The official blog for Google Maps
Sheep View: Where there’s a wool, there’s a way
August 31, 2016
Over the past three months, Durita Andreassen and a few friendly sheep equipped with solar-powered cameras strapped to their woolly backs set out to collect imagery of the Faroe Islands for Street View. The 18 Faroe Islands are home to just 50,000 people, but — fittingly for a country whose name means “Sheep Island” — there are 70,000 sheep roaming the green hills and volcanic cliffs of the archipelago. So when Durita decided to document the country for Street View, sheep weren’t a baaad place to start.
SheepView360
When we herd about the Sheep View project, we thought it was shear brilliance. So we decided to help the Faroese by supplying them with a Street View trekker and 360 cameras via our
Street View camera loan program
. Last week, the Google Maps team arrived in the Faroe Islands to help train and equip the local community to capture even more (but slightly less woolly) Street View imagery.
Now that the Faroe Islands is supplied with a Trekker and 360 cameras, residents and tourists can assist the sheep in collecting Street View imagery of their beautiful lands using selfie-sticks, bikes, backpacks, cars, kayaks, horses, ships and even wheelbarrows. The Visit Faroe Islands office in Tórshavn and Atlantic Airways at the airport will be lending out Street View 360 cameras to visitors willing to lend a hoof.
The Faroe Islands have shown us that even sheep can contribute to Street View. If your hometown or favorite hiking trail hasn’t made it into Google Maps yet,
grab your own 360 camera
or apply to borrow one from us through our
Street View camera loan program
. We’re excited to see what ewe map!
Published By: David Castro González de Vega - Google Maps Program Manager
Five Trending Roadside Attractions for Your End of Summer Road Trip
August 18, 2016
Summer just isn’t complete without a road trip. Whether you cruise Route 66 from coast to coast or take a short drive out of the city, there are plenty of quirky attractions along the way. We looked at Google Maps data from the past few years to uncover which weird and wonderful roadside attractions are searched for more during the summer months than during the rest of the year. Here’s a curated list of some trending roadside gems across the country.
Trees of Mystery: Klamath, California
Roadtrippers leaving California for the beautiful Oregon landscape shouldn’t miss the Trees of Mystery attraction just 36 miles south of the Oregon border. Despite the name, the true showstoppers are the 49-foot-tall statue of Paul Bunyan and the 35-foot-tall Babe the Blue Ox – both of which are visible from Highway 101.
The Gum Wall: Seattle, Washington
Downtown Seattle sports a notoriously sticky tourist attraction: a wall covered in gum. Although the wall was scrubbed clean back in 2015, it returned to all its glory in no time. Road trippers who find themselves at the famous Pike Place Market need only wander downstairs to Post Alley to behold the man-made (or chewed) marvel.
The Blue Whale: Catoosa, Oklahoma
Just off Route 66, weary travelers can take a break to picnic, swim, or fish at the small lake that’s home to a big Blue Whale. To cool off from their long drives visitors fling themselves off his tail, slide down his fins and pose for photos in his open jaws.
Lucy the Elephant: Margate City, New Jersey
Fewer than 30 minutes from Atlantic City, travelers can take in another larger than life creation – Lucy the Elephant. Lucy is a 132-year-old elephant-shaped building that towers six-stories tall. Visitors can enter the structure and climb up to the howdah (the carriage positioned on the back of an elephant) for a picturesque view of the beach below.
The Dinosaur Place: Montville, Connecticut
Take a short detour off I-95 in Connecticut to take a trip back in time to the Jurassic period. Northeastern roadtrippers will find 40 life-sized dinosaur figures on a 1.5-mile nature trail in The Dinosaur Place. And the best part is that they don’t have to worry about any real-life velociraptors.
Next time you’re on a road trip, remember to take a break and explore the roadside attractions along your route. Google Maps can help you do just that with a variety of features like
offline maps
, the ability to
search for places along your route
, and the option to
create multi-stop trips
(now available on Android and iOS). After all, the
journey
can be just as much fun as the destination.
Posted by Pierre Petronin, Quantitative Analyst, Google Maps
Dragons and turtles, and fish, oh hi!
August 8, 2016
The
Indonesian Island of Komodo
is home to the world's largest living lizard — the
Komodo Dragon
. Now you can see these
carnivorous reptiles
from the comfort (and safety!) of home with the launch of new
Street View imagery from the Komodo islands
.
Beyond taking a virtual walk with dragons, you can also explore the rich marine life surrounding Komodo Island, with the launch of
11 new underwater sites from Indonesia
, thanks to
XL Catlin Seaview Survey
and
The Ocean Agency
.
Batu Bolong reef is covered with bright coral and marine life
Image from XL Catlin Seaview Survey
Home to a
kaleidoscope of corals and fish
, sites like
Batu Bolong
and
Raja Ampat
attract
scuba divers
from around the world. Now you can
take a dip with turtles
, go swimming with
sweetlips
, and inspect
colorful corals
all without having to put on a wetsuit. All you need is Google Maps, to see and appreciate these unique and beautiful sites (available on
iOS
or
Android
).
