The best of the blog

Posted by Carter Maslan, Director of Product Management, Google Maps

Since the start of Google Lat Long back in May, we've had fun keeping you updated on all the exciting new developments in the geo world -- from product launches and innovative user-created content to the evolution of the geoweb in general. As the year comes to a close, we thought we'd take a moment to look back at some of the greatest moments in news and notes by the Google Earth and Maps teams.

Street View
Since the launch of Street View in May, our post introducing the service remained one the top five most read posts consistently throughout the year. And "street view" was one the most common search keywords. So just as we did earlier this month in announcing 8 new Street View cities, we'll be sure to keep you posted on new city rollouts.

Google Earth Outreach
We heralded the arrival of this exciting new program for non-profits with a post that pointed to video footage of our kick-off event at our New York office. The video featuring an appearance by Jane Goodall was viewed over 22,000 times.

My Maps and Disaster Relief
When the My Maps tab was added to Google Maps earlier this year, we were eagerly anticipating all the cool and creative custom maps folks would be coming up with. However, we were positively floored to find the incredible maps made to aid areas in need. From flood maps created by "citizen journalists" and by BBC Berkshire to the San Diego fire maps and the Google Earth layer of Southern California imagery, the astonishing number of views pointed to new ways to help.

Sky in Google Earth
Another top post of the year, our note introducing the addition of a new Sky view in Google Earth, caught the attention of many Lat Long readers. Google Earth aficionados are able to zoom in on distant galaxies and explore constellations and supernova explosions from the comfort of their computer screens. A list of great tips on how to use Sky in Google Earth for educational purposes followed, and you can expect more updates in the new year.

YouTube videos in Google Earth
Ever watched a funny, intriguing, or outrageous YouTube video and wondered where it came from? Well, we have too. That's why we were so excited to announce the addition of a new YouTube layer in Google Earth. Videos geotagged in YouTube are included in this browseable layer, making it easy to view clips associated with a location of your choice.

Maps Mania!
2007 saw the addition of a number of great new features in Google Maps, perhaps too numerous to count. Early on in the year, the creation of the My Maps tab and the addition of countless Mapplets enabled just about anyone to create their own mashups. Throughout the year, searching for accurate and helpful directions got a whole lot easier with the launch of draggable directions and the ability to read and write user reviews of businesses, as well as edit address markers. Finally, mapmakers enjoyed the addition of cool new Maps functionalities towards the end of the year, including the ability to both collaborate on customized maps and embed them wherever you see fit, as you might a YouTube video.

As you can see, this year's been a busy one. We're all looking forward to a few days of rest and holiday cheer. And with that, we must bid adieu -- happy holidays and a wonderful new year from all of us at Google Lat Long! Stay tuned for more geo news and notes in 2008, and don't forget to track Santa!

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A worldwide celebration

Posted by Qiushuang (Autumn) Zhang, Software Engineer

As a member of the Maps team, I'm constantly impressed with the creative and meaningful ways people are using our mapping tools. My heart was warmed this morning when I read this post on the Official Google Blog. Readers are invited to add to a map created by the blog team and encouraged to add their personal holiday stories and traditions, punctuated with videos and photos.

Add a video of your kids squealing as they tear through wrapping paper, or pictures of the holiday morning you spent tobogganing with the family. Paste in your holiday wish list and direct your family members to it. Whatever you decide to do, just don't forget to take a peek at the other placemarks across the map. It's a fantastic time of year to celebrate the world around us.


View Larger Map

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Mapping at the speed of light

Posted by Kate Hurowitz, Secret Santa

Just the other day I was perusing the many fantastic customized maps people around the world have created using tools in the My Maps tab when I came across a map that made my face light up. As a child, I loved going on car rides with my family during the holidays, cruising through surrounding neighborhoods and checking out all the beautiful lights and decorations sprinkled throughout the area. That's why when I came across this map pinpointing the locations of holiday light displays put together by The Ledger, a newspaper in Florida, I was filled with glee!

The Ledger's map has markers spread throughout Polk County, just outside of Tampa, describing light displays in the area in detail. They've made their map open for collaboration and are inviting viewers to add placemarks of their own. So if you're in the area and are particularly proud of your holiday decorations, feel free to add them to the map. Just log into your Google account and hit "Edit."

And if you're not in Polk County, I encourage you to make a similar map for your area. Click on My Maps in Google Maps and use the tools in the upper left-hand corner to design a holiday map of your own. I wish this sort of technology had been around when I was a kid -- playing tour guide for my family with a detailed holiday display map might have made the season all the merrier.

