by exploring
Kukulkan’s Temple
, a 1,100-year-old pyramid whose peak is reached by climbing 365 steps, one for each day of the year. When visitors clap their hands, the architectural acoustics at the base of the pyramid’s steps are designed to mimic the
sound of the Quetzal
, a bird that the Mayans regard as representative of their gods.
View Larger Map
Chichén Itzá, Mexico
Find hundreds of magical stories like this one by visiting the colossal pyramids of
Teotihuacan
, emblematic sites for the Mayans such as
Chichen Itza
or seaside archaeological jewels like
Tulum
. These and other famous sites from around the world can be seen in our
Street View Gallery
.
We’re always improving the comprehensiveness of our maps so you can experience more imagery from around the world. Whether you’re planning a visit to one of these areas or touring these locations from the comfort of your armchair, we hope you enjoy these captivating new images of Latin America.
Posted by Ricardo Blanco, Communications Manager for Google in Latin America
Google Maps now has schedules for more than one million public transit stops worldwide
August 15, 2012
(Cross-posted from the
Official Google Blog
)
Since 2005
, we’ve collaborated with hundreds of transit authorities around the world to make a comprehensive resource for millions of riders to find out which bus, train, subway or tram can take them to their next destination. Today, Google Maps has public transportation schedules for more than one million transit stops worldwide, in nearly
500 cities
including New York, London, Tokyo and Sydney.
Public transportation information is especially useful when it’s in the palm of your hand. Today we’re releasing an update to the
Google Maps for Android
app (version 6.10) which makes this transit information even more useful. We’ve made some changes to the Transit Lines layer, so that you can select a specific mode of public transportation (train, bus, tram or subway) to display on the mobile map, hiding the other modes. This is helpful in areas where there is a tight concentration of several types of public transit.
Left: Mobile map with all modes of public transit shown; Right: Transit Lines layer in Subway mode
We’ve also updated the layout of station pages to be more useful. Open it by tapping on the name of the station on your mobile map.
Updated station pages show you departure times, lines serving the station and the distance to nearby stations.
In addition to these new transit features, we’ve updated region highlighting, My Places and Location History displays in Google Maps for Android:
Now, whenever you search for a city or postal code, the borders of that region are highlighted.
Under My Places you’ll notice we’ve added new tabs, which will help you access all your information from a single place; from your saved maps for use offline to your starred places and Custom Maps created on your desktop.
If you enable Location History, you’ll be able to browse the places you’ve been on a daily basis with an updated Location History dashboard.
Whether you’re looking for schedule and fare information, directions by public transit or nearby stations, Google Maps puts comprehensive, accurate and useful transit information at your fingertips. Update to the latest version of Google Maps for Android in the
Google Play store
Posted by Christopher Van Der Westhuizen, Software Engineer, Google Maps
See Rebuilding in New Orleans Through Updated Street View Imagery
August 14, 2012
New Orleans is a uniquely American city. It’s a place with indigenous culture, heart, and soul with our own music, cuisine, and architecture. You can really see and feel its originality and personality walking around our historic streets. In 2008, as Louisiana’s Lieutenant Governor, I had the pleasure of
writing about Street View imagery becoming available for our state
. Now, as mayor of New Orleans, I'm excited to announce an update of Street View imagery for our region that helps show the rest of the world that New Orleans, and all of Louisiana, are not just rebuilding what was, but we’re also preparing for our future by building back stronger and better than before.
Nearly 7 years after Hurricane Katrina and the federal levee failures in 2005, the resilient people of New Orleans are making remarkable progress. The Street View imagery in Google Maps, which has just been updated today, more accurately reflects the major construction and renewal that’s underway. It’s everywhere you look, from the nearly 2-mile long, 26-foot-high Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) Hurricane Protection Barrier to the major construction near downtown that will be the future site of two hospitals and a biomedical research corridor.
As reflected in the Street View imagery, you can also see the major investment being made to revitalize playgrounds, community centers, roads, and parks, like historic Congo Square in Armstrong Park -- the "birthplace of jazz".
View Larger Map
Louis Armstrong Park
Beyond the refreshed, more accurate Street View imagery you can see in Google Maps, you can also sense the incredible spirit of the people who have made our recovery possible. New Orleans is now a hub of entrepreneurship and innovation, and it was found to be the fastest-growing city in America by the
U.S. Census
. We are hard at work physically rebuilding schools, improving what happens inside the classroom to close the achievement gap for inner city youth, and making progress on education reform. New Orleans was named #1 in America’s Biggest Brain Magnets
by Forbes
, and
Tulane University
(which is a special collection in today’s release of Street View imagery) is
ranked amongst the top schools in the U.S.
