The official blog for Google Maps
Calling all Aussie Mappers! Google Map Maker is now available in Australia
July 31, 2012
G’day mappers — at last it’s time to share the treasures of the Great Southern Land. Today,
Google Map Maker
opens its maps to Australia, so you can add your local knowledge to
Google Maps
for all the world to see.
Help share Australia’s natural gems with tourists and locals alike by
drawing the hiking trails
through the Eucalypt forests of Tasmania or adding all the campsites surrounding Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Then, once you’re ready for some rest and relaxation, why not map the beach resorts of Kangaroo Island, all the best restaurants along the Coral Sea of Queensland, or your favourite billabong for a day of fishing? You can even add your neighbourhood rugby club before heading off to a game.
Once approved your contributions will appear on Google Maps,
Google Earth
and
Google Maps for mobile
, accurately reflecting your real-life neighbourhood. You can even
join with other local mappers
and use your local expertise to review one another’s contributions to the map. To see examples of what people all around the world are adding in Map Maker, you can
watch mapping in real-time
.
Hyams Beach comes alive with Google Map Maker.
Google Map Maker warmly welcomes the people of Australia to the team of citizen cartographers from 200 countries and regions across the globe as they continue to build the world map. To learn more, subscribe to the
Map Maker YouTube Channel
, and get started mapping today!
Posted by Nilesh Tathawadekar, Software Engineer
At your service: planned NYC subway changes now in Google Maps
July 31, 2012
Since
first making New York City public transit directions
available in Google Maps, we’ve been working to deliver you with the most accurate and useful information about subway, bus, commuter rail, and ferry service across the greater metro area. Starting today, we’ll also be showing planned service alerts for the city’s subways, which serve more than
1 billion riders each year
.
Have you ever arrived at a subway platform only to find that the train you intended to take is skipping stops, rerouted on another line, or isn't running at all due to scheduled maintenance? Now when you click on any of the
468 New York City subway stations
labeled on Google Maps, you’ll see whether any planned service changes are expected to affect that station at the time. In addition, the relevant alerts will be included in the step-by-step transit directions pointing you wherever you’re going.
Get transit service alerts on your desktop browser
If you’re looking to find the best route to see a concert after work or checking for any expected delays when already running late, this feature works when you’re online via
maps.google.com
and
Google Maps for Mobile on Android
. To adjust your travel around the alerts you see, simply choose another suggested route or change your departure time.
Get transit service alerts on Google Maps for Android
We’re regularly
adding new cities
and
features
globally and looking forward to continuing our efforts to make travel by public transportation a better experience in more than
400 regions around the world
. For everybody who lives in one of New York City’s five boroughs, commutes in and out every day or is visiting for business or vacation, we hope today’s update improves the ease and efficiency of your trips around the city.
Posted by Csaba Garay, Transit Partner Technology Manager, Google Maps
Take a virtual walk in Downing Street
July 30, 2012
Following in the footsteps of The White House, we’re delighted to announce the iconic residence of the UK Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Downing Street, London, can now be seen in Street View. Google Maps users can take a virtual stroll along the street and stand in front of the famous front door to No.10, right at the heart of government.
View Larger Map
As an added bonus, we were lucky enough to capture Larry, the Downing Street cat, relaxing in his favourite spot on the front porch. Since February 2011, Larry has held the official position of Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office.
To learn more about Street View, visit
our website
.
Posted by Razia Ahamed, Geo Partnerships Manager, Google
Imagery Update: Explore your favorite places in high-resolution
July 27, 2012
In our continuing effort to build the most comprehensive and accurate view of the world, the
Google Earth
and
Maps
Imagery team just published another extensive catalog of new imagery. This week we have exciting new updates to both our high resolution aerial and satellite imagery and our 45° imagery.
New high resolution aerial and satellite imagery:
This week we published new high resolution aerial and satellite imagery for 25 cities and 72 countries/regions. Our updates are now available in both Google Earth and Maps. We’ve highlighted a couple interesting locations below:
Olympic Park and Village, Stratford, London, United Kingdom
We’ll start in the United Kingdom, where the
London 2012 Olympic Games
opens this Friday. We’ve released new satellite imagery taken this past May of the Olympic Park and Village. In the image above, you can see the final construction touches being added to the open-air Olympic Stadium (lower right).
Perspective view of Bryce Canyon, Utah
Even if you aren’t a geologist, you’ll enjoy exploring the new imagery for Bryce Canyon, Utah - famous for its text-book example of
hoodoos
. The image above is a perspective view of aerial imagery taken in June.
New 45° imagery available for 28 cities:
This week our 45° imagery update includes coverage for 21 U.S. cities and 7 international locations. Below are some great examples from Munich, Germany, and Chicago, Illinois:
The Frauenkirche, a symbol of the Bavarian capital city - Munich, Germany
With approximately 1.4 million inhabitants, Munich is the capital of Bavaria and the third largest city in Germany. The image above shows the Frauenkirche, a symbol of the Bavarian capital city.
The Trump International Hotel and Tower - Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is a an industrial metropolitan city with an impressive skyline that really stands out with our new 45° imagery. The image above features the Trump International Hotel and Tower, the second-tallest building in the United States and a prominent Chicago landmark.
Cities with new high resolution 45° imagery:
United States: Anderson, CA; Beech Island - New Ellenton, GA; Cape Girardeau, MO; Carthage, MO; Chicago, IL; Clarksville (outskirts), TN; Columbus - Reynoldsburg, OH; Dayton, OH; Everett, WA; Galena, KS; Idaho Falls, ID; Joplin, MO; Lafayette (outskirts), LA; Lancaster, CA; Louisville, KY; Lowell, MA - Nashua, NH; Pittsburgh, PA; Pueblo (outskirts), CO; Redding, CA; Springfield, IL; Yuba City, CA.
