Google Train View Arrives

Google has released Street View imagery for the Albula Railway in Switzerland. The imagery is available for the section of the line between Albula and Bergun. This is a small section of the famous Glacier Express route.



Via: Street View Funny

SimCity Lausanne Transit on Google Maps

Vasile Cotovanu has created a new Google Map application, Lausanne Transit Network Simulator, using his popular and open-sourced transit network simulator. And I think it is the most impressive yet!

Vasile's latest simulation shows in real-time the public transit network of Lausanne in Switzerland. The simulator animates the town's buses in real-time. What makes this simulation even more impressive is the Google Maps aerial (Bird's Eye) imagery available in Lausanne.

The simulation maps the Lausanne public transit network and time-table, which involves more than 150km of travel and more than 300 stations, with 5,000 vehicles a day making almost 100,000 stops.

Using Vasile's vehicle-simulator you can create your own real-time public transit network simulator for any town or city with the help of the code, available from GitHub. To create your own simulated network you just need to plot your track / road network and the vehicle timetables in JSON format.

The network simulator can also be seen in action on:

• Swiss Railways(SBB) network simulator
• Romanian Railways(CFR) network simulator

Swiss Parlament Revealed with Google Maps

Google Maps doesn't play a huge part in this visualisation of the Swiss Parlament but it is hugely impressive.

The visualisation reveals the interests of the country's members of parliament. If you click on an MP's seat in the visualisation a political profile is displayed listing all the MP's political affiliations, mandates and business interests.

If you then select one of the business interests, pressure groups etc listed you can view further details about the organisation, including a Google Map of its Swiss headquarters.

Parlament Explorer

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Running a Marathon in Street View

The self styled 'most beautiful marathon in the world' is taking place on the 10th September. If you don't fancy hauling yourself up the Swiss Alps at a swift pace or if you can't get to Jungfrau this weekend you can still enjoy the gorgeous views on offer with this Google Map.

Jungfrau Marathon is a Google Map of the route that allows you to view photography taken along the whole of the route.

The application allows you to set your pace and then just press 'play'. The map then animates along the marathon route and gives you a first person view with imagery especially captured for this application.

The map even includes an elevation chart that shows you just how steep those mountain slopes really are. This is exactly how I like my marathons - with gorgeous scenery and viewed from my armchair.

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Proximity Search with Google Maps

Arrlee is a new Google Maps based application that can tell you how far you can travel from a destination on public transport within a certain time.



Arrlee give three good examples of when you might need to carry out a proximity search:

• You are planning a weekend trip and are looking for locations you can travel to in a specified time
• You are looking for a new job within a certain commuting time from your home
• You want to find somewhere to live within a certain commuting time from a specific location
  
  

To use Arrlee just enter a station name and set the time available to travel. You can even add points of interest to the map, so, for example, you can find out where all the museums are within a certain travelling time of a location.



Arelee currently works in Germany, Austria and Switzerland but there are plans to add more countries soon. A mobile version is also in development.



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An Epic Adventure on Google Maps

American author and adventurer John Harlin has set out on an epic journey to follow the entire Swiss border under his own power, a 2,000km odyssey with more than 170,000m of climbing. You can follow John's journey on swissinfo.ch's John Harlin Live Google Map.



The map shows John's current position (at the time of writing he appears to be approaching the Matterhorn). The map also includes the amazing photographs that John has taken on his journey, links to John's daily reports and some of the interesting features and points of interest that John is passing on his epic journey.



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Climbing the Matterhorn with Street View

Street View Funny noticed today that the ski runs around Zermatt, Switzerland now have Street View coverage on Google Maps. The new imagery includes this great view of the Matterhorn, above.



The Zermatt images were collected by the Street View snow mobile, which was first used to capture imagery for the 2011 Winter Olympics in Canada.



Skiing in Zermatt is split up into four areas; Sunnegga, Gornergrat, Klein Matterhorn and Schwarzsee. It appears to me that all four main skiing areas have been covered in this new Street View release from Google.