The shallow coral reefs of Raja Ampat are bustling with fish
Image from XL Catlin Seaview Survey
Bunaken National Park
in the Coral Triangle is another top destination for aquanauts, as it has some of the
highest levels of biodiversity in the world
and is home to many
reef fish
and
turtles
.
A turtle rests under the coral at Timor II in Bunaken National Park
Image from XL Catlin Seaview Survey
A turtle
tête-à-tête at
Alung Banu
Image from XL Catlin Seaview Survey
To really get schooled in the marine diversity of Indonesia, head over to the
Drop-off
in Bali where you’ll encounter
Giant Trevally
,
Big Eye Trevally
and
Yellowstripe Scad
aplenty.
A school of Big Eye Trevally swim in the shallows at the Drop-Off in Tulamben, Bali
Image from XL Catlin Seaview Survey
To capture all this stunning underwater imagery, the XL Catlin Seaview Survey team use a
panoramic camera system
, mounted on an underwater scooter piloted by a diver. The crystal clear images are produced by the camera cruising along at around 4kms per hour taking rapid-fire 360 degree pictures every 3 seconds. This imagery is part of a
unique global study
dedicated to monitoring the change of the ocean’s corals and revealing that change to the world.
The XL Catlin Seaview Survey SVII camera surveys the picturesque coral garden at Keruo, Raja Ampat
Image from XL Catlin Seaview Survey
Once you’re finished exploring the sea, come up for some air and take in the sights on land at
Komodo village
.
Enjoy the views above water too from Komodo village
We hope you enjoy exploring Indonesia’s stunning natural beauty, above and below the water with Google Street View.
Posted by Cynthia Wei, Google Street View Program Manager, South East Asia.
Get around town a little easier with new offline features and ride service options
August 8, 2016
Starting today it just got a little easier to get around town with Google Maps – even when you run into some of the most frustrating travel scenarios around.
Scenario 1: You live or are traveling around a place with expensive data or spotty service
We’ve all been through this -- whether in our own backyard or a different country. You need to get directions, but you don’t have service. Or you do have service – but it’s spotty – so you find yourself staring at the map in a perpetual state of loading while you sit in your car waiting to find out which way to go. Now, when you know you’ll have spotty service or just want to save on data, you can toggle to “Wi-fi only” to use Google Maps entirely offline on Android. And the best part is that you can still use other apps and the rest of your phone as you normally would. You might even save on battery life too.
Scenario 2: You’re running out of storage
Entry-level smartphones come with internal storage capacities as low as 4GB, while higher-end models range between 8GB and 32GB. For many of us, that’s not enough for all the videos, music, apps, and photos we cram onto our beloved smartphones. To ensure that Google Maps users with any storage capacity can download and use offline areas when they need them most, we’ve added the ability to download your offline areas to an external SD card (if your device supports them) on Google Maps for Android. Now you’ll never have to choose between snapping more food photos or the ability to navigate offline.
Scenario 3: You just want someone else to do the driving
Sometimes you just need to get somewhere fast and don't want to drive, walk, or take public transportation. In March, we introduced a dedicated mode where users can easily compare ride service options without having to open multiple apps. In addition to showing options from Uber, we're now showing
GO-JEK
rides in three cities in Indonesia with ten more cities coming soon (Android, rolling out on iOS) and
Grab
rides in 24 cities throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand (Android, rolling out on iOS). We've also expanded the availability of
Gett
,
Hailo
, and
MyTaxi
in select cities across Ireland, Poland, Italy, Austria, Russia, and Israel (Android, iOS).
Commuting around your own city can be a battle and navigating around a foreign land can be ten times tougher. Using Google Maps offline and comparing between ride service options help make it a little easier so you can spend more time living and less time figuring out how to get places.
Posted by Amanda Bishop, Product Manager, Google Maps
Google Maps goes for the win with Rio updates
August 5, 2016
Mapping a sprawling, densely populated city of 6 million people like Rio de Janeiro is a tough task. With an extra 10,000 athletes, half a million travelers, and tens of thousands of volunteers heading to the city this month, you can expect additional friction caused by road closures, traffic, and jam-packed attractions. Google Maps is putting the finishing touches on some first prize-worthy updates to help tourists and Rio residents alike get around “the Marvelous City” with ease. We even threw in a couple changes for those enjoying the events from home to feel like they’re in the middle of the action.
Getting around Rio without a hitch
For folks on the ground in Rio, Maps can be your real-world assistant, helping you get where you’re going via whichever mode of transportation you prefer. In April, we launched real-time transit for 1,300 bus lines in the Rio metro area, as well as bike routes throughout Rio and the rest of Brazil.
