New satellite imagery for Google Maps - Aug.1/07

Prague, Czech Republic

It looks like the recent satellite imagery update for Google Earth has found it's way over to Google Maps! In a follow-up post made today on the the Google Lat-Long Blog post a detailed list of updates were posted. Take a look for yourself and enjoy the new views! :)

New high resolution:

US: State of Vermont, State of Nevada, State of Colorado, Chenango County (NY), Oswego County (NY), Lancaster (PA), Montgomery County (MD), Prince George's County (MD), Charleston (WV), Frankfort (KY), Leon County (FL), Volusia County (FL), Orlando (FL), Melbourne (FL), Ridgeland (MS), Tucson (AZ), Phoenix (AZ), Pierce County (WA), Walworth County (WI), Waukesha County (WI), Milwaukee (WI), Washington County (WI), Ozaukee County (WI), Puerto Rico & US virgin Islands.

South America: Maracabio, Venezuela

France: French Riviera, Arles, Biaritz, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Angers, Amiens, Bourges, Clermont Ferrand, Loire River

Italy: 2.5m imagery for the entire country.

Germany: Aachen, Bielefeld, Braunschweig, Stralsund, Duisburg, Halle, Hannover, Herten, Itzehoe, Karlsruhe, Cologne , Norderstedt, Pinneberg, Quickborn, Recklinghausen, Rellingen, Schenefeld, Tornesch, Wentorf

Updated Imagery:
Americas: Regina, Canada; Saskatoon, Canada; Winnipeg, Canada; Ottawa, Canada; Quebec, Canada; Chemung County (NY, US); Cortland County (NY, US); Broward County (FL, US); Fairbanks (AK, US); Boise (ID, US); Colorado Springs (CO, US); Aquas Calientes, Mexico; Brasilia, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; San Salvador, El Salvador; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Europe: Lisbon, Portugal; Madrid, Spain; Naples, Italy; Rome, Italy; Athens, Greece; Moscow, Russia; St Petersburg, Russia; Kazan, Russia; Saratov, Russia; Prague, Czech Republic

Middle East/Africa: Timbuktu, Mali; Cape Town, South Africa; Tunis, Tunisia; Tbilisi, Georgia; Mecca, Saudi Arabia; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Alger, Algeria; Lusaka, Zambia; Nouakchott, Mauritania; Sana, Yemen; Tashkent, Uzbekistan;

Asia: Beijing, China; Shanghai, China; Mumbai, India; Pyungyang, North Korea

Oceania: Melbourne, Australia;

Updated Terrain for Google Earth:
Eastern US 10m, West Virginia 3m, Alaska 60m, New Zealand 10m

eBay Google Maps Mashup Roundup

Mashups!

Visual eBay (New):


Australia, USA, Canada, UK searching by local zip or postal code. Be sure to scroll through the info-window list to view multiple auctions for that local zip/postal code.

Other previously mentioned eBay Google Maps mashups

• FindNearby - USA eBay + Amazon, Craigslist and more by zip code or distance (25+ miles)
• Dude, Where's My Car - eBay Motors + Google Maps
• eBay Google Maps Search - USA, UK, France and Germany location and zip code searching
• MapBid - USA zip code + distance (10-2000 mile radius) searching
• Marktkijker - Netherlands eBay searching (Dutch language)
• Lokaliz - France eBay searching (French language)
  
• Windows Vista Google Maps eBay Sidebar Gadget/Mashup

Other eBay tools and mashups

• eBay mashups on ProgrammableWeb
• 50+ Tools for eBay Buyers and Sellers from Mashable
  

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Google Maps: Local suggestions, Ireland & Hong Kong searching

Google Maps Popular Local Search Suggestions (US and Japan) - Here is a useful and interesting new feature added to Google Maps recently that will suggest popular queries made by other Google Maps users for a given city/town. Use this feature to see the most popular local searches for a city and learn about what to do and what to see! It's easy to use - simply type in the city name (big or small) in the "Search the Map" field and wait for the list of suggestions to be listed! For example, here are the popular suggestions for the city of Boston, MA: parking garage, mbta, quincy market, fenway park, john f kennedy presidential library, seaport hotel, avalon, logan airport, legal seafood, shaws. It should give you ideas of what to look for or plan to take in.. It's like a personal Google Maps concierge! :)

New countries can now be searched on Google Maps (Ireland & Hong Kong) - Google Maps users around the world can now search for addresses, place names and points of interest in Ireland and Hong Kong!