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Street View Arrives in Monaco

Google Maps has added Street View for the principality of Monaco. As well as this new Street View imagery for Monaco the Street View trike has been busy in Switzerland.

As the second smallest country in the world (after Vatican City) it probably didn't take the Street View car too long to capture the latest imagery on Google Maps. Despite its size, however, Monaco has a lot of interesting sights.

Now you can follow the route of the Monaco Grand Prix in glorious panoramic Street View. If cars aren't your thing then you can take a virtual stroll around Monaco's quays and ogle at all the expensive yachts.



In Switzerland the Street View trike has visited the inside of Château Chillon.



It has also invaded the Three Castles of Bellinzona.



It then went on to capture Château Gruyères.



Via: Le blog officiel de Google France, Zorgloob and Street View Funny

Road Races in Street View

Swiss Post - Running View

UbiLabs has developed a very nice Google Maps based application for Swiss Post that allows you to view upcoming road races with Street View. Currently you can preview the Grand-Prix von Bern, the Lausanne Marathon and the Schweizer Frauenlauf Bern with Running View.

For each race it is possible to preview the route in Google Street View. All you need to do is press 'play' and you can view an animation of the route using Google Street View images. You can pause and adjust the speed of the Street View animation of the route at any time.

A Google Map with a rotating marker gives you an overview of the current position and an elevation chart shows the elevation at each point of the track.

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The Swiss Alps Street View Competition

This winter the Street View snowmobile is taking to the Swiss Alps.

In order to decide which ski resorts will be visited by the Street View snowmobile Google are holding a vote with MySwitzerland.com . Voters can choose between 30 resorts and the winners will soon appear on Google Maps.

You can view precious Street View imagery captured by the Google snowmobile in Canada at the Dave Murray Downhill, from the top of the 7th Heaven Chairlift on Blackcomb, and from the peak of Whistler.

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Video Street View in Action

Global Vision

Global Vision is a Google Maps mashup that lets the user explore Switzerland via a number of video Street Views. It is a little like Google's Street View only it uses panoramic videos rather than still panoramic images.

I first posted about about Global Vision in October last year, however since then the site has expanded its coverage from Geneva to cover a lot more of Switzerland's roads.

It is a lot of fun to explore Switzerland in Global Vision. Just select a road from the Google Map and press play on the video. As the video plays you have full control of the camera view. For example, it is possible to take a virtual drive along the shore of Lake Léman, past the Chateau de Chillon, panning the camera to view the chateau as you pass.

Almost as good as being there for real.

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Video Street View in Action

Global Vision
Last week I speculated a little about Google's plans for video Street View. Global Vision have produced something very similar to what I imagine Google are planning.

Global Vision is a Google Maps mashup that lets the user explore Geneva via a number of video Street Views. It is a little like Google's Street View only it uses panoramic videos rather than still panoramic images. Have a look at the screencast below to see Global Vision in action:



It is possible to select a particular street view video by clicking on any of the roads marked in red. As the video plays you can see the location update live on the map. Here's a good tip, right click on the video and select stereographic, the stereographic image is much better quality.

This site has only just been released so I imagine there may still be some features to be added. It would be great if there were unique URL's for each Street View (for example my brother's road in Geneva has a video street view and I would love to be able to send him a direct link to the video street view).

Another more advanced feature would be to stitch a number of the videos together to create video driving directions for a requested route (which is what I think Google may be planning with their own video street views).

But I'm being picky. This is an awesome site. It definitely shows an exciting future for street view and Google Maps.

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Sports Trails on Google Maps

tourendatenbank

tourendatenbank is a new Google Maps mashup site of outdoor sports activities. The site lists different outdoor sports activities by category and country. Users can add their favourite routes and pictures (top spots) and search for routes submitted by other users.

