Google Maps
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2008-07-17T00:56:20Z
Jsopher
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/* External links */
{{Infobox Website
| name = Google Maps
| logo = [[Image:Google maps logo.png|{{deletable image-caption|1=Saturday, 5 July 2008}}]]
| screenshot = [[Image:Google Maps directions.png|250px|]]
| caption = Screenshot of Google Maps showing a route from [[Toronto]] to [[Ottawa]] on the [[400-Series highways]].
| url = [http://maps.google.com maps.google.com]
| commercial =
| type = [[web mapping]]
| language = [[Coverage details of Google Maps|multilingual]]
| registration = no
| owner = [[Google]]
| author = Google
| launch date =
| current status = active
| revenue =
}}
'''Google Maps''' (for a time named '''Google Local''') is a free [[web mapping]] service application and technology provided by [[Google]] that powers many map-based services including the Google Maps website, [[#Google Ride Finder|Google Ride Finder]] and embedded maps on third-party websites via the Google Maps [[Application programming interface|API]]. It offers street maps, a [[route planner]], and an urban business locator for [[Coverage details of Google Maps|numerous countries]] around the world.
A related product is [[Google Earth]], a standalone program for [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Mac OS X]], and [[Linux]] which offers more [[globe]]-viewing features.
==Features==
Google Maps features a map that users can pan (by dragging the [[computer mouse|mouse]]) and zoom (by using the mouse wheel). Users may enter an [[address (geography)|address]], [[Intersection (road)|intersection]], [[ZIP code]], [[city]], or landmark (school, park, hospital, military base, lake, etc) to quickly find it on the map.
Users can also search for businesses and attractions (for example, [[theatres]], [[restaurants]] and [[hotels]]) in or near a given place. For example, a user can enter a query such as "[http://maps.google.com/maps?q=waffles%20in%20ottawa Waffles in Ottawa]" to find [[restaurants]] serving waffles in the city.
Like many other map services, Google Maps can generate driving [[Navigation|directions]] between any pair of locations in the United States and Canada, as well as many other countries. It shows turn-by-turn instructions, an estimate of the trip time, and the distance between the two locations. Since July 2007, a user can drag any point on the route to another location to add a waypoint, and instantly see the revised route and length while dragging.
Starting [[November 21]], [[2007]], users with a Google account can adjust the location of markers for businesses and other destinations. According to a video posted on "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP653VGcJno YouTube]" "Sometimes a location can be a little off on a map and your friends can't find you. Now you can fix that." If a user moves the marker by more than 200 meters, the change must go through moderation before it appears online.
Google Maps offers six viewing modes by default: ''Map'' (topographic and street map), ''Satellite'' (satellite and high-resolution aerial photographs), "Terrain" (geographic features in high relief with street overlay), ''Street View'' (ground level 360 degree view of certain streets, introduced on May 30, 2007), and ''Traffic''' (traffic congestion maps).
The "link to this page" link on each Google Maps map targets a URL which can be used to find the location on the map at a later time. The latitude and longitude can be used as input to [[NASA World Wind]] or [[TerraServer-USA]], which in some cases have higher-resolution imagery.
==Satellite view==
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:Stadium.PNG|thumb|right|250px|Screenshot of Google Maps (satellite) showing [[Candlestick Park]] in [[San Francisco, CA]]]] -->
Google Maps provides high-resolution satellite images for most urban areas in [[Canada]] and the [[United States]] (including [[Hawaii]], [[Alaska]], [[Puerto Rico]], and the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]]) as well as parts of [[New Zealand]], [[Australia]], [[Egypt]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Hungary]], [[Iran]], [[Iceland]], [[Italy]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Iraq]], [[Japan]], [[Taiwan]], the [[Bahamas]], [[Bermuda]], [[Kuwait]], [[Mexico]], the [[Netherlands]], the [[United Kingdom]], and many other countries. Google Maps also covers many cities including [[Moscow]], [[Istanbul]], and most of [[India]].
