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Best Online Mapping Site?

Posted by timothy on from the interfacing-with-the-real-world dept.

bbulzibar asks: "I've been using MapQuest most of my life, but now as my mind is slowly expanding, I want to see if Yahoo! Maps is a better service for driving directions. According to one article I have read, Yahoo! is better at displaying maps, but what about calculating directions? Does anyone have any experience with differences? For example, Yahoo! and MapQuest give differing routes to go from Bloomington, IN to Madison, WI." I particularly like MapBlast's "Line Drive" direction style -- what's your favorite online mapping software?

2 of 603 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Microsoft Streets and Trips by Lazlo+Nibble · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I used S&T until 2003 came out and was missing lots of business information (e.g., according to S&T03 there are, like, three movie theatres in the entire bay area). This wasn't fixed in 2004 even though MS acknowledged it as a problem for the 2003 release, so it seems safe to consider S&T to be a dead product line.

    I want to be able to store, display and import/export custom locations, preferably by category, but I haven't found any consumer mapping software that does it. The mapping web sites aren't much more flexible unfortunately.

    Now the closest thing to mapping software I use is EarthViewer 3D, and that's really just a fancy tech-toy...

  2. Re:Microsoft Streets and Trips by grotgrot · · Score: 0, Redundant

    S&T is great. If you are a Costco member you can get it for $15 if you send in the annoying rebate. It also doesn't limit you to a tiny image like all the online maps do (I have a dual monitor 1600x1200 setup so a postage stamp in the middle of my screen doesn't qualify as a map).

    My only complaint against S&T is that what you see on the screen isn't exactly what is printed. In particular it will 'declutter' the printed map by not printing some of the street names that it does show you on the screen. Thankfully my printer driver (EPSON) has print preview so I can fiddle until it shows enough street names.

    S&T 2004 can also show you where you are based on a GPS. It doesn't do routing or anything on the GPS, but knowing exactly where you are is usually enough for me.