The site is in German and, at the moment, mainly features routes in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The map includes a number of categories of routes, including mountain walks, climbing routes, mountain bike trails, winter hikes, snowshoe trails, skiing and luge.

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Google Earth Tours of Switzerland

Swiss Fighter Tour & Video Synchronisation

Frank Taylor, of the Google Earth Blog, has taken my hack of synchronising a YouTube video with the Google Earth plugin to create a stunning flight over the Swiss Alps.

Frank has taken a video of the flight of a Swiss Fighter Jet and recreated the flight in Google Earth. Playing the tour alongside the video really illustrates the power of Google Earth played in a browser.

Via: The Google Earth Blog

Google Earth Slideshow Tour

Inspired by Frank's use of YouTube and the Google Earth plugin it occurred to me that you can actually play any javascript application synchronised to a Google Earth plugin tour. In this example I have synchronised a Google Earth tour of Lake Geneva with a javascript photo slideshow created by Leigeber.

The Google Earth and plugin tour and the photographs are not exactly brilliant but I think it gives a good illustration of the possibilities of synchronising Google Earth with other applications.

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Live Tram Tram Tracking on Google Maps

Local.ch Zurich Tram Tracker

Live Swiss Tram Tracking from Keir Clarke on Vimeo.

Local.ch released this tram tracking site yesterday, partly as an April Fool joke. The map purports to show trams in Zurich in real-time but in fact just shows where the trams should be according to the tram timetable. However, because this is Switzerland, the trams nearly always run on time and it is therefore still a very useful map for Zurich tram users (the webcam images however are not real but part of the April Fool).

The Google Map shows the location of all Zurich trams moving in real-time based upon the Zurich tram timetable. Each tram is colour coded and numbered so users can quickly see which line it is on. When you click on a tram the line it is on appears on the map so that you can see its destination. If you zoom in very closely the tram number marker actually changes to an image of a tram.

Also See
Swiss Trains - an amazing map that shows every train in the Swiss rail network in real-time.
Swiss Planes - stunning real-time tracking of Swiss planes.

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PinPoint Google Maps Creation

WEISSWO PinPoint
Weisswo PinPoint is a German based Google Map creation tool that enables anyone to create their own Google Map mash-up. The creation tool comes with a number of useful features, including custom icons, driving directions, clustering, search, database connection and web site embedding.

PinPoint has already ben adopted by a number of companies. Here are some maps created with WEISSWO PinPoint:

Mercedes Benz Omnibus Atlas

This website, operated by the German publisher Kommunalverlag, is an on-line database for about 5,500 bus operators, who use it to plan their bus tours in central Europe. Thanks to PinPoint the site has been able to create a Google Map showcasing points of interest throughout central Europe.

Streich 700
This Google Map tags the 690 European distributors for furniture manufacturer Streich.

Regiocard Tirol

The Regiocard is an access card for different leisure facilities in Tyrol, Austria. This Google Map shows the location of the winter and summer leisure facilities that accept the card. The map comes with a handy legend so visitors can select to view only the activities they are interested in.

Natural Gas Stations in Germany
This Google Maps shows the location of gas stations in Germany.

Get'n'Drop
This map demonstrates PinPoint's ability to display photographs. The map showcases a number of locations in Austria. When a map user clicks on one of the points of interest a lightbox opens displaying a photograph or a video of the location.

BMW-Austria

BMW-Austria are using PinPoint to geo-tag BMW dealers in Austria. All the dealers are shown on a Google Map and are listed in a sidebar. Clicking on one of the markers opens an information window with the address and phone number of the dealer.

World Architecture
This architecture map demonstrates how PinPoint can display images in a sidebar which, when clicked, will zoom the map into the location where the photo was taken.

Golf Map
This Google Map mash-up displays the location of a number of golf courses in the Alpine region of Austria and Switzerland. When you click on the marker of one of the tagged golf courses an information window opens with the contact details of the course. Most of the information windows also contain images, which when clicked open in a lightbox.

