Google Adds Satellite Imagery to Maps

Ant writes "BetaNews reports that Google quietly updated its maps service late Monday to include satellite imagery, a first in the industry... Much of Google Maps remains the same - just with detailed pictures from high-tech satellites instead of standard map graphics. Maps can be dragged to view adjacent areas, which means users do not have click and wait for graphics to reload. Zooming is also instantaneous with the help of a slider placed atop the map." The resolution doesn't seem very high, but the integration is very seamless.

Comments

An alternative solution that uses less bandwidth

[elid]

There's one problem with Google Maps, and that is that the actual images of the maps are downloaded to the client's computer. This is a serious problem in low-bandwidth environments (i.e. thinwire) where the necessary bandwidth to sustain a usable interface might not be available. A vector-based mapping system, where the rendering is done by the client, is much more useful in such cases. For example, I have worked on a system called G-Vis in the past which is designed for use over thinwire.