The official blog for Google Maps
Street View arrives at CERN
September 26, 2013
At
CERN
, the European particle physics laboratory based in the suburbs of Geneva, some of the world’s best physicists and engineers are using advanced particle accelerators to help solve age old questions about the universe — What is is made of? How did it start?
We’re delighted that CERN opened its doors to
Google Maps Street View
allowing anyone, anywhere in the world to take a peek into its laboratories, control centers and its myriad underground tunnels housing cutting-edge experiments. Street View also lets scientists working on the experiments, who may be on the other side of the world, explore the equipment they're using.
This is the Large Hadron Collider. The LHC beauty experiment will shed light on why we live in a universe that appears to be composed almost entirely of matter, but no antimatter. Learn more
here
.
This is the the 7000-tonne ATLAS detector. From a cavern 100 metres below a small Swiss village, it’s probing for fundamental particles including the
Higgs Boson
.
ALICE is a heavy-ion detector on the Large Hadron Collider ring. It's designed to study the physics of strongly interacting matter at extreme energy densities, where a phase of matter called
quark-gluon plasma
forms.
The
Compact Muon Solenoid
(CMS) is a general-purpose detector at the Large Hadron Collider. It's designed to investigate a wide range of physics, including the search for the Higgs boson, extra dimensions, and particles that could make up dark matter.
For two full weeks back in 2011, members of our Street View team from Google’s Zurich office worked with our CERN partners to capture this incredible imagery. You can check out the above experiments, like
ATLAS
,
ALICE
,
CMS
,
LHCb
and the
Large Hadron Collider
tunnel in Google Maps, as well as collections of other Street View imagery from amazing sites around the world, on our
Views
site.
You can also learn more about CERN by following its
Google+
page.
Posted by Pascale Milite, Google Street View operations
The HALO Trust: Helping communities reclaim the land with Google Maps for Business
September 16, 2013
(Cross posted from Official Google Blog)
From time to time we invite guests to post about subjects of interest and today we’re pleased to share a post from Guy Willoughby, Executive Director of
the HALO Trust
, a U.K.-based nonprofit dedicated to landmine clearance in post-conflict areas. Hear how HALO is using
Google Maps for Business
to fight the war against mines, clearing more than 1.4 million landmines worldwide.
-Ed.
When conflicts end, making communities safe and livable often means removing dangerous remnants of war. “Getting mines out of the ground, for good,” as we say at the HALO Trust, has been our mission over the last 25 years. We work in more than a dozen countries and regions across the globe, clearing landmines and other explosives, many of which have been buried underground. While we’ve been in operation for almost three decades, there is still more to be done.
In Kosovo, where people are reclaiming their homeland after the conflict in 1999, we’re working in close cooperation with the government and local population to collect and share information about where mines are located. It’s a true community effort—farmers tell us where they’ve seen signs of mines and where accidents have occurred. It’s our job at the HALO Trust to take this data and make it usable, accessible, and visually compelling, so clearance becomes more efficient and happens faster.
One of our biggest challenges is keeping our field teams safe. We need easy-to-use tools that can help us find, map and clear hazardous areas without putting our operations at risk. Over the years, we’ve continuously improved our mine clearance techniques, including the deployment of
Google Earth Pro
.
Google Earth Pro makes it easier for the HALO team to do the dangerous and detailed work of finding and mapping at-risk areas. Because it’s based on the same technology as Google Maps and Earth, it’s easy for our teams to use and create maps without IT or
GIS
expertise. It’s a tool that is familiar to our employees and something they use in their daily lives, so we can start mapping right away.
The information we gather, including GPS references to landmines in the field, is imported into Earth Pro so that we can plot mine locations. We also use the incredibly detailed satellite imagery in Google Earth to identify and map hazardous areas. These high-resolution maps serve many people: from families who live near mines, to crews who clear them, and donors and other organizations that support us. When donors view the vivid interactive maps of our project areas—with mines so close to schools, farms and houses—they understand why the HALO Trust’s work is so critical.
Learn more
about HALO’s work in Kosovo.
Accurate maps from Google Earth Pro mean safer working conditions for our local teams, and faster progress toward our goals. In Kosovo alone, we’ve removed thousands of landmines, cluster munitions and other explosives. And with the help of Google’s mapping tools and our donors, we’ll be able to declare the country mine-free.