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Switzerland Google Maps Round-Up! (May/08)

I'm heading off for a flying visit to the lakes and mountains of Switzerland next week. So before setting off I thought it might be useful to have a quick look at the latest Google Maps mash-ups emanating from Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft/ Confédération Suisse / Confederazione Svizzera or Confederaziun Svizra (the Swiss Confederation - depending on which of the four official languages you speak)

Smagoo

One web-site that has already proved useful in planning my trip is the wonderfully named Smagoo. Smagoo is a site that maps hotels, restaurants and shops in Switzerland. To search the site you define the area and category (hotels, restaurants or shops) and a Google map is produced on the fly with your search results.

Clicking on one of the tagged search results on the map will take you to a page about that establishment. This page contains the address, opening hours and photos. The site is easy to use and it certainly didn't take me long to identify a number of restaurants that I shall be honouring with my custom next week.

Darktemptation
Darktemptation is a Swiss heavy metal magazine that features an events database and a Google Map that shows heavy metal venues in Switzerland. The site is fairly intuitive to use. Venues are tagged on a map of Switzerland and clicking on one of the tagged clubs reveals the address of the club and a link to its web site.

I notice that Napalm Death are playing during my visit to the country. Unfortunately I seem to have already pencilled in a sedate boat cruise on Lake Geneva for that day.

plebsTV

PlebsTV is a great community driven map that members can use to map photographs, videos, audio or eyewitness reports. It is possible to search the map for members who are located in your area. When you find friends you can search their collection of mapped items. Alternatively you can just search areas on the map for items submitted by other users.

Zooming in on an area is a great way to get an idea of what the place is like from the submitted photographs and videos. It is an experience fairly similar to Google Maps' new 'Explore' option.

PlebsTV is built by a Swiss development team but the site is in English and is certainly not restricted to Switzerland.

Polizeinews Map
Polizeinews is a crime map for Zurich. Crimes are shown on the map by flashing police sirens. When you click on a flashing siren an information window opens with details about the individual crime. Each crime also carries a link to the Swiss police news site Polizenews, where the crime is explained in greater detail.

Funimap
Funimap is a map of funicular railways in Switzerland. Every funicular railway in the country is tagged on a Google Map. When you click on one of the tags you are provided with a link that takes you to details and photographs of that particular funicular.

Funimap is a great hobbyist's web-site and anyone with an interest in funicular railways or who wishes to ride on one of Switzerland's many mountains should definitely give it a visit.


Other Swiss Maps We Have Liked:

• Real-Time Swiss Train Map
• Swiss Road Fatalities Map
• Swiss Blog Map

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Real-time Train Map for Switzerland

Real-time Swiss Trains Map:


Swiss Trains is an amazing map that shows every train in the Swiss rail network in real-time. You can search the whole network for any train or station and watch in amazement as the train positions are animated in real-time on a map of Switzerland.

Place your mouse over any of the moving trains and a pop-up window informs you which train it is, where it is heading, which station it is calling at next and its current speed. Click on a moving train and a timetable for that train appears. The timetable includes an option to ‘follow’ the train. If you choose this option the map changes to a satellite view and zooms in on your chosen train. You can now follow the moving train from a ‘a bird's eye view’.

This option allows you to follow trains on some of the most attractive train lines in the world. For example if you search for train D 903 (or any train between D903 - D910) you can follow a train along the mountainous route of The Glacier Express from St. Moritz across the amazing Landwasser Viaduct and onto Zermatt.

Currently the map does not actually show the GPS-positions of trains but estimates position based on the Swiss train timetable. However the site owners promise that the actual real-time position of trains will soon be given, based on the delay-information from Prosurf.

Related:
Live Helsinki Transit Map
Dublin Commuter Trains

[Via: mapperz.blogspot.com]
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19 New European Google Maps Mashups!

Czech Republic: Prague 360

Explore the beautiful city of Prague using this great Google Maps mashup (translated into 18 languages) Features city highlights with a nice Flash panoramic viewer. This is definitely one to check out! (More Czech Republic Google Maps mashups here..)