Various governments have complained about the potential for terrorists to use the satellite images in planning attacks<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/indepth/featureitems/s1432602.htm Google Earth prompts security fears. 08/08/2005. ABC News Online<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. Google has blurred some areas for security (mostly in the United States),{{Fact|date=August 2007}} including the [[U.S. Naval Observatory]] area (where the official residence of the [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] is located), and until recently<!-- When? Please future-proof (What's "future-proof"?) -->,{{Fact|date=August 2007}} the [[United States Capitol]] and the [[White House]] (which formerly featured [http://elliottback.com/wp/archives/2005/04/08/google-maps-the-white-house/ erased housetop]). Other well-known government installations are visible including [[Area 51]] in the [[Nevada]] desert.
With the introduction of an easily pannable and searchable mapping and satellite imagery tool, Google's mapping engine prompted a surge of interest in satellite imagery. Sites were established which feature satellite images of interesting natural and man-made landmarks, including such novelties as "large type" writing visible in the imagery, as well as famous stadia and unique earth formations.
Although Google uses the word "satellite", some of the high-resolution imagery is [[aerial photography]] taken from airplanes rather than from satellites.<ref>[http://earth.google.com/faq.html Google Earth FAQ] (Google Earth and Google Maps use the same imagery)</ref>
{{see also|Coverage details of Google Maps}}
==Implementation==
Like many other Google web applications, Google Maps uses [[JavaScript]] extensively. As the user drags the map, the grid squares are downloaded from the server and inserted into the page. When a user searches for a business, the results are downloaded in the background for insertion into the side panel and map - the page is not reloaded. Locations are drawn dynamically by positioning a red pin (composed of several partially-transparent [[Portable Network Graphics|PNG]]s) on top of the map images.
The technique of providing greater user-interactivity by performing asynchronous network requests with Javascript and [[XMLHttpRequest]] has recently become known as [[Ajax (programming)|Ajax]]. Maps actually uses XmlHttpRequest sparingly, preferring a hidden [[IFrame]] with form submission because it preserves browser history. It also uses [[JSON]] for data transfer rather than [[XML]], for performance reasons. These techniques both fall under the broad [[Ajax (programming)|Ajax]] umbrella.
The [[Geographic information system|GIS]] (Geographic Information System) data used in Google Maps are provided by [[Tele Atlas]], [[NAVTEQ]], MapABC and [[MAPIT MSC, Malaysia]],<ref>[http://blumenthals.com/blog/?p=75#comments Understanding Google Maps & Yahoo Local Search » Google to Add map data correction capability? | Developing Knowledge about Local Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> while the small patches of high-resolution [[satellite imagery]] are largely provided by [[DigitalGlobe]] and its [[QuickBird]] satellite, with some imagery also from government sources. The main global imagery base called NaturalVue was derived from Landsat 7 imagery by MDA Federal (formerly [[EarthSat|Earth Satellite Corporation]]). This global image base provides the essential foundation for the entire application.
==Extensibility and customization==
<!-- Section needs loads of cleanup - should be more emphasis on the API as everyone uses that now. Memory maps stuff is out of place -->
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As the Google Maps code is almost entirely [[JavaScript]] and [[XML]], some end-users reverse-engineered the tool and produced client-side scripts and server-side hooks which allowed a user or website to introduce expanded or customised features into the Google Maps interface.
Using the core engine and the map/satellite images hosted by Google, such tools can introduce custom location icons, location [[coordinates]] and [[metadata]], and even custom map image sources into the Google Maps interface. The script-insertion tool [[Greasemonkey]] provides a large number of client-side scripts to customize Google Maps data.
Combined with [[photo sharing]] websites such as [[Flickr]], a phenomenon called "memory maps" emerged. Using copies of the Keyhole satellite photos of their home towns or other favorite places, the users take advantage of image annotation features to provide personal histories and information regarding particular points of the area.
=== Google Maps API ===
Google created the '''Google Maps API''' to facilitate developers integrating Google Maps into their web sites with their own data points. It is a free service, which currently does not contain ads, but Google states in their terms of use<ref name=apiterms>{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/apis/maps/terms.html |title=Google Maps API - Terms of use}}</ref> that they reserve the right to display ads in the future.
