Google Maps is a leader among modern mapping services that provide satellite interactive maps online. At least a leader in the field of satellite imagery and in the number of various additional services and tools (Google Earth, Google Mars, various weather and transport services, one of the most powerful APIs).
In the field of schematic maps, at some point, this leadership “was lost” in favor of Open Street Maps - a unique mapping service in the spirit of Wikipedia, where every volunteer can contribute data to the site.
However, despite this, the popularity of Google Maps remains perhaps one of the highest of all other mapping services. Part of the reason is that Google Maps is where we can find the most detailed satellite photos for the largest regions of any country. Even in Russia such a large and successful company as Yandex cannot surpass the quality and coverage of satellite photographs, at least in its own country.
With Google Maps, anyone can view satellite photos of the Earth for free almost anywhere in the world.
The highest resolution images are usually available for the largest cities in the world in America, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Asia, Oceania. Currently, high-quality images are available for cities with a population of more than 1 million inhabitants. For less major cities and others settlements Satellite images are only available in limited resolution.
Google Maps or “Google Maps” was a real discovery for Internet users and indeed all PC users, giving an unheard of and previously unseen opportunity to look at their home, their village, cottage, lake or river where they vacationed in the summer - from a satellite. To see it from above, from a perspective from which it would be impossible to see it under any other circumstances. The discovery, the very idea of giving people easy access to satellite photos fits harmoniously into general concept Google is “making it easy for everyone to access every piece of information on the planet.”
Google Maps allows you to see from a satellite simultaneously those things and objects that cannot be observed at the same time when observed from the ground. Satellite maps differ from regular topics, that on simple maps the colors and natural forms of natural objects are distorted by editorial processing for further publication. However, satellite photographs preserve all the naturalness of nature and the objects being photographed, natural colors, shapes of lakes, rivers, fields and forests.
Looking at the map, one can only guess what is there: a forest, a field or a swamp, while on satellite photography it is immediately clear: objects, usually round or oval in shape, with a unique swamp color, are swamps. The light green spots or areas in the photograph are fields, and the dark green ones are forests. With enough experience in orientation in Google Maps, you can even distinguish whether it is a coniferous forest or a mixed one: coniferous has more brown tint. Also on the map you can distinguish specific broken lines piercing the forests and fields of the vast Russian expanses - these are railways. Only by looking from a satellite can you understand that railways are much larger highways influence the natural landscape around them. Also in Google Maps, it is possible to overlay maps with the names of regions, roads, settlements on a national scale and the names of streets, house numbers, metro stations on a city scale on a satellite image of an area or city.
In addition to satellite images, it is possible to switch to the “map” mode, in which it is possible to view any territory on the surface of the Earth and study in detail the layout and location of houses of any more or less large city. In the "map" mode it is especially convenient to plan your movements around the city if you have already seen enough satellite views of your city.
The search function by house number will easily point you to the right house giving the opportunity to “look around” the area around this house and how you can drive/approach it. To search for the required object, just type in Russian in the search bar a query like: “City, street, house number” and the site will display to you the location of the object you are looking for using a special marker.
To begin, open some place.
To move around the map, left-click on the map and drag it in any order. To return to the original position, press the centering button located between the four direction buttons.
To enlarge the map, click on the button "+" or roll the mouse roller when the cursor is over the map. You can also enlarge the map double click mouse in the location you are interested in.
To switch between satellite, mixed (hybrid) and map views, use the corresponding buttons in the upper right corner of the map: Map / Satellite / Hybrid.
I have long wanted to write this post and tell you about Google maps. Surely you will say: “What’s special about them? Regular maps, with the ability to plot routes, use with GPS, information about the metro, city and street maps, etc.” All this has long become a familiar tool for us, but not everyone knows that Google Maps has an amazing opportunity that it’s simply a shame not to know about. This feature sets GoogleMaps apart from its other competitors and gives it a big lead. Intrigued? Then I begin the detailed story...
So meet...Google maps in 3D. Yes, yes... this means that now you will be able to see three-dimensional buildings, streets, roads, transport, etc. It’s worth noting that this feature has been around for a very, very long time. In Russia it is almost never used, since 3D maps are still available only to foreign countries and that's not for everyone. But as a short sightseeing tour in another country they are simply magnificent.