Posted by Guy Willoughby, Executive Director, the HALO Trust
Explore the Galapagos and be 'Darwin for a day' on Street View
September 12, 2013
Today
, in partnership with the Directorate of the
Galapagos National Park
and
Charles Darwin Foundation
, we’re launching the
360-degree images from the Galapagos Islands that we collected in May
with the
Street View Trekker
. Now, you can visit the islands from anywhere you may be, and see many of the animals that Darwin experienced on his historic and groundbreaking journey in 1835.
The
extensive Street View imagery of the Galapagos Islands
will not only allow armchair travellers to experiences the islands from their desktop computer, but it will also play an instrumental role in the ongoing research of the environment, conservation, animal migration patterns, and the impact of tourism on the islands.
One way in which the Charles Darwin Foundation plans to use the Street View imagery for science is by allowing the public to help identify plants and animals observed when navigating through the imagery. Together, Charles Darwin Foundation and
iNaturalist
- a website and community for citizen scientists - have developed a new project they are excited to launch today:
Darwin for a Day
.
Using Darwin for a Day, you can explore Street View imagery in the Galapagos.
Navigate through Street View, and choose an animal or plant you’d like to help identify!
Darwin for a Day
is a web application that invites you to step into Darwin’s shoes by exploring the Galapagos Islands through Google Street View and document its unique plants and animals. When you see an animal or plant you’d like to catalogue, you can describe it by creating an observation. You can just enter your best guess as to what it is - for example, “bird” - or enter in the scientific name, if you know it! All of your observations will be shared with the iNaturalist community & the Charles Darwin Foundation, and will contribute to research of the Galapagos Islands.
Visit our
behind-the-scenes experience
and tune in to an exclusive
Google+ Hangout
with the Google Maps team and our partners at 9:00 AM PT today to learn more about this special collection of imagery.
Post content
Posted by Raleigh Seamster, Project Lead, Google Earth Outreach
Updated Street View imagery of tsunami-affected areas of northeastern Japan, including the exclusion zone
September 4, 2013
Two years ago we
launched
an initiative using Street View to digitally archive the 2011 tsunami and earthquake-affected areas in Northeastern Japan. Since then, we’ve captured 360-degree panoramas of the region, including the town of
Namie-machi
in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone and over 70 interiors of devastated
buildings
across the Tohoku region.
Our digital archiving project aims not only to make a record of the disaster’s wreckage, but also to illustrate the process of Japan’s recovery. Towards that goal, we’ve driven our Street View cars throughout the Tohoku region again over the past months. Today we are updating the Street View imagery for 17 cities within the Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures for the first time since we
published
the first panoramas back in 2011. By releasing this new imagery on Google Maps, we hope people in Japan and from all around the world can virtually explore what these towns currently look like and better understand how local governments are working on rebuilding residents’ homes and lives.
Iwanuma, Miyagi Prefecture.
View Larger Map
We recognize that the previously collected imagery has emotional and documentary value, so we’re going to continue making this imagery available to users on our
Memories of the Future
site. Starting today, people will be able to see 360-degree images of what these cities within the Tohoku region looked like before the tsunami and right after the tsunami, as well as what they look like today.
We are also publishing imagery today of new areas within the Fukushima Exclusion Zone, including the abandoned towns Ōkuma and Futaba. This includes roads near the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant
, and in the new imagery, you can see the entrance to the plant on Street View.
Futaba Machi, Fukushima Prefecture.
View Larger Map
In just two years, the affected areas in Northeastern Japan have already started to slowly improve and will continue to do so as the recovery continues. We hope that providing this new street-level imagery on Google Maps can make the memories of the disaster relevant and palpable for future generations.
Posted by Kei Kawai, Group Product Manager, Street View
Building Better Maps in Russia and Hong Kong
August 28, 2013
When you travel or look at a map of your city, you want it to be as accurate as possible. We do too. That’s why we’re launching our Ground Truth initiative in Hong Kong and parts of Russia (including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and large areas in the west of the country), so we can build a better map that helps you find what you need and get to where you’re going, quickly and easily. Ground Truth enables us to update a country’s map at a faster pace to provide you with an up-to-date map that mirrors the real world as closely as possible. Ground Truth also makes it possible for you to contribute your local knowledge to the map and report any issues you find through the
Report a Problem tool
, so together we can build a better map.
The updated maps in Russia and Hong Kong now provide detailed walking paths in many well-known parks and landmarks, making navigating easier especially in pedestrian-friendly Hong Kong. For example, we’ve added walking paths to Victoria Park - you can now zig zag across the park as you please.
View the walking paths of Victoria Park on the map
Russia is rather large, so many people prefer to travel by car. Today’s update is good news for drivers as well, as we’ve made big improvements to our road network. We’ve updated street names, turn restrictions and one-way streets as well as completely new maps in more than 50 towns across Russia. So the next time you drive to the city center for shopping, try out the Google Maps app for
Android
and
iPhone
to get there.