By using the Google Maps [[Application programming interface|API]] you can embed the full Google Maps on an external web site. Start by creating an API Key,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html |title=Google Maps API key}}</ref> it will be bound to the web site and directory you enter when creating the key. Creating your own map interface involves adding the Google [[JavaScript]] code to your page, and then using Javascript functions to add points to the map.
When the API first launched, it lacked the ability to [[geocoding|geocode]] addresses, requiring you to manually add points in (latitude, longitude) format. This has since been rectified.
At the same time as the release of the Google Maps API, [[Yahoo!]] released their own Maps API.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://developer.yahoo.com/maps/index.html |title=Yahoo! Maps API}}</ref> Both were released to coincide with the O'Reilly Web 2.0 Conference. Yahoo! Maps lacks international support, but included a geocoder in the first release.
As of October 2006, [[Google Gadgets]]' Google maps implementation is much easier to use with just the need of one line of script. The drawback is that it is not as customizable as the full [[API]].
In late 2006, Yahoo began a campaign to upgrade their maps, to compete better with Google Local and other online map companies. Several of the maps used in [http://surveylink.yahoo.com/wix/p2326896.aspx a survey] were similar to Google maps.
Google Maps actively promotes the commercial use of their API. One of its earliest adopters at large scale are real estate mashup sites. Google's [http://code.google.com/articles/casestudies/casestudy_nestoria.html case study] is about [[Nestoria]], a property search engine in the UK and Spain.
===Google Maps for Mobile===
In late [[2006]], Google introduced a Java application called [http://www.google.com/gmm Google Maps for Mobile], which is intended to run on any Java based phone or mobile device. Most, if not all,{{Vague|date=March 2008}} web based features are available from within the application.<ref>[http://mobilitynow.org/2007/05/08/google-maps-for-mobile-indepth-review/ in-depth review]</ref>
On November 28th, 2007, Google Maps for Mobile 2.0 was released. It introduced a GPS-like location service that does not require a GPS receiver. The "my location" feature works by utilizing the GPS location of the mobile device, if it is available. This information is supplemented by the software determining the nearest [[cell site]]. The software then looks up the location of the cell site using a database of known cell sites. The software plots a blue icon with a blue circle around the estimated range of the cell site based on the transmitter's rated power (among other variables). The estimate is refined using the strength of the cell phone signal to estimate how close to the cell site the mobile device is.
As of [[July 10]] [[2008]], this service<ref>[http://www.google.com/mobile/gmm/stp-js.html Google Maps on your phone]</ref> is available for the following platforms:
* [[iPhone]]
* [[Windows Mobile]]
* [[Nokia]]/[[Symbian]] (S60 3rd edition only)
* [[Symbian OS]] (UIQ v3)''
* [[BlackBerry]]
* Phones with Java-Platform (MIDP 2.0 and up), for example the [[Sony Ericsson K800i]]
* [[Palm OS]] ([[Palm Centro|Centro]] and newer)
===Google Maps parameters===
In Google Maps, the URL parameters may be tweaked to offer views and options not normally available through on-screen controls.
For instance, the maximum zoom level offered is normally 18, but if higher-resolution images are available, changing the ''z'' parameter, which sets the zoom level, will allow the user to access them, as in
[http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=10%C2%B054'13.66%22+N+19%C2%B056'06.15%22+E&ie=UTF8&ll=10.903794,19.935042&spn=0.000103,0.000116&t=k&z=23&iwloc=addr this view of elephants] or [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=15.29854,19.429741&ie=UTF8&ll=15.298539,19.42974&spn=0.000117,0.000154&t=h&z=23 this view of people at a well] deep in [[Chad]], [[Africa]] using the parameter ''z=23''.
A list of Google Maps parameters and their descriptions [http://mapki.com/wiki/Google_Map_Parameters is available.]
==Development history==
{{update}}
Google Maps was first announced on the Google Blog on February 8 2005,<ref>[http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/02/mapping-your-way.html Google Maps announcement on Google Blog.]</ref> and was located at http://maps.google.com/. It originally only supported users of [[Internet Explorer]] and [[Mozilla]] [[web browser]]s, but support for [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] and [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]] was added on [[February 25]], [[2005]]. Currently ([[July 1]] [[2006]]) Internet Explorer 6.0+, [[Firefox]] 0.8+, Safari 1.2.4+, [[Netscape]] 7.1+, Mozilla 1.4+, and Opera 8.02+ are supported.<ref>[http://local.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=16532&topic=1499 Google Maps Help]</ref> It was in beta for six months before becoming part of Google Local on [[October 6]] [[2005]].