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Where in the world is... (Answers)

Posted by Matt Manolides, GIS Specialist

Great detective work, everyone. As always I am very impressed at the speed with which the blogosphere finds these updates. Here's a list of answers to the clues, as well as a more complete listing of updates.

1) A young boy living in this town designed the Alaska state flag 32 years prior to Alaska
gaining statehood.
-- 13 year old Benny Benson designed the current Alaska state flag while living in Seward, AK.

2) The incredible ruins of an old medieval castle, believed damaged during the Swedish
invasion of 1655, are now visible in Google Earth.
-- Ogrodzieniec, Poland

















3) On July 3, 1810, this city declared independence from Spain.
-- Santiago de Cali declared independence from Spain 17 days before the national revolt in Bogata. It wasn't until 1819 that Colombia won its freedom.

4) This city's metropolitan area is the most populous in the world, with over 35 million people.
-- Despite a national declining population, the greater Tokyo area has held this title since the 70's.

5) This city, known as the City of Peace for hosting many peace conferences, is a popular
tourist destination.
-- Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Check out the amazing Panoramio photos people have taken of this resort hot spot.

6) The oldest Polish cathedral, burial site of many famous Polish leaders, is now high res.
-- The Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in Poznan, was first constructed in the second half of the 10th century.

7) This Jersey city is now high res.
-- I said Jersey, not New Jersey. ;) Saint Helier, the capitol of Jersey (a British Crown Dependency located off coast of Normandy) is now high res.

8) Lawrence of Arabia and Cleopatra were both shot at this famous studio.
-- Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate, Morocco.














9) This city is also Ukraine's largest port.
-- Odesa, Ukraine

10) Though completely destroyed in an 1868 fire, this gold rush town was completely
restored by the government of British Columbia to act as a tourist attraction.
-- Barkerville, British Columbia
















11) This was the final port of call for the Titanic before it's ill-fated transatlantic journey.
-- Cobh, Ireland, where the Titanic picked up most of it's third-class passengers.

12) Bach, 38 at the time, was appointed the cantor for St Thomas' Church in this city
-- Leipzig, Germany

13) This deep-water port was constructed in the middle of a bay and is connected to the
mainland by the third longest bridge in the world.
-- You can view the incredible infrastructure development at the Yangshan deep-water port outside of Shanghai.











14) The element Hafnium is named after this city's Latin name.
-- Hafnium was named after Copenhagen's Latin name: Hafnia.

15) The picturesque port in this city has been painted many times over, and helped inspire
the Impressionist movement.
-- The port of Honfleur, France was painted by the likes of Gustave Gourbet, Claude Monet, and Johan Jongkind.

16) Famous as the site where Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral landed in Brazil, this
city is now a tourist destination.
-- Pedro Álvares Cabral, thinking he had landed on an Island, originally named Porto Seguro The Island of the True Cross.

17) The imagery above the headquarters of my favorite search engine has been upgraded!
-- The Googleplex in Mountain View, California!















Here's a more complete list of imagery updates in this data push:
New high resolution:
Americas:
- Canada: Significant amount of British Columbia
- USA: Jefferson City (MO), Central Virginia, Tioga County (NY), Cayuga County (NY),
Jefferson County (NY), Broome County (NY),
- Brazil: Uberlandia
- Colombia: Cali, Pasto
- Mexico: Veracruz

Europe, Middle East and Africa:
- France: Le Havre, Dunkerque

- Poland: Poznan
- Russia: Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Vladikavkaz, Volzhskiy, Barnaul
- Ukraine: Rivne, Odesa
- Morocco: Agadir
- Nigeria: Abuja

- Egypt: 2.5m imagery for eastern half of the country


Asia & Oceania:

- Japan: Kagoshima, Hamamatsu
- New Zealand: Manawatu Wanganui Province, Thames-Coromandel Province
- China: Guiyang, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan, Neijang, Anshun, Zhuzhou, Changde,
Jiaoijang, Sashi, Qinhuangdao, Mudanjiang
- Indonesia: Sukabumi, Surakarta

2.5m imagery for the eastern half of Egypt.

