DVR Chatter

Frank · 11-28-2007 12:18:22 AM

I'm always on Google Maps, mostly just staring at my own house on the Satellite view and trying to see how far I can zoom it in, but sometimes to find directions or businesses in the area (still looking for good Pizza after two and a half years - still driving to Levittown to find it).

Google Maps has recently added Terrain view to the Google Map experience. Now, even if you can't see that forest or lake in Satellite view, you'll see green and blue where it should be.

It's kind of a cool 3D-ish effect. Don't know why it's useful, but it must be since Google decided to put it there and they know all. Of course, I stared at my own house and surrounding neighborhood in Terrain view for about 10 minutes.

Google Maps also has Traffic View, which makes little Green, Yellow and Red lines (which I'm guessing represent different levels of traffic flow) show up on some roads. There's no indication of what turns Yellow into Red or how fresh or stale the Traffic View information is, which makes it pretty useless. But it's nice to see Google continuing to innovate on the map front.

I love maps and clocks. I don't know why. Is that a guy thing, or am I just nuts?

Wareagle · 11-28-2007 12:47:25 AM

This is also a good one (if they have coverage in your area):
http://local.live.com

LowLight21 · 11-28-2007 8:07:34 AM

Google Maps is just incredible. They are the first map solution to actually allow you to drag and drop to modify your route when finding directions. Minnesota is notorious for road construction, so there's about a 75% chance that the first route given by Google Maps involves some major construction, so being able to drag my route to use a different freeway is priceless. What always amazes me about Google is that they seem to provide solutions to problems I've always encountered. Is anyone else annoyed by the way most email solutions handle long email conversations with one person? If I respond back and forth with a friend 10 times in one day, I don't want all those 10 messages cluttering up my inbox. Google's solution: email conversations. Keep 'em bundled together in one "conversation". Brilliant. If it's possible to have a man crush on a company, it's safe to say I've got a serious one on Google.

Frank · 11-28-2007 8:25:39 AM

LowLight21 wrote:
Minnesota is notorious for road construction, so there's about a 75% chance that the first route given by Google Maps involves some major construction, so being able to drag my route to use a different freeway is priceless.

Do you have a better understanding than me re: traffic view? I'd like to use it, but I really can't find much information on the help screens besides "this may be inaccurate so use at your own risk" type stuff. Is it from the past hour - two hours?

If it were me running Google Maps, I'd hide traffic data for a particular road if information from the past 1/2 hour was not available. Seems like showing a stale Green when it in reality has turned Red is more damaging than showing no data at all. Given Google's track record, they may well be doing this already (Your assessment of Google apps is dead on in my book - they really think it through and consider the user at every step), but I sure can't find information about what they're doing re: traffic anywhere.

LowLight21 · 11-28-2007 9:39:20 AM

I did a little research, and the most recurring trend is that Google (obviously) doesn't create the traffic data themselves. They just color the roads based on information they are retrieving from different sources. It would be interesting to see what those sources are. Most likely, local DOT websites, but who knows.

Wareagle · 11-28-2007 9:58:48 AM

Based on a comparison with the Washington Dept of Transportation data and cameras in Seattle, I wouldn't rely on the Google map traffic info. There have to be better sources everywhere.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/seattle/default.htm

Last edited by Wareagle (11-28-2007 10:00:52 AM)

DVR Chatter

#1 11-28-2007 12:18:22 AM

Google Maps Adds Terrain View

#2 11-28-2007 12:47:25 AM

Re: Google Maps Adds Terrain View

#3 11-28-2007 8:07:34 AM

Re: Google Maps Adds Terrain View

#4 11-28-2007 8:25:39 AM

Re: Google Maps Adds Terrain View

LowLight21 wrote:

#5 11-28-2007 9:39:20 AM

Re: Google Maps Adds Terrain View

#6 11-28-2007 9:58:48 AM

Re: Google Maps Adds Terrain View

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