WebProNews

Tag: Directions

  • MapQuest’s Going to Trust You Know How to Get Out of Your Neighborhood

    Whenever you look up directions with a map service – it doesn’t matter which one you fancy, be it Google Maps, Bing Maps, MapQuest, or whatever – if you enter your address as the starting point, the directions will invariably tell you to head out of town by some route that surprises you. Maybe it’s because your natural disposition isn’t to take that particular route, maybe it’s because you know that route is clogged with traffic around the time you plan to leave, but regardless, you hopefully know better than any online mapping service the best route of egress from your ‘hood.

    Apparently getting directions out of one’s own neighborhood is enough for people to vocalize their complaints to mapping services, but MapQuest is the first to actually heed those critiques and announced today that will allow users to get directions that simply skip ahead to a nearby major road that you’re familiar with.

    There is one catch to this nice feature: in order to enter your address and bypass the tedious directions out of your stomping grounds, you have to sign in to MapQuest using your Facebook account info. Depending on how you feel about sharing that info, and presumably linking together your Facebook information with your exact home address, carry on as you see fit. However, MapQuest assures you that it won’t post anything to your wall without your specific direction.

    If you’re undeterred by sharing such information in close proximity to your Facebook profile, you can also enter the type of vehicle you have and MapQuest will generate an estimated fuel cost for your trip. MapQuest will provide you with multiple routes so you can decide if taking the scenic route this time is really worth the financial commitment.

    So here’s hoping you know what you’re doing when you pull out of the driveway.

  • Google Goes To Botswana, Offers Up Safari Street Views

    Later this year, Google Street View will officially be available in Botswana now that Google has decided to give that endlessly fun boots-on-the-ground mapping feature to Botswana. The map service will be replete with the usual street-level fare in order to hopefully encourage the growth of the country’s budding tourist industry.

    If you’re sitting there reading this wondering why Botswana, a country that claims only nine people per square mile, is getting Street Viewed you may be forgiven for that reaction. For one, Street View might be a slight misnomer in this particular case when you consider that most of Botswana’s cultural and natural richness likely exists beyond the pavement.

    Jeff Ramsay, a spokesman for Botswana government, told the Botswana Gazette, “The initiative has come at a very crucial stage for Botswana because it will heighten our campaign to promote the country as a diamond centre and destination of choice for tourists.”

    A Google spokeswoman, Julie Taylor, also emphasized Botswana’s wildlife treasures as a reason to Street View the country, saying that requests from companies that specialize in safari tours are already coming in.

    The Street View might be considerably different than what some of you are used to seeing when you flip the switch on for the map option. Several cities in Botswana like Gaborone and Francistown will be Street Viewed, many natural attractions will be included as well. Insofar the tourist industry might be concerned, instead of seeing lavish palaces or even barrier reefs, Google Maps explorers will get a glimpse of the Kalahari Desert or some of Botswana’s wildlife-rich national parks.

    In other words, the point-of-view users will find in Botswana’s Street View will probably be unlike anything you’ll find in any other country’s Street View.

  • Google Maps Gives Users New Way To Access Previously Used Directions

    Google has a new way to access directions you’ve recently looked up on Google Maps. Under the My Places tab, on the left panel, you will see see them appear. You’ll also have the ability to filter results to access only the previous directions from the “more” tab.

    My Places Directions

    “This historical archive of directions results makes it quicker and easier to continue planning later,” says Google Maps software engineer Tatsuo Nomura. “For example, if you have a few minutes to spare during the day and use your work computer to search for directions from your house to the restaurant where you’re meeting friends for dinner, you can easily access those same directions from your home computer via My Places once you’re ready to head out. We’ll even remember when you’ve customized your directions by dragging the blue line to your preferred path, and show that you route again.”

    The directions and places will only appear for signed-in users who enable Web History. You can always remove any of the locations or directions from the drop-down arrow next to each item.

  • Google Maps Accidentally Closes Down Australian Highway

    More than likely you’ve turned to Google Maps in order to find your way to destinations unfamiliar. While typically reliable, anytime you search for directions between two places on Google you will also receive the small print caution:

    It’s an easy enough method for Google to avoid culpability whenever travelers end up lost due to miscues provided by Maps. However, travelers in Australia have reported that, when driving along the east coast between Sydney and Melbourne, Google Maps is diverting drivers from the Pacific Highway to take an alternative route that leads them through a side-route of backroads.