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Google Maps Mania links for 2007-07-28

Real World Racer - A Google Maps Racing Game - Choose a world location and face off against other virtual racers on a Google Maps satellite backdrop. On the Gibraltar: Round The Ragged Rock course I travelled 1.99 miles in 1:11, an average of 100 mph! Can anyone beat that?! :) More Google Maps Games here..

• PCWorld Magazine - In Pictures: The Strangest Sights in Google Earth
  (links to each site on Google Maps)
• Burj Dubai officially becomes the world's tallest building (on July 21st, 2007) (see Google Maps link)
• Lord of the Rings MapTool - Created using the Google Maps API. Would someone please do something like this for the Harry Potter series! :) [via]

SundanceChannel Eco-mmunity Map:

The Eco-mmunity Map allows users to list and search for green individuals, businesses, special attractions and action points anywhere in the world. Check out the great map markers and cool info-windows! Very nicely done.

• USER-GENERATED CARTOGRAPHY: Mapmaking for the masses, online - An article by the New York Times' Miguel Helft that discusses how maps creation tools are influencing modern day cartography. This is a great read that articulates the map making craze of today very well.
• Virgin America Airlines and Google Maps In Seatback Maps Deal - (Jaunted)
• Geographic Midpoint Calculator Tool - Calculates the midpoint between 2 geo-locations (Think: trip planning)! [via]

Extreme Sports Map Mashup - Choose your region - United Kingdom (211), USA (40), Canada (20), South Africa (15) and select from a number of extreme sports: Skatepark, Street Spot, Surf Break, Downhill Trail, Wake Boarding, Kite Surf, BMX Track, Dirt Jumping, Snowboarding/Ski, Climbing/Abseil, Windsurf, Moto-X, Canoe/Kayak [Digg this]

Volkswagen's Night-Driving.com - A promotional site from VW that allows a user to plot their favourite night roads for great driving on a Google Map.

FindByClick's Layercake launches - The popular coffee (Starbucks Tim Hortons and Timothy's) and books (Borders, B&N) finder mashup has undergone a major update to include a new layercake concept that shows you all points from the database in a given area. Simply move the map and all related points for that area show up. Check out this FindByClick blog post for more details..

• RouteYou - Community map site for walking biking, motoring and touring routes
• GSalr - Mashes up Craigslist and other sites that list online garage sale postings. (US)
• Nintendo Wii Players Codes Worldwide - This mashup has a goal of mapping 1 million codes in 1 year commencing 1st August 2007.
• Glowfoto Launches Geotagging Feature, Allows Users to Geographically Tag and Map Photos
• Mashups made easy - FortiusOne makes it easy for anyone to put a mashup on the map (Business 2.0)

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13 new US Google Maps mashups

• NYC: Free summer meals - Mapped are all the free summer meals sites available for kids in NYC, color-coded them depending on whether they serve breakfast and lunch or just lunch.
• NYC: Farmer's Markets - Color coded to show their accessibility for people using food stamps.
• National: OpenWiFiSpots - Search the map of locations by city, state or zip [via]
• Sacramento Bee Crime Map and Fresno Bee Crime Map - Both are examples of how online news sites are using Google Maps to map regional crime stats for members of the community.
  