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# In early April 2005, an alternate view was activated to show [[#Satellite images|Satellite images]] of the area displayed.
# In late April 2005, Google created [[#Google Ride Finder|Google Ride Finder]] using Google Maps.
# In late June 2005, Google released the [[#Google Maps API|Extensibility and customisation]].
# In mid July 2005, Google began Google Maps and Google Local services for Japan, including road maps.
# On [[July 22]] [[2005]], Google released "Hybrid View". Together with this change, the satellite image data was converted from [[Plate carrée projection|plate carrée]] to [[Mercator projection]], which makes for a less distorted image in the [[temperate climes]] latitudes.
# In July 2005, in honor of the thirty-sixth anniversary of the [[Apollo Moon landing]], [[#Google Moon|Google Moon]] was launched.
# In September 2005, in the aftermath of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Google Maps quickly updated its satellite imagery of [[New Orleans]] to allow users to view the extent of the flooding in various parts of that city. (Oddly, in March 2007, imagery showing hurricane damage was replaced with images from before the storm; this replacement was not made on [[Google Earth]], which still uses post-Katrina imagery.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/03/31/katrina.google.maps.ap/index.html|title= House panel: Why did Google 'airbrush history?' |date= 2007-04-31|publisher= Associated Press}})</ref>
# As of [[January 2]] [[2006]], Google Maps features road maps for the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, and certain cities in the Republic of Ireland. Coverage of the area around [[Turin]] was added in time for the [[2006 Winter Olympics]].
# On [[January 23]] [[2006]], Google Maps was updated to use the same satellite image database as [[Google Earth]].
# On [[March 12]] [[2006]], [[#Google Mars|Google Mars]]<ref>[http://mars.google.com/ Google Mars<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> was launched, which features a draggable map and satellite imagery of the planet Mars.
# In late April 2006, Google Local was merged into the main Google Maps site.
# On [[April 3]] [[2006]], [http://www.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/upgrade.html version 2] of the Maps API was released.
# On [[June 11]] [[2006]], [http://googlemapsapi.blogspot.com/2006/06/geocoding-at-last.html Google added geocoding capabilities] to the API, satisfying what it called the most requested feature for this service.
# On [[June 14]] [[2006]], [http://googlemapsapi.blogspot.com/2006/06/google-maps-for-enterprise.html Google Maps for Enterprise] was officially launched. As a commercial service, it features intranet and advertisement-free implementations.
# Beginning in February 2007, [[building]]s and [[Subway (rail)|subway]] stops are displayed in Google Maps "map view" for parts of [[New York City]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[London]], [[San Francisco]], and some other cities.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.com.com/2061-10812_3-6160719.html |title=Google Maps adds subway stops, building outlines to cities |publisher=CNET}}</ref>
# On [[February 28]] [[2007]], [http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/02/stuck-in-traffic.html Google Traffic info] was officially launched to automatically include real-time [[traffic flow]] conditions to the maps of 30 major cities of the [[United States]].
# On [[May 29]] [[2007]], [http://googlemapsapi.blogspot.com/2007/05/driving-directions-support-added-to.html Google driving directions] support was added to the Google Maps API.
# On [[May 30]] [[2007]], ''Street View'' was added. It gives ground level 360 degree view of streets in some major cities in United States.
# On [[June 28]] [[2007]], [http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2007/06/its-click-drag-situation.html draggable driving directions] were introduced.
# On [[July 31]] [[2007]], [http://googlemapsapi.blogspot.com/2007/06/microformats-in-google-maps.html support for hCard] was announced; Google Maps search results will now output the [[hCard]] [[microformat]].
# On [[November 27]] [[2007]], "Terrain" view showing basic [[Topography|topographic]] features was added. The button for "Hybrid" view was removed, and replaced with a "Show labels" checkbox under the "Satellite" button to switch between "Hybrid" and "Satellite" views.