If the speed of your Internet connection is below 512 Kbps, then using the service will be problematic.....of course, if you can wait for a long, long time...In general, you need a more or less high-speed connection =) Just in case, update the version of Adobe Flash Player http http://www.adobe.com/ru/products/flash/
To begin with, of course, let's go to the website http://maps.google.ru
It must be said that the 3D maps function is very, very deeply hidden in the functionality of the maps. Finding them is not easy. For a long time I didn’t understand what to press and where to look.
So, enter the following into the search bar: 3D New York. A similar picture will appear
Next, to enter 3D mode, for example, click on the letter I. This is not important. Subsequently, you will be able to manage your location using the map. The main thing is to go into 3D mode. So, click I and then on “Street View”. By the way, if you see the phrase “Street View” anywhere else on Google maps, then you can view it in 3D mode
And so. The 3D mode is launched and you see a three-dimensional picture.
In the lower right corner there is a “little man” and a map. By moving the little man around the map, you can control your location. Attention, you cannot place it outside the blue area, since the 3D viewing area only includes the marked blue area on the map. Click on the corner of the mini-map. It will expand halfway across the screen. This makes it much more convenient to control the situation
If any place is unavailable in 3D viewing mode, then pictures corresponding to it will be displayed in its place
To switch to full-screen viewing mode (this is very, very convenient and the best way to use it) you need to click on the rectangle on the right at the top of the main map.
You can fully move around the city. Zoom in/out, read various signs, look at photographs, look at diagrams and symbols. What I really liked was that there was transport and people on the street. Even though it doesn't move, it still looks amazing. Very realistic picture, high resolution. Everything is very clear and distinguishable. You can also read various small text on signs and billboards.
Here is a map of the famous Time Square in New York.
The only thing I would like is a day/night switch. But this is nitpicking. Few people will need to look for any street in the middle of the night.
And now let's move from New York to Paris. Specifically to France. Google has also provided a 3D viewing mode for it. Let's enter: 3D Paris
Click on any street. Our goal is to find the coveted “Street View” inscription. So we found it. This is what it looks like for me
I think it's interesting. You can see everything here. Let's try to find the famous Eiffel Tower.
Here she is. Located on Ave. Gustave Efel. Let's try to watch it full screen. So it's much more interesting
The next stop will be in Japan. Enter the following: Japonya 3d tokio. Let's select some place and expand it to full screen mode.
As you can see, the quality of the picture is so high that you would think that this photo was actually taken in Japan.
I think this one a short walk around the world was interesting for you. Never before have I been so engrossed in looking at maps. But it’s true, you can spend hours looking at all this beauty. It’s so interesting to see another city, almost in person, to walk along its streets, to see the architecture and nature. It's a pity that you can't watch Russian cities in 3D. For example, Moscow, St. Petersburg. Well, I think you can have fun without them. The main thing is not to get carried away. Virtual travel is very addictive. You won’t even notice how you will lose several hours of your time in search of something new and interesting. In general, go ahead to GoogleMaps.
Time Square in New York (Times Square) - the main crossroads of the world Don't forget to write in the comments about your impressions. See you again!
In order to see what the most popular places on our planet look like in stereo 3D, you now need very little. All you need to do is stock up on 3D glasses (anaglyph), open google maps Maps - and the world in 3D in the palm of your hand.
To try out the capabilities of the 3D service, just go to maps.google.com and follow these steps:
Following Google Maps, the application also received 3D functionality. Google Earth" For those who have equipment that supports NVIDIA 3D Vision with drivers latest version, you just need to run the program. You won't find 3D settings in the Google Earth menu, so you'll need to make sure your 3D Vision settings are correct.
If you're the proud owner of NVIDIA 3D Surround, you can use three 3D monitors to view the map in Google Earth.
In addition, using the Google Earth application, you can create 3D images of both the world's most famous landmarks and just the streets of your city. Those who do not yet have the maps installed can download them.
Before you start, make sure that all checkboxes except “3D building” (as shown in the image on the left) are unchecked. To achieve a more impressive effect, it is better to choose a picture with several plans.