• 100 Great American Towns - A CNN Money Google Maps mashup
• Oahu, Hawaii Hotels & Resorts Mashup
  
• Boston: real estate developments Google Map - Check out the Boston real estate development scene with this Google My Map created by Andrew Lynch [via]
• Intentional Communities Map - Locate an ecovillage, co-housing, commune, co-op, or other cooperative living arrangement. Includes Canada as well.
• Sonoma County (CA) Wineries Map
• HungerMaps.org - Showing Anchorage (AK), Boston, New York City
• 89.9 KCRW (LA) Fringe Benefits Providers Interactive Map - A list of the places you can get discounts if you are a member of the local NPR station, 89.9 KCRW
• Virtual Beale Street (Memphis) - Navigate a QTVR tour of this famous Memphis, Tennessee street on Google Maps.

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Craigslist Google Maps Rental Market Mashup

CraigStats is a new Google Maps rental market mashup for the city of San Francisco. It combines rental listings from Craigslist, Google Maps and FortiusOne's GeoIQ for heatmapping (see image to the right), along with several options to analyze the entire rental market or by micro-area of San Francisco. To learn more about Ethan Garner's inspiration to create CraigStats, take a look at "Overall Stats/Notes" -> "Why / Who did this?" It's an interesting story!

Other Craigslist Google Maps Mashups:

HousingMaps (The first ever Google Maps hack/mashup)
The Craigslist (Map) Navigator

[Found via Boing Boing]

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US Google Maps Mashup: MapTheCandidates.com

Chadwick Matlin and E. J. Kalafarski have created a timely mashup to help you track the U.S. presidential election candidates' campaign trails across the country. MapTheCandidates.com provides a daily digest by mashing up with campaign YouTube videos and articles and also integrates timeline technology to let you take control of the viewing experience. You won't get lost in how to make use of the great UI this map provides either. A simple, 4 step instruction guide along the top of the map helps you to quickly get the most out of this great Google Maps mashup.
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BBC's Interactive Google My Map of Flood Areas

BBC Berkshire in the UK has made extensive use of Google My Maps to communicate with area residents about the current flood situation in that region. Berkshire Floods 2007 is a page that tells you how to use this Google My Map to view, watch and listen to BBC reports from correspondents in the area. The My Map embeds YouTube videos, links off to BBC Radio audio clips and describes the status in specific areas. This "NewsMap" example highlights how quickly a news organization could mobilize a Google Map of an affected area to integrate aspects of their content to provide both a public service and create a way to distribute their stories. My Maps can be found on Google Maps on the tab labeled My Maps. (More info here..)

Related: Sky News "England Under Water" Google Maps mashup - Makes use of the Google Maps API to create a full scale mashup that gets integrated directly into the Sky News website.

[Via Mapperz]

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Google Maps News - July 24/07

Google Maps added to...

YouTube - This Google Earth Blog post explains how you can add the location of a YouTube video upon upload.

1-800-GOOG411 - Fly The World Blog explains how you verbally say "Map-It" on the Google Voice Local Search (1-800-GOOG-411) service (a Labs project) in the US to receive a text message with details of the business and a Google Maps link you can open on your phone. See Official Google Blog post about this new feature..

Google acquisition:

Google acquires ImageAmerica to boost mapping - Official announcement from this Google Lat Long Blog post.

New Countries and features added to Google Maps (added in early July):


[Via Danny Sanchez at Journalistopia]

China - China now has cities and roads as well as map searching for cities and addresses!
Taiwan - Streets, roads and placename/address searching.
Singapore - Streets and roads existed before and now placename/address searching does too. Transit markers are also present.
More from July 1st:
Expanded coverage in India
UAE added

News Coverage:

Google Unveils Its Maps of Russia - Moscow Times
Google's View of D.C. Melds New and Sharp, Old and Fuzzy - Washington Post [via]

For more recent Google Maps News, click on the label below. Keep up to date on all things Google Geo at the Google Lat-Long Blog or for the Google Maps API check out the Google Maps API Blog:

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Google Maps Geo Search Part 2/2

In Part 1 of my post introducing Google geo search I placed a focus on those searching with this new functionality within Google Maps (also available in Earth). In part 2 I'd like to present resources to the Google Maps API developer that are essential for you to turn those hours of hard work you've put in to now be discoverable to the millions of visitors to Google Maps:

geo search and using KML/GeoRSS in Maps API (YouTube video):

Start by watching this excellent talk at the recent Google Developer Day held on May 31st, 2007. Google's Lior Ron and Pamela Fox help you understand geo search in more detail, and why this is a good thing for you, the Maps API developer. This video also helps you to decide to create your content in KML vs. GeoRSS by taking a deep (technical) dive into both.