    …For seemingly no reason.

    Despite no construction problems or other accessibility issues, Google just doesn’t want you to drive along (what I imagine can only be) a scenic trek along the Pacific coastline. You can manually drag the route over to include Pacific Highway but Google Maps doesn’t really like that; it still tries to divert travelers west on certain parts to avoid Pacific Highway, sometimes even for an arbitrary 30-40 miles before redirecting drivers to resume traveling on Pacific Highway. The erroneous directions have led travelers to believe that large swaths of Pacific Highway are closed for travel (why else would someone have to take through less traveled roads, right?).

    The problem was reported to The Sydney Morning Herald who contacted Google Australia about the confusing directions.

    A Google Australia spokesman yesterday admitted the Pacific Highway error but could not say how long the glitch had been affecting driving directions. This morning, the bug had still not been fixed.

    “Thanks for pointing it out, I will let the team know so they can be aware of the issues, and I’ve flagged it to be corrected,” the Google Australia spokesman said.

    “We do have a ‘Report a Problem’ tool that enables users to directly communicate with us about any updates they think need to be made to our maps, and we try to make these changes as quickly as possible.”

    That last sentence is a bit of non-advice as The Herald says several travelers have already reported the problem to Google. As of this morning, as you can see from the screen grab above that I took about 20 minutes ago, the problem still appears to be unresolved.

  • Google Maps Now Offering 3D Helicopter View

    Google Maps is introducing a new mode that should give users a better idea of what their upcoming travel route will have in store for them. While they are calling the feature the “helicopter view,” it also promises a 3D view of you upcoming road trip.

    Over at Google’s LatLong blog, the helicopter view/3D route is essentially the aerial view of the route users selected when querying Google Maps for directions. It’s a fantastic option for travelers who prefer the scenic route over highway driving. With the 3D view, users will know just how scenic their selected path of travel really is. As you can see in the lead image, the area being detailed is Highway 1 in California, and the view of the route promises a visually rich travel experience. In fact, all this service is lacking is the ability to see these routes in real-time. Such a feature would allow users to do a little traffic scouting, allowing them to pick the path of least resistance.

    As it stands, the aerial view of the trip is still a nice feature, especially for those who want to see the country from a non-highway point of view. Over at the blog post, LatLong details how to use the new feature:

    To preview your own route, it is as simple as clicking on a button. Start by entering your starting point, destination, and mode of transport like any directions; in this case, driving directions from ‘Carmel CA to Big Sur CA.’ Then, just click on the “3D” play button. The map will switch to Earth view and automatically start flying you along your recommended route. You can pause the flight at any time by clicking anywhere in the 3D view or on the pause button in the lower left. While the flight is paused, you can explore the surrounding area in 3D by clicking and dragging the map.

    Unfortunately, the service doesn’t appear to active in every area. The post provides a link for driving directions to Big Sur in order to duplicate the post’s example. However, when the link is clicked, the “3D” button is not available, at least for this user. A screenshot of the results that were returned for me:

    No 3D

    Granted, Google updates are not always an “all for one” rollout basis, but it’s disappointing not being able to see the new feature in action. Thoughts on such a feature? Will it enhance Google’s already effective map service or detract? Let us know what you think.

  • Google Maps Coming To OnStar

    Google Maps Coming To OnStar

    OnStar and Google have reached a deal that will let OnStar users search for and find places using Google Maps and send those destinations to the Turn-by-Turn Navigation service in their vehicles.

    OnStar eNav will be available on Google Maps at the end of June. Users can access the destinations at any time and get OnStar directions to the destination from wherever they are.

    Nick-Pudar-OnStar

    "eNav is a perfect solution for subscribers who like the flexibility of being able to use Google Maps to plan their trips in advance, but without the hassle of bringing printed maps into the vehicle," said Nick Pudar, OnStar vice president of new business development.

    "The eNav feature of our Turn-by-Turn service allows drivers to keep their eyes, hands and minds where they need to be – on the road."

    The Google Maps option will be available on all current Turn-by-Turn capable GM vehicles starting with the 2006 model year and will also integrate with OnStar Destination Download to send destinations to the vehicle’s screen-based navigation system.

    Last month OnStar and Google introduced mobile mapping and location functions for the Chevrolet Volt electric car that uses the Google Android Platform.