# In April 2008, a button to view recent Saved Locations was added to the right of the search field (must be signed in).
# In May 2008, a "More" button was added alongside the "Map", "Satellite", and "Terrain" buttons, permitting access to geographically-related photos on [[Panoramio]] and articles on [[Wikipedia]].
# In May 15 2008, ported to Flash and ActionScript 3 as a foundation for richer internet applications.
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==Google's use of Google Maps==
The main Google Maps site includes a local search feature, finding businesses of a certain category in a geographic area.
=== Google Ditu ===
Google Ditu (谷歌地图 lit. "Google Map") was released to the public on [[February 9]], [[2007]], and replaced the old Google Bendi (谷歌本地 lit. "Google Local"). This is the Chinese localized Google Maps and Google Local services only cover China mainland.
There are some differences in frontier alignments between Google Ditu and Google Maps. On Google Maps, sections of the Chinese border with India, Pakistan and Tajikistan are shown with dotted lines, indicating areas or frontiers in dispute. However, Google Ditu shows the Chinese frontier strictly according to Chinese claims with no "dotted lines" anywhere. For example the area now administered by India called Arunachal Pradesh (referred to as "South Tibet" by Chinese official sources) is shown inside the Chinese frontier by Google Ditu. Google Ditu also shows Taiwan and the surrounding islands as part of China.
=== Google Moon ===
{{main|Google Moon}}
[[Image:Google-moon.png|thumb|150px|Google Moon]]
In honor of the 36th anniversary of the [[Apollo 11]] moon landing on [[July 20]], [[1969]], Google took [[public domain]] imagery of the [[Moon]], integrated it into the Google Maps interface, and created a tool called [http://moon.google.com/ Google Moon].<ref>[http://moon.google.com Google Moon<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> By default this tool, with a reduced set of features, also displays the points of landing of all [[Apollo program|Apollo]] spacecraft to land on the Moon. It also included an [[easter egg (virtual)|easter egg]], displaying a [[Swiss cheese]] design at the highest zoom level, which Google has since removed. A recent collaborative project between [[NASA Ames Research Center]] and Google is integrating and improving the data that is used for Google Moon. This is the [http://ti.arc.nasa.gov/projects/planetary/ Planetary Content]<ref>http://ti.arc.nasa.gov/projects/planetary/</ref> Project. Google Moon was linked from a special commemorative version of the Google logo displayed at the top of the main Google search page for [[July 20]], [[2005]] ([[UTC]]) [http://web.archive.org/web/20050720082857/http://www.google.com/ webarchive.org].
===Google Mars===
[[Image:GoogleMars.png|left|thumb|Google Mars]]
[http://mars.google.com/ Google Mars] provides a visible [[satellite imagery|imagery]] view, like Google Moon, as well as [[infrared]] imagery and shaded relief ([[elevation]]). Users can toggle between the [[elevation]], visible, and [[infrared]] data, in the same manner as switching between map, satellite, and hybrid modes of Google Maps. In collaboration with [[NASA]] scientists at [[Arizona State University]], Google has provided the public with data collected from two NASA Mars missions, [[Mars Global Surveyor]] and [[2001 Mars Odyssey]].<ref>[http://www.google.com/mars/about.html About Google Mars<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> At present, the [[Google Earth]] desktop client cannot access the data, but the feature is in development.
It is currently not known if Google Mars will become a standalone program.
NASA has made available a number of [[Google Earth]] desktop client maps for [[Mars]] at http://onmars.jpl.nasa.gov/.
More Mars data sets with more recent data are available at Google Maps based interface at http://jmars.asu.edu/maps provided by [[Arizona State University]]
=== Google Ride Finder ===
Google launched an experimental Google Maps-based tool called '''[http://labs.google.com/ridefinder Ride Finder]''', tapping into in-car [[GPS]] units for a selection of participating [[taxicab|taxi]] and [[limousine]] services. The tool displays the current location of all supported vehicles of the participating services in major US cities, including [[Chicago]] and [[San Francisco]] on a Google Maps street map.