Once you've decided on the terrain, go into full screen mode and line up the image. You will be creating a stereo pair, so before you select the first (right) picture, you need to take into account that the part of the image on the right of the left picture will be cropped.
Having selected the desired location for this part of the future 3D image, copy the image (the option is available in the start menu) and save it as the right image. After that, take a photo of the left side. As a general rule, the closer objects are to the camera, the less you need to shift the image.
The most important thing on at this stage– move the image only in the horizontal direction, without allowing the camera to move up or down. However, this error can be corrected in the future, unlike moving the camera closer or further away. Sometimes all you need to do is simply press the Left key, which will allow you to move the image clearly without unnecessary shifts. However, for close-up photos you will need to use mouse controls.
The next step is the layout of the stereo pair. You can download from this link free application StereoPhoto Maker. Unfortunately, the program menu is only available on English language, however, it is not difficult to understand. Select the item Open Left / Right Images. In the window you will be asked to select first the left picture, and then the right one. After confirmation, a stereo pair of the pictures you have selected will appear on the screen.
After that, select Adjust – Auto alignment. This is necessary in order to correct all alignment problems. If you are not satisfied with the results of auto-correction, you can change the parallax settings yourself by selecting Alignment (Left) in the Adjust menu or pressing the Left key. First, in the Stereo menu, you must select the settings for 3D image output (gray or color anaglyph, horizontal or vertical stereo pair).
Free online mapping services make life much easier for travelers and others. Of course, the developers are trying to constantly improve them. Thus, Google Maps will be available in three-dimensional mode. What will they be like? Google Maps in 3D?
Service Google Street View(Street View) sort of paved the way for Google Maps to launch in 3D. The Google Street View function allows you to view panoramas of the streets of many cities around the world from a height of approximately 2.5 meters and “wander” through a three-dimensional projection of city streets.
In this mode you can see the most famous places in the world. Among them, for example, the Amazon jungle, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the White House in Washington, Mariana Trench V Pacific Ocean, a historic narrow-gauge railway in the Alps. The streets of many cities, including Russian ones, are also accessible. However Not the entire city is usually available for viewing, but its individual streets.
Google Maps in 3D is designed to correct this - thanks to the transition of Google maps to a three-dimensional format, in 3D mode it will be possible to see not only individual city streets, but also the cities themselves as a whole. Thus, Google maps will become more realistic. The company demonstrated its 3D mapping technology at a press conference in San Francisco on June 6, 2012.
The three-dimensional effect will be achieved through aerial photography of populated areas from different angles using “specially trained” aircraft. After the procedure of comparing and processing these aerial photographs, it will be possible to a complete three-dimensional model of cities - both buildings and terrain. It will be possible to see objects from all sides by virtually “walking” around the city—more precisely, above the city (users will have access to a top view at an angle of 45 degrees).
Google Maps now offers 3D three-dimensional models of the main cities of America, Europe and Asia. According to Google's promises, by the end of 2012, all more or less large cities in the world, whose total population is more than three hundred million people, will have 3D models in the Google Maps service (however, specific cities and regions that will be available in 3D mode were not named).
Google representatives claim that their main goal in creating a three-dimensional service in Google Maps is to provide all users with Google Maps the opportunity to see the world from a bird's eye view. Probably, each of us at least once in our lives dreamed of flying over city streets, and Google Maps in 3D will make this eternal dream come true - at least virtually.
Another innovation from Google is Street View Trekker. A special backpack camera will take pictures with a 360-degree viewing angle, so in Street View mode you can see even those regions that cannot be reached by transport. The Street View Trekker camera will be worn on the back of a pedestrian, able to get into places that are difficult for motorists and cyclists to reach.
Google plans to obtain images in this way, for example, of a number of National Parks in the USA, the Grand Canyon and several ski resorts. The main thing is to figure out how to minimize the influence of vibration when a person moves in order to get better images.
Also Google company promised to introduce offline mode for Android devices. Now owners of gadgets running on operating system Google Android will be able to use Google maps in places where there is no Internet access, as well as to save on Internet traffic. Of course, you will first need to download these maps to your gadget.
The service will be available in more than one hundred countries around the world. Currently this service is still in the testing stage, but over time offline mode will be available to all users. Please note that Google Street View will not be available when viewing offline.