Drive More Traffic to Your Maps API Site - Include KML Files in Your Sitemap - This Google Maps API Blog post introduces you to a detailed sitemap help doc that will assist you in creating your KML files and getting them indexed.

Validate your KML (Online or Offline!) - Here is another Google Maps API Blog post that talks about two ways you can validate your KML: Online Validation with the Feedvalidator and Offline Validation with XML Schema.

KML Reference Documentation - Want to learn more about KML? Here is a detailed introduction to help you learn more about the KML standard including samples, tutorials and references.

Mapplets - While not directly included in geo search, Mapplets are another way for you to drive traffic to your Google Maps mashup or tool. Review this post I made recently that will help you learn about Mapplets and then check out this reference doc to help you start creating them. Once complete your Mapplet will be present in the Google Maps Directory where visitors to Google Maps can incorporate your mashup or tool directly into their Google Maps view. You can also create a teaser for them that will then direct them to your site to use expanded features, perhaps also allowing you monetize this user.

Geo search is now indexing existing content from the Google Earth Community, My Maps and other sites such as Mapufacture, ESRI ArcGIS, Yahoo Pipes, NASA WorldWind, Flickr and Platial. If you want your content to be included in this ground breaking new search trend on the (geo) web it's essential for you to review the above links and make your content accessible to Google geo search! As you do this you will be helping to bring more value to the "user-created content" link for everyone searching and realize many new visitors to your mashup.

[See Part 1: Google Maps Geo Search]

Google Maps Geo Search Part 1/2

Update (Oct.16/07): Geo Search is evolving! check this post for an update. For note, the "User-created content" label used throughout this post has been changed to "Community maps" on Google Maps.

When you think of Searching on Google Maps, what do you think of? Do you think of searching for things like Pizza, or Flowers in your area? Do you think of searching for a street address, city/town name or maybe even a tourist hotspot or point of interest? These are all things you can search on Google Maps but the new "Geo Search" functionality that has been introduced to Google Maps is giving you new access to search for geographical information from across the "geo web" and making your Google Maps searches so much more valuable. Introduced back in the Spring (07), Google's geo search is integrated into both Google Maps and Google Earth and gives you the power to search across thousands of KML documents (think HTML pages for the geo web) as well as websites like Platial that have created KML versions of their content making it indexed and searchable (more on this in Part 2). It also searches the heaps of My Maps being created by Google Maps users each day.

Here's how to view geo search results on Google Maps:

- Visit Google Maps
- Enter your search term (Eg: windsurfing in San Francisco) then, Search Maps
- Red pins appear first - these are traditional Google Local Business results that you're used to seeing
- Scroll down to the bottom of the list and see the link titled: "See user-created content ^New!"
- Clicking this link brings you to a list of geo web search results
- Note that blue pins indicate user created content while red indicate Google Maps Local Business data.



..In this "windsurfing" example you'll notice content is pulled from a variety of "geo web" sources - VirtualGlobetrotting.com, KeyHole (Google Earth Community), Google (My Maps), Platial and various windsurfing websites. This means that for Google Maps mashups that have gone through the process to make their content available in KML format (more on this in Part 2 of this post), their information is now searchable right from within Google Maps using this new geo search feature!

Examples of how Geo Search can help you:

Combine Google Maps local business search with user-created content - Using the above example, find a world renowned windsurfing hotspot such as "Windsurfing Heaven" in San Francisco, then match it up with local businesses that might rent you gear in that location. Searching user-created content will also allow you to fill gaps or missing locations in the existing Google Maps local business search.