===Google Transit===
In [[December 2005]], Google launched '''[http://www.google.com/transit Google Transit]'''. This is a web application (listed in [[Google Labs]]), that plans a trip using public transportation options. Google Transit launched with support for [[Portland, Oregon]]. Information for [[Eugene, Oregon]]; [[Honolulu, Hawaii]]; [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]; [[Seattle, Washington]]; and [[Tampa, Florida]] was added on [[September 27]] 2006,<ref>{{cite web|title=Happy trails with Google Transit|url=http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/happy-trails-with-google-transit.html}}</ref> with more added since including adding cities in [[Canada]], [[Europe]], [[Japan]] and [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]]. The service calculates route, transit time and cost, and can compare the trip to one using a [[car]].
===Google My Maps===
In [[April 2007]], My Maps was a new feature added to Google's local [http://maps.google.com search maps]. My Maps lets users and businesses create their own map by positioning markers, polylines and polygons onto a map. The interface is a straightforward overlay on the map. A set of eighty-four pre-designed markers is available, ranging from bars and restaurants to webcam and earthquake symbols. Polyline and Polygon colour, width and opacity are selectable. Maps modified using My Maps can be saved for later viewing and made public (or marked as private), but cannot be printed.
Each element added to a My Map has an editable tag. This tag can contain text, rich text or HTML. Embeddable video and other content can be included within the HTML tag.
Upon the launch of My Maps there was no facility to embed the created maps into a webpage or blog. A few independent websites have now produced tools to let users embed maps and add further functionality to their maps.<ref>[http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=embed+my+maps]</ref> This has been resolved with version 2.78.
===Google Street View===
{{main|Google Street View}}
On [[May 25]] [[2007]], Google released Street View, a new feature of Google Maps which provides 360° panoramic street-level views of various U.S. cities. On this date, the feature only included five cities, but has since expanded to fifty-seven, with plans for more U.S. and Canadian cities in the future. Some cities, like San Francisco, are in high resolution, while other cities are limited in resolution.
Google Street View has also gained a significant amount of controversy in the days following its release; privacy concerns have erupted due to the uncensored nature of its panoramic photographs.{{Dead link|date=April 2008}}<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/06/01/google.candid.camera.ap/|title= The Google 'ick' factor |date= 2007-06-01|publisher= Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/06/want_off_street.html|title= Want Off Street View? |date= 2007-06-15|publisher= Wired}}</ref>
==Copyright==
Google Maps Terms and Conditions<ref name=terms>[http://maps.google.com/help/terms_maps.html Google Maps Terms.]</ref> state that usage of material from Google Maps is regulated by Google Terms of Service<ref>[http://www.google.com/terms_of_service.html Google Terms of Service.]</ref> and some additional restrictions. Terms and Conditions, among others, state:
:''For individual users, Google Maps [...] is made available for your personal, non-commercial use only. For business users, Google Maps is made available for your internal use only and may not be commercially redistributed [...]''<ref name=terms/>
==Criticism==
{{refimprovesect|date=May 2008}}
{{seealso|Satellite images censored by Google Maps}}
Street map overlays, in some areas, may not match up precisely with the corresponding satellite images. The street data may be entirely erroneous, or simply out of date:
{{quote|1=The biggest challenge is the currency of data, the authenticity of data," said Google Earth representative Brian McLendon. In other words: The main complaints the Google guys get are "that's not my house" and "that's not my car." Google Maps satellite images are not in real time; they are several years old.<ref>[http://www.k2climb.net/news.php?id=1964 K2climb.net - K2 and Karakorum by climbers, news<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>}} As a result, Google has recently added a feature to edit the locations of houses and businesses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://maps.google.com/help/maps/edit/|title=Improve information in Google Maps for the world to see|publisher=www.google.com|date=Unknown Publish Date}}</ref>
Restrictions have been placed on Google Maps through the apparent censoring of locations deemed potential security threats. In some cases the area of redaction is for specific buildings, but in other cases, such as Washington, DC<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/21/AR2007072101296.html|title= Google's View of D.C. Melds New and Sharp, Old and Fuzzy | date= 2007-07-22|publisher= Washington Post}}</ref>, the restriction is to use outdated imagery. These locations are fully listed on [[Satellite images censored by Google Maps]].