Get driving directions on Google Maps
If you’d rather adventure by sea, we’ve also added ferry routes, down to the specific harbor of departure. For example, in the updated map of Hong Kong’s Central and Western District below you can see the ferry routes as well as nearby points of interests and transportation options.
Discover the ferry routes in Hong Kong
The updated map also indicates places of interest more clearly, such as hospitals, national parks, and universities. For example, Moscow State University, Russia’s oldest and largest university, now has more detail with cleaner walking paths, named roads, and labels for different department buildings.
Explore Moscow State University
Whether you’re gazing at the awe-inspiring spirals of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow or strolling through the bustling Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade in Hong Kong, Google Maps is here to help you see, explore, and discover the world!
To learn more about Ground Truth, check out this
presentation from Google I/O 2013
.
Posted by Kirill Levin, Google Maps Software Engineer
Visit lion, tigers and (panda) bears - Oh, my! - with Street View
August 21, 2013
Animal-lovers, rejoice! If you enjoy watching wildlife, but find yourself stuck in the urban jungle, never fear. You can now use Google Maps and Street View to preview the must-see spots at zoos around the world before heading there in person, or take a virtual trip to some of the most famous zoos and animal parks, right from your living room.
Lions and tigers may be standard attractions, but starting today, you can also use Street View to see the panda bears noshing on bamboo and tumbling around the
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
in China. More than 30 percent of this endangered species calls this important conservation and breeding facility home.
View Larger Map
Giant pandas
at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
And for those who just can’t get enough of pandas, the site is also a refuge to other endangered animals including the smaller red panda!
View Larger Map
Red pandas
at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
To provide you with more comprehensive imagery in Google Maps, you can also check out a number of other animal parks around the world. In North America, you can see imagery from the world-renowned
San Diego Zoo
, as well as those in
Houston
,
Atlanta
, and
Chicago
- among others. You can also explore the
Chapultepec Zoo
in Mexico, and the
Toronto Zoo
and
Jungle Cat World Wildlife Park
in Ontario, Canada.
View Larger Map
Virtually explore the animal exhibits at the
Houston Zoo
In South America, we welcome
Buin Zoo
in Chile and
Zoologico de Bauru
in Brazil to our existing collection of global zoos and animal parks. And still more exotic animals await your virtual discovery on the other side of the globe. Check out tigers and kangaroos at the
Shou Shan Zoo
in Taiwan, polar bears and penguins at the
Asahiyama Zoo
in Japan, the world’s
largest captive colony of orangutans at the
Singapore Zoo
, and giraffes, chimpanzees and even Asian elephants at the
Taronga Zoo
in Sydney, Australia.
And in Germany, you can marvel at the white lions and tigers bred at the
Zoo Safari Park Stukenbrock
, and visit
Tierpark Hagenbeck
, known as the first zoo to simulate natural habitats by using open enclosures surrounded by moats instead of cages. These animal parks join others already available on Google Maps, such as the
Zoo Aquarium de Madrid
and
Parc Zoologic de Barcelona
in Spain,
La Ferme aux Crocodiles
in France,
Olmense Zoo
in Belgium and
Whipsnade Zoo
in the UK.
So get out there and take in the wildlife, or visit our latest gallery of zoo and animal park imagery on our new
Views site
. Just remember, please don’t feed the animals!
Posted by Deanna Yick, Street View Program Manager
New features ahead: Google Maps and Waze apps better than ever
August 20, 2013
No one likes getting stuck in traffic. That’s why the Waze and Google Maps teams are working together to harness the power of Google technology and the passion of the Waze community to make it easier to navigate your daily life.
Users of Google Maps for Mobile will now benefit from real time incident reports from Waze users. This means when Wazers report accidents, construction, road closures and more on Waze, the updates will also appear on the Google Maps app for Android and iOS in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Switzerland, UK and the US.
The Waze community will also benefit from two new features. First, the Android and iOS versions of the app have been updated with Google Search. Wazers will now have access to even more search results when navigating. Google Search joins other search providers making it easy to find favorite businesses and any local address.
In addition, after a successful beta test, the Waze Map Editor now includes Google Street View and satellite imagery to build out the map and make it easier to correct map errors reported by the community. For more information, visit the
Waze blog
.
We’re excited about today’s updates and will continue to bring together the best of
Google Maps
and
Waze
.
Posted by Brian McClendon, VP, Google Maps
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