International Business Searching - As Google Maps continues to roll out new local data (streets/roads and business search), geo search exists as a way to search for businesses in locations where no local business search even exists. For example, say you're looking for a hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica - a search reveals 97 hotels for that region, all from user-created content. Bangkok, Thailand or Mumbai, India hotel searching will also help you find a hotel and match it up with street mapping that exists for India and Thailand, where local search isn't yet possible.

Create your own Map from geo search results - Among the options from within each geo search result is the ability to save that particular location to your own Google My Map (Directions and Search Nearby are the other options). This lets you build your own map of all the results you find, from many searches. This might help you build a travel itinerary or an event map.

Search for Outdoor Activities - For example, when planning your next trip to Toronto, searching for "Roller Blading Toronto" will reveal several placemarks along the Lakeshore Trail that, which from my own personal experience, is a perfect location to skate! Since typical local business searches don't reveal free, outdoor activities (that locals are contributing) Google's geo search is a perfect way to look for things where you live or a place you might be visiting (such as hiking, biking, jogging etc..).

Points of Interest Searching - This is fun.. enter a point of interest you might be visiting, no matter how obscure and take a look at what users are saying in their My Maps or photo posts. You might notice a high concentration of places to to go to take a great photo or observe a feature that the guides don't call out to you. Another search term John Hanke suggested in his inaugural Lat-Long Blog post is "Jerry Seinfeld New York" which reveals real locations from the fictional tv series. Fun to add to your NYC travel itinerary if you're a fan. Quick Tip: For locations with thousands of results (eg: Big Ben), be sure to "see all results" to get your "user-created" content option.

[See Part 2: Google Maps Geo Search]

Google Maps Mania links for 2007-07-16

Mashable.com's 13 Must-See Google Maps Mashups - If you're new to the world of Google Maps mashups take a look at this great list of 13 Google Maps mashups assembled by Adam Ostrow of Mashable.com. :) Check out my "Top Picks" section for a similar list..

EyeStride gives users a sneak peek:

Michael Balyasny and his newly formed company "Eyestride" is busy building a really nice way for you to create your own virtual tours from your digital photos. For samples of some of these tours take a look at: http://tours.eyestride.com to see what's to come. Once launched, EyeStride will let you stitch together photos you took in the order taken or as you'd like them ordered in tour format. At each stop, or photo in your tour there are a lot of options to explore that particular photo or point of interest.. Take a look!

A Music Life Map: Israel Kamakawiwoole - Here is a "Life Map" of the Hawaiian Musician Israel Kamakawiwoole. This mashup is user generated allowing fans to upload text, images, or a video via a link to YouTube.

Picasa Web Album of Las Vegas + Google Maps - See this post for more details.

TourMapia - This mashup helps you find YouTube videos for a particular location but specific to travel. For example, many results include travel bureau videos of regions or cities making it particularly helpful for researching locations for trip planning. Place/remove pins from the map and wait for videos to appear.. You need to be a bit patient for the mashup to do its thing. This mashup makes use of the both the Google Maps and YouTube APIs, AJAX and geocoding from GeoNames.

Google Maps used as backdrop for personal website - Good work Attila Juhász! [Found via Digg]

GeoMapsInfo adds another mashup: Worldwide Cost of Living

NYC NBC Reporter gives good Google Maps mashup suggestions - Be sure to watch the video!

Google Maps Mashup For Sale: PartyGPS.com - Email mail@partygps.com (Johnny) if you're interested!

UnThirsty.com gets an update - User accounts and iPhone integration have been added!

WIRED Magazine on Google Maps

On..