View Larger Map
Tulane University
Other important locations in New Orleans now visible directly in Google Maps include
Woldenberg Park
,
Audubon Park
, and
Lafayette Square
. Google has also updated imagery across the state of Louisiana including the cities of
Baton Rouge
and
Lafayette
.
New restaurants continue to open in New Orleans, we’re transforming city government, attracting major new corporations, and hosting international sporting events. Our city welcomed nearly 9 million tourists last year, and many more are on the way as we prepare for the 2013 Super Bowl at our newly-renovated Mercedes-Benz Superdome and dozens of other global events.
View Larger Map
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
We invite you to take a look at the updated Street View imagery of Louisiana to see, appreciate, and celebrate the progress in neighborhoods here in New Orleans and across the entire state. And I welcome you to come experience the sights, sounds, and soul of New Orleans for yourself once you’ve gotten a virtual preview to whet your appetite.
Posted by Mayor Mitch Landrieu, City of New Orleans
Fly through Seattle and Denver with new 3D imagery on Google Earth for mobile
August 9, 2012
Less than two months ago, we announced
a new way
to fly through full metropolitan areas in 3D with
Google Earth
as a step in our quest to build the most comprehensive and accurate maps. We’ve
recently expanded
this new imagery to the latest iPads and iPhones, and today we’ve released new 3D imagery of Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington to help you better explore and tour both cities via your iOS and Android devices.
Having grown up in Colorado and visited Seattle several times, this is particularly exciting for me. Now I can head on over to
Safeco Field
, home of the Seattle Mariners, to revisit the diamond where I’ve watched games in the past.
Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington
Another great way to spend a day when visiting Seattle is walking along the shoreline, home of many iconic Seattle landmarks. Three of my favorite spots to visit are the Pike Place, the Seattle Public Library and of course, the Space Needle.
Downtown Seattle, Washington
A bit closer to home, it’s now possible to get a unique perspective on some local landmarks. For example, the amazing
Denver Art Museum
, with its seemingly impossible angles.
Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado
You can also head north to visit the Wells Fargo Center, which has inspired
debate
about what shape it presents. Is it a mailbox or a cash register? My vote is for mailbox.
Wells Fargo Center (left) in downtown Denver, Colorado
We hope you enjoy these new additions to
Google Earth for mobile
. Being able to provide you with this comprehensive 3D experience is possible because of advanced image processing and the use of
45-degree aerial imagery
. If you don’t have the latest version of the Google Earth app for
iOS
or
Android
, be sure to update so you can check out this spectacular new 3D imagery!
Posted by Adam Hecht, Geo Program Manager
Add your knowledge to the Poland and Ukraine maps
August 8, 2012
Digital maps reflect our real world. As the places around us evolve and change, so should our maps. With
Google Map Maker
- a product that enables people to add to and update the map for locations around the world - you can help ensure the accuracy of the places you care about most as seen by millions on
Google Maps
. Today, Google Map Maker has become available in
Ukraine
and
Poland
. They join the 200 countries and regions already available, and bring us two steps closer to building the most comprehensive world map possible.
From the peaks of Ukraine’s Hoverla mountains to Poland’s cheerful Baltic coastline, you can now contribute your local knowledge to help create a more complete and accurate map of Europe. Whether you want to add a place, provide details for a driving route, outline a building footprint, or make corrections based on recent changes, you can make sure your community is up to date on Google Maps.
Begin in your neighborhood by
updating the cycling paths
through your local park, or adding recreational sites along the way. Try mapping the local soccer stadium or add details to the architectural or historic destinations throughout your city. Once approved, your contributions will appear on Google Maps,
Google Earth
and
Google Maps for mobile
within minutes. You can also join with other local mappers to share your regional expertise and review one another’s contributions to the map.
The area around the Olympic Stadium in Wroclaw comes to life in Google Maps.
We welcome both residents and folks who are familiar with Poland and Ukraine to the team of citizen cartographers across the globe who are continuing to build the map of the world. To learn more, subscribe to the
Map Maker YouTube Channel
or watch others
map in real-time
for ideas on the types of details and additions you can make to the map. Happy mapping!