International: Birmingham, UK; Catania, Italy; Denia, Spain; parts of London, United Kingdom; Meyrin - Vernier, Switzerland; Munich, Germany; Neuchatel, Switzerland.
Areas with new high resolution aerial imagery:
United States: Antelope Wells NM; Bryce Canyon UT; Green Bay WI; Huron, SD; Hutchinson, KS; Olympia WA; Park Hills, MO; Peach Springs, AZ; Phoenix, AZ; Placerville, CA; Riverside, CA; Rosenfeld, TX; Waverly, OH.
International: Wiener Neustadt, Austria; Alicante, Spain; Denia, Spain; Gandia, Spain; Las Rozas, Spain; Lugo, Spain; Santander, Spain; Sueca, Spain; Vitoria, Spain; Bern, Switzerland; Geneva, Switzerland; Nyon, Switzerland.
Countries/regions with new high resolution satellite updates:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Greenland, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
If you’d like to receive an email notification for the latest Google Earth and Maps Imagery team updates for your favorite areas, we’ve got just the tool: our
Follow Your World
application. Happy exploring!
Posted by Bernd Steinert, Geo Data Specialist
A more accurate starting point in Google Maps
July 26, 2012
Maps users have told us that when they embark on a journey, they often want to start from their current location. That’s why today we’re making
Google Maps
more useful by automatically zooming into your city as the starting point for your search. Now you can dive right in and discover the local businesses, restaurants and attractions near you, without having to manually enter your location. Much easier and faster.
We show the details of your starting point in the left panel. And if for some reason your starting point isn’t correct you can easily add your street address, zip code, city and state, or country by clicking on the Correct it link.
Location information displayed on left with option to correct it.
For those of you who’ve already set a Default Location with Google Maps, we hope you’ll appreciate this smart new feature that we hope will make Google Maps easier to use for your next adventure.
Posted by Andrey Salaev, Software Engineer, Google Maps
3D imagery now available on iPad and iPhone
July 26, 2012
Today, we’re happy to announce the availability of 3D imagery for
Google Earth
on the new iPad, iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.
A map must be comprehensive and accurate no matter where you are or what device you use. We also believe maps can be useful in ways you might not have imagined. With today’s release of Google Earth for iOS you can literally fly through breathtaking
3D city landscapes and images
and follow virtual tours of places you’ve never been -- all with a simple swipe of your fingertip. It’s a new, and I think magical way to explore the world in which we live.
The growing list of 3D cities include Boulder, Boston, Charlotte, Lawrence (Kan.), Long Beach (Ca.), Los Angeles, Portland (Ore.), San Diego, Santa Cruz, Tampa, Tucson, and the San Francisco Bay Area (including the Peninsula and East Bay) as well as Rome, Italy. We’ll keep building and releasing 3D imagery for new locations as fast as we can and by the end of the year we aim to have coverage for metropolitan areas with a combined population of 300 million people.
Also new in this release is a “
tour guide
” to show you interesting places to explore. We’ve put together short tours of thousands of famous places and historical sites across the globe so it’s easier than ever to discover amazing places. Just pull up the tab at the bottom of the screen to open the tour guide. Each image highlights a tours or place of interest in the area you are looking. Click on an item and you will be flown there. As you fly in and around the sites, snippets from Wikipedia provide additional information about the location. It’s like having a local expert right beside you! The tour guide is available for all iOS devices running iOS 4.2 and newer.
To start exploring, download the
latest version
of Google Earth for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch from the Apple App Store today.
Posted by Peter Birch, Google Earth Product Manager
Forty years of our planet, from space
July 23, 2012
Today we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the
Landsat satellite program
-- now the longest-running continuous acquisition of satellite images of the Earth's surface. Over the years, Landsat has collected
petabytes
of images offering an historic perspective on planetary change that can help scientists, independent researchers, and nations make informed economic and environmental policy decisions.
We’re working with the
USGS
and
Carnegie Mellon University
, to make parts of this enormous collection of imagery available to the public in
timelapse videos of the Earth's surface
. With them you can travel through time, from 1999-2011, to see the transformation of our planet. Whether it’s deforestation in the Amazon, urban growth in Las Vegas or the difference in snow coverage between the seasons. Here are a few highlights.
Landsat timelapse tour of the Amazon rainforest
shows the spread of deforestation between 1999 (left) and 2011 (right).
The rapid growth of Las Vegas, Nevada
between 1999 (left) and 2011 (right) is visible in the Landsat timelapse tour.
A seasonal timelapse created using MODIS imagery
, where every video frame represents about one week. This shows snow-cover differences over the U.S. between February and August, 2002.
We believe these may be the largest video frames ever created. If you could see the entire video at full resolution, a single frame would be 1.78 terapixels which is 18 football fields' worth of computer screens laid side-by-side.
In 2008, the USGS opened access to the entire Landsat archive for free.
Google Earth Engine
makes it possible for this data to be accessed and used by scientists and others no matter where they are in the world. Watch the video below to learn more about the history of the Landsat program and how Google Earth Engine was used to process and analyze this enormous archive of planetary imagery.
Happy 40th, Landsat! We're proud to be making this vast archive available to the public, and to be enabling deep analysis of this data by scientists and policymakers all over the world. Head over to the
Google Earth Engine site
to experience all the fully interactive tours of these timelapse videos.
Posted by Eric Nguyen, Software Engineer for Earth Engine and Randy Sargent, Visiting Researcher from Carnegie Mellon University
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