As a long time reader of WIRED Magazine (Jan/95 was the first one I bought) I was excited to hear that WIRED was spotlighting Google Maps in this month's issue. I held off reading the online version even though countless blogosphere links pointed me there when the mag first hit the streets. No, I'd wait for it to arrive to my home to read the article right.. in print, sitting down in a comfortable chair. That I did this weekend and I was impressed! (Google Maps and the Rise of the Hyperlocal Web) greets you on the front cover while the article is titled: "The Whole Earth, Cataloged - How Google Maps is changing the way we see the world." Evan Ratliff does a nice job to chronicle the rise of Google Maps, Earth and the Mashup.. as well as the personal journey of John Hanke, Google's Director of all things geo at Google. I like how Evan intertwines what Google Maps is facilitating today with the historic reflections of cartography. Jason Lee and Jake Swearingen do a nice job on illustrations and sidebar for the piece making you feel as though you're on Google Maps as you read the article.. a nice touch. :) If you haven't already read the article.. Follow the link, or pick up the mag for nicer reading.

More from WIRED:

WIRED News has created a Google Maps mashup in: "Limit-Telephotographer Spies on Stealth Military Installations" (See bottom)

The WIRED Compiler Blog seems to be covering the Google Maps beat with some recent Google Maps-related posts:
Follow the Tour de France with Ubilabs' Live Geodata Mashup
Mash Your Own Geodata: Google Adds More Custom Mapping Features

7 new US Google Maps mashups

NYTimes.com: New York City Building Permits Google Maps mashup:

The New York Times Real Estate website mashes up Google Maps with a list from the NYC Department of Buildings to show New Construction, Demolitions and Major Renovation projects.
SF Bay Area Real Estate Google Maps mashup - From the creator: "..We put "motivated" sellers, "short sales" and price drops on the map, with data pulled from the local MLS
Google Maps showing Dallas Neighborhoods - Look to the bottom of the page for the Maps implementation.
Google Maps mashup helps you answer: Where Can I Trade Different Futures Contracts?
US Tennis Courts Google Maps mashup - Lists courts by city with the ability to add new cities and courts.
A fun one: Downtown Savannah, Georgia
More fun: Joe Cool Summer in Santa Rosa, California - Check here for more details.. [Thanks Amy!]
US Winery Tour Planner gets an update - From the creator: "..We have incorporated Google Directions and Google Local Search Control. Our printable Google directions include the contact information for each winery in the itinerary. We also display the total estimated driving time and mileage as a user develops their tour."

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Google Maps: View, Create.. Mash up!

Google Maps + My Maps + Mapplets = Google Maps Mashups 2.0


(YouTube Video Link)

The evolution of Google Maps and the Google Maps mashup continues with another MAJOR new Google Maps feature that puts you more in control of the map you view, create, and today.. mash up for yourself! A simple new viewing feature will let you view a mashup from within Google Maps, as well as layer multiple mashups for an expanded view previously only possible by opening each mashup's website individually!

Not long ago you might remember my post about Google Mapplets. Mapplets are compact versions of Google Maps mashups that are viewable from directly within the Google Maps site itself. Since May 31st, numerous Google Maps geo-developers have been hard at work creating Mapplet versions of their mashups accessible, until today, through a special preview website. Today Google is making these Mapplets available to you and the public on Google Maps to view, interact with, and mash up with other Mapplets for a totally customizable Google Maps viewing experience.

To get started all you need to do is visit Google Maps and select the My Maps tab. To add Mapplets to your view, just click on the "Add Content" link and explore or search the directory for Mapplets that appeal to you. You might have already gotten in and played around with the easy maps creation tool called My Maps that was launched back on Apr.5/07? Perhaps you've created your own Google Map with points, photos or videos? You can now layer these My Maps creations among other third party Mapplets, then save the resulting view you've compiled as its own mashup in your My Maps tab for later viewing! Google Maps users in following countries will be able to make use of this new feature: US, the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia; Also available in the following languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Russian and Chinese (TW).



