The younger you are, the easier it is to take technology for granted. Whether you are cynical or, like me, more easily entertained, I find mapping services like G-Maps or Mapquest simply astounding. The people who have brought together these tools over the last 10 years are brilliant.
Check out maps.google.com. Even though they got into the map business only recently, they are now the 1,000 lb gorilla when it comes to maps and directions.
I have been using Google Maps for a quite some time. Their technology constantly advance, and alongside with it, the detail of the maps has improved substantially. There are other chief web properties that use geo mapping with great success as well. The big 3 are Google, MapQuest and the granddaddy of them all, Rand McNally.
Below are quick reviews of G-Maps, Map Quest And Rand McNally maps, reading them should cut down your learning curve when you arrive at the websites.
I switched to G-Maps after using Map Quest for nearly ten years (more about Map Quest below). What switched my loyalty after all those years, was studying the instructions at G-Maps. You know, when all else fails read the directions?
If Google keeps going like they have they'll be in charge of the world in twenty five years. Google has outstanding point-to-point mapping worldwide but their real strength comes in their satellite mapping.
To try and cover all of G-Maps in this review would fail, so let's look at the focal features of the site and you can learn the rest when you arrive there.
All of G-Maps is based on earth satellite imagery. You can quickly locate Physical maps, Political maps, Road maps and Topographic maps anywhere on the planet.
You can zoom into Buckingham Palace in London and actually distinguish tourists walking around or see the cars entering the on ramp of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Map overlays can be added for almost anywhere as well.
Perhaps the most exclusive tool of mapping is the users ability to change any route the service shows. If you need to drive a different way all you have to do is drag and drop the route trail to a different position. Many times you want to go to alternate positions on your way... other sites will not really enable you to do this, with Google it's a breeze.
Rand McNally has been publishing maps since 1872, if you do the math, what you'll notice right away is that's a very long time. All truck stops in the US as well as big gas stations sell Rand McNally atlases. They are mostly in the printed map business but also have a website that provides on line maps and directions. They are a good way to cross check directions from other services.
Map Quest has been around since the good old days of the internet... 1996... so by e-standards, it's very mature if not antique. AOL purchased it in 2000 and remains in charge.
I have used Mapquest thousands of times and they always work. They have remarkable maps for the US, Canada and Europe but are weaker in the rest of the planet in their quality and detail. US instructions are totally detailed and usually quite accurate. In some growth areas they can be a little behind, simply because of trying to stay current with new growth can be challenging.
The last major goodie on Map Quest, is that it will search for the cheapest gas or diesel no matter where you are in the US. It's a good way to keep an eye on your gas budget and it only takes 30 seconds.
Between the three of these websites, you should be able to find your way around anywhere on the planet.
The last but not the least - both Google and Mapquest provide API, so you can plug their sevices to your web site (if you have one). Here is a couple of examples of their use:
Driving directions using Mapquest API
Driving Directions using Google API