Posted by Anand Srinivasan, Tech Lead, Google Map Maker
Floods in the Philippines: Google Person Finder, landing page with emergency information
August 7, 2012
A devastating Southwest Monsoon hit the Island of Luzon, Philippines, yesterday, triggering major flooding. The Crisis Response team has collected resources on to a new page to help in the aftermath of the floods, with information in both
Filipino
and
English
. The site features emergency contact information and links, a new instance of Google Person Finder, a map of shelter locations and flood information, and the latest news, powered by Google News and YouTube.
Person Finder
helps people submit or search for information about loved ones who may have been affected. The tool’s been translated into Filipino and can easily be embedded on any site:
We’re also able to share a map showing the locations of shelters and the extent of the flood, with real-time information from
Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards)
:
View in a larger size
. This map will continue to be updated with additional information.
We hope that those affected find the tools and information useful. Check back, as we’ll be updating the landing page and maps with more information as it becomes available.
Posted by Aileen Apolo, on behalf of Google APAC and the Google Crisis Response team
Know the traffic to speed up your trips in new cities with Google Maps
August 7, 2012
We may not be able to eliminate the bottlenecks that plague rush hours worldwide, but since
launching our live traffic feature in 2008
we’ve been working to make the traffic information in Google Maps even more comprehensive and accurate to help you speed up your trips. Today, we’re expanding this coverage for the first time to more than 130 smaller cities across the United States as well as the capitals of Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Now the streets of Bogotá, San José, and Panama City and the arterial roads in Kalamazoo (Michigan), Portland (Maine), Tuscaloosa (Alabama) and many more cities will include real-time current traffic conditions as well as estimated travel times. Whether you’re online on your home computer ensuring no unexpected snarls await your drive to the airport or you’ve been stuck behind a line of cars for a few minutes and can ask your friend in the passenger seat to check whether it’ll clear up just around the bend, we hope these updates save you time and stress when getting to your destination.
San Jose, Panama City, Bogota traffic conditions on Google Maps for Android
In addition we’ve improved and expanded our coverage in parts of Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. For an overview of cities with traffic data you can go
here
.
See traffic conditions in your city and cities around the world
To check traffic conditions on either your Android device or through your web browser, here’s a quick tutorial:
Remember, you can help your fellow drivers and improve traffic data by
using Google Navigation or Google Maps for Mobile while traveling
. Drive safely!
Posted by Raphaël Marinier, Software Engineer, Google Maps
Celebrate the Kennedy Space Center's 50th birthday with Street View
August 2, 2012
(Cross posted on
Official Google Blog
)
For fifty years,
NASA's Kennedy Space Center
in Florida has been the launch point for a generation of space technology and exploration. Countless enthusiasts (including this one) grew up longing to see a
space shuttle
up close and walk in the paths of astronauts. Today, a collaboration between NASA and Street View is enabling people around the world to take a trip to the doorway to outer space, and see Kennedy as it transitions into a multipurpose launch complex for the next 50 years of space innovation. This location is our largest special collection of Street View imagery to date, totaling 6,000 panoramic views of the facilities, and expanding our mission to document the world’s most amazing places.
Street View fleet at Kennedy Space Center
Among the images you can now explore online with the click of your mouse are the
space shuttle launch pad
,
Vehicle Assembly Building
and
Launch Firing Room #4
. Gaze down from the
top of the enormous launch pad
, peer up at the towering ceiling of the
Vehicle Assembly Building
(taller than the Statue of Liberty) and get up close to one of the
space shuttle’s main engines
, which is powerful enough to generate 400,000 lbs of thrust. From these vantage points, anyone can live out his or her childhood dream of becoming an astronaut.
Atlantis Orbiter in the Vehicle Assembly Building -
View Larger Map
Saturn V rocket on display in the Apollo/Saturn V center -
View Larger Map
Even though they recently entered retirement, you can still get an up-close, immersive experience with two of the Space Shuttle Orbiters—the
Atlantis
and
Endeavour
—with Street View.
We’d like to thank NASA for making this project possible and giving all of us the chance to digitally walk in the shoes of all of the pioneering astronauts, scientists, engineers and technicians that made our space dreams possible. To explore more of our largest special collection yet, visit our Street View gallery at
maps.google.com/nasa
.
Posted by Ryan Falor, Product Manager, Google Street View
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