Here are some cool Mapplets to get you started:

• Webcams Worldwide
• Wikimapia Layer
• YouTube videos
• Leisure activities - Sanoodi
• Flickrvision clone
• Ski Reports and Conditions
• Weather Bonk Live Conditions Map
• WeatherBonk Typical Weather
• Altitude Resolving Tool
• Wikipedia Mapplet
• UK potholes and hazards
• Gas Prices from GasBuddy.com
• Webcams Belgium
• Vinyard Hunter Australia
• Gainesville Regional Transit System
• US Address Lookup
• Flickr Photo Mapplet
  

I've been blogging about Google Maps mashups and tools created by people all over the world since April of 2005 and nothing throughout the course of the maps mashup phenomenon has come close to the power and implications of this new tool. It harnesses the collective mass of Google Maps mashups, user generated content and incredibly simple aggregation ability to make for an impressive mapping tool. Today is indeed an important day in the history of the Google Maps mashup.. a day when the reigns get turned over to the Google Maps user to make their own mashup from those already created.. It's just the beginning too!

If you're a Google Maps geo-developer and you haven't yet ported your mashup to a Mapplet, don't get left out.. Get Started Here!

[Via Google Lat-Long Blog]

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Google Maps Tour de France Live Tracker 2007

Tour De France Live Tracker 2007:

The 2007 Tour de France is underway and the Ubilabs Tour de France Live Tracker 2007 is live once again. This Google Maps mashup will let you track the stage that is currently underway, and follow GPS-tracked cyclists that are deep in the race.. in real-time! See their exact location, as well heart rate, cadence, speed and power. Cool team jersey map markers indicate the T-Mobile, Gerolsteiner, Discovery Channel, CSC, Saunier Duval and Liquigasracer cyclists on the map. This mashup even makes use of the Twitter API for constant updates (See Live Ticker)! This is a great way to keep up with the race through a truly interactive Google Maps interface! Hurry to take a good look at this mashup before the Tour wraps up in beautiful Paris on July 29th!

Tour de France Links: Wikipedia, Official Tour website, Technorati


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The New 7 Wonders of the World Google Maps Mashups

A modern day and contemporary update to the 7 Wonders of the World has concluded and the winners have been announced after more than 100 million people voted by electronic means. Think of it as the People's Choice awards for the existing 7 Wonders of the World list. The final list was announced on July 7, 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Here are the winners:

• Chichen Itza
• Christ the Redeemer
• Great Wall
• Machu Picchu
• Petra
• Roman Colosseum
• Taj Mahal

Here to help you view the list by Google Map are Juan Taylor and Virender Ajmani's new mashups:

The New 7 Wonders (+ YouTube clips) - Virender Ajmani has assembled the new list, along with YouTube clips for each of the 7.

The New 7 Wonders of the World - Juan Taylor has long focused his Google Maps mashups on the Wonders of the World. He adds the New 7 Wonders to an existing list of 22 "wonders" of the world. Be sure to check out the full list!

Other New 7 Wonders Links: Official Site, Wikipedia article, Google News

Google Maps Mashups: Live Earth, The Simpsons, World Airports

Live Earth Concert Google Map with Driving Directions - Ted Nye has created a timely and handy Maps tool for those of you heading to the Live Earth Concert in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, or Australia. Look to the bottom right of the map and enter your starting address and choose the location for the concert you're attending which has been pre-set in the drop down menu. The mashup also serves as a Google Maps view of the locations where the concert will be taking place.

Mashup of 7-Eleven turned (Simpsons) Kwik-E-Mart Locations - Amy dropped me a line to tell me about a Google My Map she created to show the locations of 7-Eleven stores in the US that have transformed themselves into Kwik-E-Marts to usher in the new Simpsons Movie! The Flickr tag for "kwikemart" and a search on YouTube expose some interesting photos and videos from the process and how it looks inside!

Mashup of airports, airlines and connections - This mashup creator informs us that "..AirDB is a project that aims to collect information about airport, airlines, and connections world wide". Google Maps is integrated to show locations of airports in a specific country or center the map on a particular airport to see a local view with details and other secondary airports nearby (Example here). You can also map the airports which a specific airline flies to - (See British Airways as an example). Finally, routes are also Google-mapped giving you a view of the route and lots of detail (Example here). Though not the prettiest UI, map pin design or page navigation, it is a very useful mashup if you're trying to learn more about a particular airport and airlines that fly to and from it.

