Online Maps & Aerial Imageryv

location based services

Ask.com Maps and Aerial Imagery of Europe
Barry's post on Tuesday about MSN Live Local rolling out more imagery of Europe (cool stuff!) reminded us to mention that Ask.com Maps provides aerial imagery and street maps for some parts of Europe.

It's still a work in progress (street names, locations for searching) but the Ask.com Maps imagery looks very impressive. We also have imagery for a small portion of Australia. This map (PDF) offers a look at what resolution you'll find for imagery for various parts of Europe.

Some examples:
+ Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, France

+ Houses of Parliament, London

+ The Canals of Amsterdam
Btw, in many, but not all cases, Ask Maps "dynamic locations" feature will work for European locations. The same is true for driving and walking directions. Remember, "right-clicking" on a specific point on a map allows you to quickly and easily add that location to your location list.
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Web Search--MSN Live Local
Microsoft Live Local Adds Traffic Info, Traffic Info Has Been Accessible via MSN Autos for Some Time
1) Map Live Traffic for Major Cities
Over 30 cities available. Click the traffic link at the top of the page to find the cities available. MS has offered real-time traffic info on maps on their MSN Auto site for a long time. The only difference from what we can see, the maps themselves. Actually, traffic info is available for many more cities via MSN Autos than MSN Live Local. Btw, the MSN Auto site also offers real-time traffic info delivered via SMS, MSN Messenger, or email for very localized areas. Yahoo Maps also offers real-time traffic maps. Traffic data is provided by Traffic.com. Btw, Traffic.com offers a great set of services (free) including traffic alerts via RSS and custom alerts delivered by voice (via your phone).
2) Save favorite Maps to Windows Live Favorites
3) Collections, "Keep lists of important Windows Live Local locations, order them any way you want, and share them with your friends."
4) You'll also notice that the Live Local search boxes have moved from side-by-side placement to vertical placement.
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Web Search--Google
Google Wants to Talk, Again
Just a few weeks after the Google shareholder meeting, Google Press Day, and Google Analyst Day, Google brass have announced yet another get together. This time around, a web conference/webcast (May 31, 2006 at 11am PDST) to tell investors and analysts more about what's happening at the company. From an email, "As our CEO Eric Schmidt mentioned during our last earnings call (listen here), we would like to offer more opportunities for the investment community to interact with our senior management," said Kim Jabal, Director of Investor Relations, Google. "We hope that this call will be valuable to investors and provide further insights into our business." Interesting, a company that was first quiet about talking about the future, now wants to talk a lot. Reuters goes on to point out, "The stock is down roughly 10 percent so far this year on concerns about mounting competition in the Internet industry and Wall Street's frustration with Google's refusal to provide guidance on its financial outlook." Interesting to note that today's announcement comes about a day after Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave an exclusive interview to CNBC. Highlights and video from the interview are posted here on ResourceShelf. Btw, no word about who will be able to ask questions.
Direct LINK to This ResourceShelf Post

Ask.com Maps and Aerial Imagery of Europe
Barry's post on Tuesday about MSN Live Local rolling out more imagery of Europe (cool stuff!) reminded us to mention that Ask.com Maps provides aerial imagery and street maps for some parts of Europe.

It's still a work in progress (street names, locations for searching) but the Ask.com Maps imagery looks very impressive. We also have imagery for a small portion of Australia. This map (PDF) offers a look at what resolution you'll find for imagery for various parts of Europe.

Some examples:
+ Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, France

+ Houses of Parliament, London

+ The Canals of Amsterdam
Btw, in many, but not all cases, Ask Maps "dynamic locations" feature will work for European locations. The same is true for driving and walking directions. Remember, "right-clicking" on a specific point on a map allows you to quickly and easily add that location to your location list.
--
--
Web Search--MSN Live Local
Microsoft Live Local Adds Traffic Info, Traffic Info Has Been Accessible via MSN Autos for Some Time
1) Map Live Traffic for Major Cities
Over 30 cities available. Click the traffic link at the top of the page to find the cities available. MS has offered real-time traffic info on maps on their MSN Auto site for a long time. The only difference from what we can see, the maps themselves. Actually, traffic info is available for many more cities via MSN Autos than MSN Live Local. Btw, the MSN Auto site also offers real-time traffic info delivered via SMS, MSN Messenger, or email for very localized areas. Yahoo Maps also offers real-time traffic maps. Traffic data is provided by Traffic.com. Btw, Traffic.com offers a great set of services (free) including traffic alerts via RSS and custom alerts delivered by voice (via your phone).
2) Save favorite Maps to Windows Live Favorites
3) Collections, "Keep lists of important Windows Live Local locations, order them any way you want, and share them with your friends."
4) You'll also notice that the Live Local search boxes have moved from side-by-side placement to vertical placement.
--
--
Web Search--Google
Google Wants to Talk, Again
Just a few weeks after the Google shareholder meeting, Google Press Day, and Google Analyst Day, Google brass have announced yet another get together. This time around, a web conference/webcast (May 31, 2006 at 11am PDST) to tell investors and analysts more about what's happening at the company. From an email, "As our CEO Eric Schmidt mentioned during our last earnings call (listen here), we would like to offer more opportunities for the investment community to interact with our senior management," said Kim Jabal, Director of Investor Relations, Google. "We hope that this call will be valuable to investors and provide further insights into our business." Interesting, a company that was first quiet about talking about the future, now wants to talk a lot. Reuters goes on to point out, "The stock is down roughly 10 percent so far this year on concerns about mounting competition in the Internet industry and Wall Street's frustration with Google's refusal to provide guidance on its financial outlook." Interesting to note that today's announcement comes about a day after Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave an exclusive interview to CNBC. Highlights and video from the interview are posted here on ResourceShelf. Btw, no word about who will be able to ask questions.
Direct LINK to This ResourceShelf Post