Updated Imagery:
Americas:
- Canada: Calgary
- USA: Bend (OR), Reno (NV), Googleplex (CA), San Miguel (CA), Paso
Robles (CA), Buellton (CA), Thousand Oaks (CA), Los Angeles (CA), Orange
County (CA), Denver (CO), Saint Louis (MO), Knoxville (TN), Chattanooga (GA),
Dayton (CA), Atlanta (GA), Desoto County (FL), Onondaga County (NY), Cayuga
County (NY), McAllen (TX), Sanger (CA), Bellevue (WA)

Europe, Middle East and Africa:
- France: Nantes, Lyon
- Germany: Sindelfingen, Ausburg, Leipzig, Aachen
- Denmark: Entire country
- Niger: Niamey
- Zimbabwe: Harare
- South Africa: Johannesburg
- Iran: Tehran

Asia:
- Japan: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagano
- Thailand: Bangkok
- Vietnam: Hanoi

Antarctica: new 15m imagery

Updated Terrain:
Massachusetts

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Making tracks on holiday shopping

Posted by Pamela Fox, Developer Programs Engineer

If you're anything like me when it comes to holiday shopping, you most likely have yet to put any effort into scavenging for unique gifts and treasures for your loved ones. Well, this year, I decided to make a change: I've started my holiday shopping early! I even did some research and came across a pretty cool shopping guide using Google Maps, put together by a fashion and design site called Jargol. Just click on "Shopping Guide" and select your city. From there, you can view shops tagged by category and neighborhood.

I found this especially useful when I was in New York earlier this month and had some free time to shop but no clue where to go. I wanted to dig up something out of the ordinary for my older sister, so I selected the New York-based map. From there, I narrowed it down to "avant-garde," which led me to nine different shops and, ultimately, one perfect gift. I'd tell you what it is, but my big sis is a snoop when it comes to uncovering her Christmas gifts.

Jargol has all sorts of cities mapped out, from Palm Springs to Berlin. So if you're scratching your head over places to shop, try it out. In fact, I think I'm going to give it another go. I'm hoping the "vintage clothing" tag on the San Francisco map might lead me to just the thing for my little sis.

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To grandmother's house we go

Posted by Kat Malinowska, avid mapper

This Friday, I'm packing up the car and taking my pooch, Oscar, along for the ride over the river and through the woods to Portland, Oregon. And I'm picking up my cousin Lily on the way in Colusa, California. The entire trip should take a good 10 hours or so from my home in San Francisco. Luckily, I've got all sorts of mapping tools at my disposal that should help make my trip relatively hassle-free.

The first thing I did to prepare for the trek was create a map using tools in the My Maps tab. I did a quick search for directions from San Francisco to Colusa, then clicked the "Add destination" link at the bottom of the directions to find a route to Portland. Next, I clicked over to the My Maps tab and created a new map, entitled "To grandmother's house we go!" From there, I selected the GasBuddy gas station prices mapplet that I found in the Google Maps directory to find the cheapest pumps on my route. I scanned the markers around the halfway point of my trip where I knew I'd be needing to fill up, and found a great deal at a Medford, Oregon station. I made sure to save the marker to my personal map.

Now, I know what you're thinking: with Oscar in the car, we're going to need to make one more bathroom stop between the gas station and Portland. I decided to consult the directory again to see if there were any parks along the way and came across a fantastic mapplet pinpointing parks in Eugene, Oregon.

And what's a road trip without stopping for snacks? I did a search for fast food near Eugene and discovered a Wendy's mere miles from our park of choice.

If all goes according to plan, we should be arriving in Portland just in time for dessert. I decided to do a quick scan for bakeries near granny's house to pick up something for the family. I came across a place called Papa Haydn that had received high marks from Maps users. I might even have GOOG-411 connect me to the restaurant so I can have the pie waiting for me when I get there.

You can check out my completed map here. Now, the only thing standing between me and grandma now is that nasty holiday traffic, but you can bet I'll be enabling the traffic overlay in Google Maps before I hit the road.

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Fit for a king

Posted by Aidan Chopra, SketchUp Product Evangelist

Not too long ago, I put out a call-to-action on the Google SketchUp blog asking creative modelers to design a sleigh fit for my Santa and his reindeer. Well, I've been keeping an eye on the sleigh-hosting 3D Warehouse collection, and I see that many of you have come through with some impressive designs!

One model in particular caught my eye: a sleigh fit for a king -- literally! SketchUp enthusiast Varchitektur.de has submitted a model of a sleigh used by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Rumor has it that this eccentric king traveled in elaborate coaches and sleighs around Neuschwanstein Castle, often in historic costume. Further investigation into the king and his castle led me to some interesting trivia, including the fact that Neuschweinstein was used as inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. A sleigh fit for King Ludwig II and Walt Disney?! Surely, Santa can't complain.

And finally, I'm happy to let you know that the submission deadline has been extended to December 31st, so keep those sleighs coming through the end of the year.

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