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Technorati Tags:
Live Earth, The Simpsons Movie, Kwik e Mart

Google Maps Mania links for 2007-07-04

• Gridskipper's Worldwide Google My Maps Roundup
• New Google Maps Creation/Exploration Tool: MKMap
• FolkJam Music Map
• Google Blogoscoped: The Bourne Ultimatum Google (Maps) Tie-in Follow-up
• World Changing: Narrative Cartography
• New Virtual San Francisco Mapping Tool: MapJack [via]
• Help.com integrates Google Maps for live postings

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7 great new US Google Maps mashups!

TaxiWiz: Google Maps Tool to calculate cab fare! (now for 6 US cities!)

Mike DeGraw-Bertsch has expanded his New York City Cab fare tool to include 5 new US cities. They are: Boston, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Toronto is also the first Canadian city added. Select two points and Taxiwiz helps to estimate the cab fare for that journey. There are also mobile versions for each city so you can use this app on your mobile device (this doesn't use Google Maps).

130,000 US Public Schools.. Mapped!

Public School Portal lets you search and Google map 130,000 US public schools by zip code or by city/state. Each school has detailed information including school website, driving directions, number of teachers, students and even the cultural mix of students attending. It's very interesting. Public School portal also includes the "Best 100 US high schools" (as reported by Newsweek).

Map of US Harley Davidson Dealerships - Drill down to state level to see Google Map. Also provides directions.

Baltimore Homicides in 2007 - The Baltimore Sun has created a Google Map with
options for sorting and displaying Baltimore murder locations that occurred this year using different criteria, such as the date of the murder and the district or ZIP code in which the victim was found. It also allows users to sort by certain characteristics of the victims, such as age, gender, race and cause of death.

RadioShack Store Locator now uses Google Maps:


US South Asian Business Google Maps mashup - Approx. 9000 listings mashed up with Google Maps.

2008 Presidential Election Primary Polls

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Google Maps expands coverage of India

India - Google Maps Search + many new cities added!

Google Maps for the country of India now features the ability to search for points of interest and addresses.

Popular India cultural locations:

• Gateway of India
• India Gate
• Taj Mahal

Address Searching: Mumbai Airport Sheraton (Sahar Andheri (East),Mumbai - 400 099 India) and Local Points of Interest (Eg:) Bombay Hospital, Mumbai High Court

This new search functionality is available for the following cities in India (some of which are new to Google Maps):
Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad Agartala, Agra, Allahabad, Amritsar, Bhopal, Bhubhaneswar, Bikaner, Chandigarh, Cuttack, Darjeeling, Dehradun, Diu, Ernakulam, Gandhinagar, Goa, Guwahati, Gwalior, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Indore, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jamshedpur, Jhansi, Kanchipuram, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolhapur, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mount Abu, Mussoorie, Nagpur, Nashik, Ooty, Patna, Pondicherry, Port Blair, Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Solapur (Sholapur), Srinagar, Surat, Thrissur (Trichur), Tiruchirappalli (Tiruchchirappalli), Trivandrum, Vadodara, Varanasi, Vizag

See previous posts that include India Google Maps mashups - click the "India" label below..

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Dubai, Abu Dhabi (UAE) now on Google Maps!

United Arab Emirates (UAE) Added to Google Maps!



The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is on the map! Residents of and visitors to the UAE can now view streets and roads for major cities such as Dubai and Abu-Dhabi! While map searching isn't yet available there, searching for "User-created content" on Google Maps searching will. For example, center the map on the UAE and enter "Ski Dubai", or other search terms for Dubai to see where users of the geoweb have plotted locations for their content. It's very helpful.

New Google Maps mashups from Dubai:

REstate.ae - A new Google Maps real estate mashup that displays property locations, neighborhood boundaries and calculates distance from a property to local landmarks.
Interactive Map of Gulf Architecture - Created using Google My Maps [via/info]

Here are two photosets of trips I took to Dubai in 2005 and 2006..

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