• Germany: Shopping Map - Search for products and find matching eBay offers
• Germany: Berlin Ping Pong Tables - German language mashup that helps you find a public ping pong table
• Switzerland: Geneva Apartments - Google Maps and Earth real estate mashup
• Sweden: Runner's Log - Swedish Google Maps based running tool
• The Netherlands: Map of Road Work - Dutch mashup to display current projects
• The Netherlands: Geoday Benelux 2007
• Malta: Best of Malta - A mashup of the best 4 and 5 star hotels including videos
• Turkey: Holiday Town of Kusadasi - A mashup for this resort town in coastal Turkey
• Andora: Accomodations Map - French, Spanish and English language
• Italy: Holiday Rentals - English and Italian language mashup
• Denmark: Trafikkameraer - Sjælland - 25 traffic cams all over Zealand.
• Denmark: De 98 nye kommuner pr. 1. januar 2007 - Mashup of the new 98 Municipalities of Denmark January 1, 2007
• Denmark: Storbyliv - Search/see upcoming events for 5 major cities in Denmark
• Denmark: MitKBH - Users writes reviews about bars, dance clubs, restaurants, shops etc in Copenhagen
• Denmark: Camping places - over 500 hundred danish camping places
• (Thanks to Soren Johannessen for the above Danish mashups!)

Across Europe:

• Europe: Skateparks across Europe - German language mashup of skate parks in countries throughout Europe
• Germany, Switzerland and Austria: Bike Tours - German language site using Google Maps to suggest cycling routes
• Europe: European Union in 2007 - View countries and when they joined the EU
• Europe: POIs for across Europe - Points of interest for all European countries

Recent Google Maps Mania posts:

• Google Maps update for: Russia, Turkey, Taiwan, Thailand, Croatia, Slovenia, Lithuania!
• New satellite imagery (Europe) for Google Maps - Mar.1/07
• France Google Maps Mashup Roundup - Part 6
• Italy Google Maps Mashup Roundup Part 2
• Google Maps - Send to BMW (Germany)

Many of the mashups contained in this post were found on the ProgrammableWeb Google Maps feed.

Google Maps Mania links for 2007-03-02

The Police World Concert Tour Map

The Lost Tomb of Jesus on Google Maps

Karta Map - GeoNames + Google Maps mashup; mapping placenames, landmarks and geo-locations.

North American Ballpark Map

Do a monster mashup - An article from the Sydney Morning Herald outlining the Aussie Google Maps mashup craze.

FindByClick's Starbucks Coffee Mapper now includes Singapore! - Other countries include Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Macau, Spain, Switzerland, UK and the USA.

Google Base + Google Maps = MainBase - Allows users to search and sort on any attribute as well as plot records on charts/maps/calendars. This YouTube video should help explain things..

Tour Dates Map - Created by taking a list of tour dates (in plain text format) and generating a Google Maps tour map.

New Google Maps Development Book: Beginning Google Maps Applications with Rails and Ajax: From Novice to Professional - There's also a contest on the Book's Blog!

Cool Google Earth-related Links:

Swiss Alps "Fighter" Tour in Google Earth - Frank Taylor of the Google Earth Blog shows just how good the new high-res satellite imagery and terrain is for Google Earth by mirroring a real life fly-through. He shows one YouTube view with a real flight and one that shows his virtual fly-through.

Google Maps/Earth user finds their Land Rover on Namibia - Angola - Similar to Frank's post, this Flickr user shows real imagery in one pane with the Google Earth view to show what great detail there is. A Google Maps view shows the user's Land Rover caught in the satellite photo.

CTO of Google Earth On Adding Web Search - A great interview with Google's Michael Jones. "..Michael describes the search algorithm (a combination of text and geodata) and gives some thoughts on how the Google Earth Web Browser will lead to a geotagged web (hint, it's via KML)."