Street View Arrives in Israel

Wailing Wall

Street View imagery is now available on Google Maps in Israel. The imagery is available in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv and also in a few universities and museums dotted around the country.

If you haven't got time to check out all the new Israeli Street View you can cheat by taking a quick tour of Mini Israel, a miniature park located near Latrun, Israel in the Ayalon Valley, which also now has Street View imagery.


Church of Gethsemane

A number of cities in Ukraine also now have Street View (I think these are new). The cities include Kiev, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odessa and L'viv.


Annunciation Cathedral, Kharkiv

Google Maps for Israel

Last week Google added map data coverage in the Google Maps API for Israel across all services, including map tiles, geocoding, directions, and places.

Access Israel are the first to use the new map data in the API. Access Israel is a nongovernmental, non-profit organisation that promotes disabled accessibility. The organisation's website features a great Google Map that features businesses that are accessible throughout the country.

Users of the map can search for accessible buildings by location or by type (e.g. sports facilities, shops, restaurants).

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A Wiki Map for Israel

Amud Anan is an online travel guide and geographical encyclopaedia for Israel.



The map uses the Google Maps API with topographical map tiles of Israel to display user submitted points of interest. As well as adding points of interest users can add routes and trails to the map.



The map is in Hebrew only and is available as a desktop and as an iPhone and iPad application.



Amud Anan



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Tracking the Free Gaza Flotilla

The Free Gaza Flotilla

Since August 2008, the Free Gaza Movement has sailed a number of voyages to Gaza. Today the latest voyage was intercepted by the Israeli navy.

The WitnessGAZA website has been tracking the progress of the flotilla as it travels across the Mediterranean Sea using Google Maps. The interception point has been marked on the map with a red map marker.

As well as the Google Map used to track the flotilla the WitnessGAZA website includes embedded videos taken during the voyage.

Update
Tragically when Israeli commandos boarded the Free Gaza Flotilla overnight more than 10 people were killed.

Israel says its soldiers were shot at and attacked with bars and knives.

Audrey Bomse, a spokesperson for the Free Gaza Movement says there was "absolutely no evidence of live fire" from the flotilla.

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Israeli Property Search on Google Maps

KanGarim

Israeli property search website KanGarim uses Google Maps to show the latest properties for sale and rent in the country.

KanGarim crawls the most popular property websites in Israel to ensure that they display only the latest property listings on the map. The map displays rental properties that have been advertised in the last four days and properties for sale that have been advertised in the last week.

At the moment KanGarim only displays a satellite view. This means that the user has to click on the map markers to find the address of the property. The site explains the lack of a street map view by saying that Google doesn't provide this service for Israel. However a street map view for Israel has been available since September of last year, so hopefully the site will get around to adding this option soon.

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Gaza Timeline Map

Gaza Attack Timeline

This Google Map mashup shows a timeline of the Gaza conflict. The map includes a day by day breakdown of the Israeli invasion and Hamas rocket attacks. The map also shows the growing number of dead and injured from the conflict.

The Gaza Attack Timeline includes a number of news feeds about the conflict from CNN, the BBC, Reuters, Aljeezera and the NY Times.

As well as the dedicated map there is a Google Mapplet and Google Gadget of the conflict as well.

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Israel Gets Street Maps, Georgia Gets Towns

Google Maps has added street maps for Israel.



However, as you can see from the screen-shot above, Israel seems to be full of streets with no names.

That is unless you search in Hebrew. Then the names magically appear.



Perhaps Google don't have a Hebrew to English interpreter.

Google have now also added labels for cities and towns in Georgia. The Google LatLong Blog says that 'new data' for a number of other countries has also been added to Google Maps.

One of the 'other countries' seems to be the Isle of Man which now has street maps. 

Hat-tip to Amos Shapira - via: Ira Abramov's Blog
Hat-tip to Mapperz for news of the Isle of Man update
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