Google Maps

Google Maps is a free service of geographical map and plan on line. The service was created by Google. It is about a form of Géoportail. Launched in 2004 with the the United States and the Canada and in 2005 in the United Kingdom (under the name of Google Local), Google Maps was launched Thursday, April 27, 2006, simultaneously in France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

This service has this of private individual whom it allows, starting from the scale of a country, of being able zoomer until the scale of a street. Two types of plan are available: a traditional plan, with name of the streets, district, cities and a plan in satellite image, which covers the whole world today. This service is not any more in beta release since the September 12th 2007, and was added to the bonds of the banner page of Google.

Images satellite

It is at the beginning of the month of April 2005 that Google Maps grows rich by the sight by satellite image, in addition to the traditional Cartographie. Being different from the other services proposing of the static satellite images, Google Maps makes it possible to sail and to position where one wants on the satellite chart.

The use of the satellite photo term is however an abuse language, because certain urban photographs are catches of air sights taken with high-altitude.

In June 2005, images high-resolution are available when one zoome to the maximum. This functionality is available on many residential areas to the the United States, with the Canada, but also certain portions of the Iceland, in Iraq, with the Kuwait, the Mexico, the the Bahamas, in France, Italy, with the Japan and in good of other countries.

Buildings of the government are on the other hand visible in image, such as the Zone 51 in the desert of the Nevada. However, Slashdot published an article according to which trees would be now on a site occupied by buildings on preceding photographs.

A low resolution is available on the whole world, and since June 2005, Google Maps adds photographs high-resolution to more and more of cities in the world, and in particular the big cities of Europe.

The July 20th 2005, in order to celebrate the birthday of the first man on the Moon the July 21st 1969, Google adds to Google Maps images of the Moon, provided by NASA, thus making it possible the user to sail on the Moon. The points of landing of the various missions are indicated, of Apollo 11 with Apollo 17. The service names Google Moon.

Differences with Géoportail

The site Géoportail and the Mappy offer services resembling Google Maps. They have this in common that the occasional access for certain uses is free, and to contain air sights zoomables.
They are different by the fact that Google Maps covers the whole world, but with an unequal quality, where the IGN covers only France, but with a constant quality.

Popularity

With the provision with the public of a tool enabling him to visualize, by satellite photo, the whole world in a precise way, the project met a real success, so that sites exclusively dedicated to Google Maps were born. For example, the sites Google Sightseeing and Google Globetrotting are repertories of direct links towards monuments (Eiffel Tower, Statue of Freedom…), known places or strange places (House of Bill Gates for example), this in the whole world, by using the service Google Maps .

See too

Internal bonds

Google Earth
Google Mars
Google Moon
Nomao (Application_composite of Google Map)

External bonds

Map Projects (Mapki.com)
www.geo-trotter.com Guided visit on Google Maps
Google Sightseeing Lieux remarkable
My Google Maps Create your chart easily to be inserted on your site. You will receive also a bond to copy in the signature your emails

Google Maps

Google Maps (the United States)
Google Maps (Canada)
Google Maps (the United Kingdom)
Google Maps (France)

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