Construction, security and crowds during large-scale events can put a damper on a driver’s day. We’re working with the City of Rio to make sure Google Maps has the most up-to-date info on traffic, road closures and detours and help get you where you’re going faster.
Breezing through traffic and beating the crowds is reason for celebration. With the Explore feature on Google Maps for Android and iOS in Brazil, anyone can uncover the local gems wherever you go by simply tapping “Explore food & drinks near you” at the bottom of the app. From there you can swipe through the best breakfast, lunch, coffee, dinner, and drinks spots around them.
Getting all of Rio on the Map
The favelas of Rio aren’t well-known to many outsiders, partly because there’s limited information about these areas to include on maps. We partnered with the local Brazilian nonprofit Grupo Cultural
AfroReggae
on a project called “Tá No Mapa” (“It’s On the Map” in English). Together with AfroReggae we trained 150 favela residents on digital mapping skills and in just two years they’ve mapped 26 favelas and gotten more than 3,000 businesses on the map. Not only does this allow locals to find businesses like
Bar do David
—an award-winning restaurant in the favela Chapeu Mangueira—it’s helped some local residents get a mailing address for the first time.
Getting in on the action from home
For those of you (*raises hand*) who can’t make it to Rio this summer, you can still get in on the excitement from the comfort of your home. We refreshed our Google Street View imagery to give virtual travelers an insider's look at the stadiums. You can almost taste the caipirinhas!
For those who really want to feel like they’re in the the game, we also launched indoor maps of all 25 official indoor venues and added more details to the maps of the 12 outdoor venues – like the custom-made golf course where you can now practically see all 18 holes.
No matter what city you find yourself in this summer, these very same features can help you find the perfect spot to watch the action and get there with ease.
Posted by Marcus Leal, Product Manager, Google Maps
An experiment built with 3D Google Maps imagery, inspired by kids
August 3, 2016
For years, Google Maps has been adding 3D imagery from all over the world –
New York City
, the
Grand Canyon
,
Mont Blanc
, and more. A few of us started wondering if this 3D imagery could make learning about the world a bit more fun for kids. We started playing with quick prototypes, and even brainstormed with our own kids to get inspired by their sense of curiosity.
Our idea became a new, experimental app called Verne: The Himalayas. It invites you to explore the Himalayas as a 500 foot Yeti named Verne. You can run up Mt. Everest, chase yaks, discover bits of information, ride a jetpack, play Himalayan instruments, and more.
We're excited to share it today as a fun way for anyone to take a summer trip to the tallest mountain range in the world.
Get the app
for your Android device from the Play Store, or
learn more here
.
Posted by: Amar Gandhi and JR Schmidt - 3D tinkerers and Yeti Enthusiasts
Labels
#streetview
#treasuremap
+1
3D
8bitmaps
Adwords Express
Africa
Amazon
Andorra
Android
api
Art Project
Audi
biking
Boost
Boulder
Brazil
Bulgaria
Business Photos
Business View
businesses
Canada
check-in
community
competition
contest
crisis response
Culture
custom maps
developer
Developers
directions
disaster response
discovery
earth outreach
education
Emmy Awards
Enterprise
Estonia
Europe
Explore
Fusion Tables
gadgets
Gibraltar
GMM
google
Google Earth
Google Earth Engine
Google Map Maker
Google Maps
Google Maps API
Google Maps Engine
Google Maps for Mobile
Google Maps Gallery
Google Maps Navigation
Google Maps Transit
Google Places
Google Plus
Google Search
Google Street View
google.org
Google+
googlenew
Grand Canyon
ground truth
Halloween
historical
history
holiday
Hotpot
Hungary
imager
imagery
Indoor Maps
iOS
iPhone
Iraq
Japan
Latitude
Latvia
layers
LBC
Lithuania
London
Making of Maps
Malaysia
Mall of America
Map Maker
Maps Blog
Maps Gallery
mapsgl
Matt Harding
Mexico
Mobile
Monticello
My Maps
my places
my tracks
National Geographic
navigation
new Google Maps
oblique imagery
ocean
offline maps
Olympics
Outreach
Pakistan
Panoramio
Parks Canada
Pegman
Photo Spheres
photo tours
photos
picasa
Polar Bears
Quiz
real estate
restaurants
road trips
Russia
Santa
Santa Tracker
search stories
SketchUp
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Sudan
space
Spain
sports
Street View
summer
SXSW
Tags
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson Foundation
Tip of the week
tips
tour guide
traffic
Train
Transit
travel
trees
Trekker
Trike
Trolley
U.S. National Park Service
Ukraine
University of Virginia
Valentine's Day
Veterans Day
Views
voice search
walking
Waze
weather
webgl
Your Timeline
zagat
Archive
2016
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2015
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2014
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2013
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2012
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2011
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2010
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2009
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2008
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2007
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Feed
Google
on
Follow @googlemaps
Follow
Give us feedback in our
Product Forums
.
Follow
