Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Google Offers Hybrid Satellite and Map View

Posted by Zonk on from the best-of-both-worlds dept.

That's Unpossible! writes "Google Maps now offers a hybrid view which combines their map view with their satellite view. The Google blog has a notice on the update. It appears to use 8-bit alpha transparent PNGs to make it work."

8 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. I wonder ... by poopooboi · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... how large is the intersection of code between Google Maps and Google Earth?

  2. Nice by Jeet81 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Saw that this afternoon as I was pulling out directions. More interestingly they even have arrows pointing traffic flow which I don't think they had earlier.

    --
    What does your Credit Report look like?
    1. Re:Nice by OrangeGoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I dunno how often their maps are updated, but it is interesting to note that in certain areas, their map data is at least as old as their satellite data. A new bypass highway opened around my piddly hometown not too long ago. To no surprise, the completed highway doesn't show up on the satellite (though most of it is present). The map, however, shows none of it.

      It's amazing how accurate the roads they do show are, though - most online mapping tools (MapQuest, MSN) aren't very close, especially on the local college campus. Google, however, has everything nailed. Well... at least until the college decided to rip up all the streets, but that's another story. I wonder where they get their data...

    2. Re:Nice by bmwm3nut · · Score: 4, Interesting

      To no surprise, the completed highway doesn't show up on the satellite (though most of it is present). The map, however, shows none of it.

      here's a cool view of a place where the map is newer than the sattelite picture. you can see where rt 36 extends to the west over washington street. but in the pure sattellite picture, you can only see the construction. this is a realitively new bypass, so the sattellite doesn't have it in, but the map is updated perfectlly. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=westminster,+co&ll=3 9.825644,-104.980974&spn=0.007749,0.015003&t=h&hl= en

    3. Re:Nice by itchy92 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The satellite view shows my pool, though, so - Hey!! I can see my pool from space!!

      That's more scary than exciting to me, though.

      --
      Slashdot: News for nerds. Stuff tha-- MICRO$OFT IS THE DEVIL!!1
  3. Re:Hmm... by hazee · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Perhaps a more interesting question would be why they bothered to make it work with IE, rather than requiring IE to work with PNGs. How long is it before Google is strong enough, at least in the web sphere, to dictate terms to Microsoft?

    Maybe they're there already - it's not implausible that they could release something that doesn't work properly with existing versions of IE, along with an explanatory note to upgrade to a working browser.

    If they put in a direct link to Firefox say, the takeup could be huge, dwarfing the installed base to date. All of us here may know about all the alternative browsers, but your average joe doesn't - but if Google were to start pushing people towards them... now *that* would be news.

  4. About time! by Jon+Abbott · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Multimap had done this for quite some time over the UK, but only with Internet Explorer. Google's solution works fine on Safari, and it looks clean to boot. Kudos Google!

    Now if our ZIP codes resolved to a single address, we would be set. ZIP+4 helps, but it's still not there yet. UK postcodes, while not perfect, are much better in this regard.

    --
    Slashdot's first reaction to VMware
  5. You're right, I just noticed too. by game+kid · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yep, there's a scale. Seems credibly accurale.

    With all this and Google Earth too, I still wonder why my brother uses MapQuest. I guess some people like legacy systems.*

    *I notice they both use "@media print" so they only print what matters, not all the ad and search-box crap. Sweeeet.

    --
    You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.