Canadian driving directions where the starting address is close to the US border have switched to imperial measurements, giving all directions in feet and miles, though the rest of Canada receives directions in standard metric.
Sometimes objects on Google Maps are hidden by normal clouds. For example, the mast of Arbrä Transmitter near Bollnäs in Sweden is hidden under a cloud [http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=61.483333&lon=16.212778&z=15&l=5&m=a&v=2].
The map uses the [[Mercator projection]], which is increasingly distorted towards the polar regions.
==See also==
* [[Comparison of Web Map Services]]
* [[WikiCrimes]] (A wiki-style website where internet users can report crimes by placing pins on a GoogleMaps based map. The website classifies crimes as Robbery, Theft or Other by pin colour. It is an Internet resource [[Mashup (web application hybrid)|Mashup]] combining Google Maps, a "wiki" system and crimes.
* [[WikiMapia]] (A project aimed at "describing the whole planet earth". It is an Internet resource [[Mashup (web application hybrid)|Mashup]] combining Google Maps and a "wiki" system.)
* [[Live Search Maps]]
* [[Placeopedia]]
* [[Konkeir]]
* [[Mobile GMaps]]
* [[J2memap]]
* [[Mashup (web application hybrid)|Mashup]]
* [[Sailwx|Ship location mapping service]]
===Comparable services===
* [[Ask.com Maps]]
* [[Géoportail]] (A French rival offering detailed aerial (photographic) pictures of French territories)
* [[Map24]]
* [[MapQuest]]
* [[Multimap.com]]
* [[Seat Pagine Gialle]] An Italian competitor offering detailed satellite pictures of Italian territories and navigable street level panoramas of Rome (very similar to ''street view'').
* [[Terralink International]]
* [[Live Search Maps]] (Microsoft's mapping service with road maps and aerial/satellite imagery)
**[[TerraServer-USA]] (Public domain (older than five years) satellite imagery via [[Microsoft]] servers)
**[[Virtual Earth]] (The original Microsoft map service)
* [[Yahoo! Maps]]
* [[MapFan]] (A MapQuest equivalent for Japan)
* [[OpenStreetMap]] A royalty free, editable map of the whole world made by individuals.
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
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*[http://maps.google.com Google Maps]
**[http://google.com/gmm Mobile phone version]
**[http://google.com/sky Google Sky]
**[http://moon.google.com/ Google Moon]
**[http://www.google.com/mars/ Google Mars]
*[http://maps.google.com/support/?hl=en_US Google Maps Help Center]<!-- --~~~~ -->
==Unofficial guides and tips==
* [http://www.satellitesights.com/ Satellite Sights]: Google Earth & Google Maps Sightseeing
{{Google Inc.}}
{{Earth}}
[[Category:2005 introductions]]
[[Category:Web 2.0]]
[[Category:Google services|Maps]]
[[Category:Keyhole Markup Language]]
[[Category:Web mapping]]
[[Category:Web Map Services]]<!-- Does Google Maps really use WMS? -->
[[Category:Route planning software]]
[[Category:Websites which use Wikipedia]]
[[af:Google Maps]]
[[ar:خرائط جوجل]]
[[ca:Google Maps]]
[[de:Google Maps]]
[[es:Google Maps]]
[[eo:Google Maps]]
[[eu:Google Maps]]
[[fr:Google Maps]]
[[hr:Google Maps]]
[[id:Google Maps]]
[[it:Google Maps]]
[[he:Google Maps]]
[[la:Google Maps]]
[[lt:Google Maps]]
[[hu:Google Maps]]
[[nl:Google Maps]]
[[ja:Google マップ]]
[[no:Google Maps]]
[[pl:Google Maps]]
[[pt:Google Maps]]
[[ru:Карты Google]]
[[simple:Google Maps]]
[[sk:Google Maps]]
[[sl:Google Maps]]
[[fi:Google Maps]]
[[sv:Google Maps]]
[[ta:கூகிள் மேப்ஸ்]]
[[th:กูเกิล แมปส์]]
[[yi:גוגל מאפע]]
[[zh:Google地图]]