Google Maps (Google Maps). Google Maps

01.10.2019

Many users would like to enjoy satellite photos of their native places, see their house from above, a nearby river or forest, in a word, everything that is commonly called the “small Motherland”. A tool for realizing this desire can be satellite mapping services that provide a unique opportunity to view all the required geolocations in a detailed graphical mode. After my attempts to look at my home from a satellite online, I found really high-quality services and I will share my best practices in the article.

There is a huge variety of mapping services on the web that provide the user with access to satellite maps. high resolution. At the same time, the vast majority of such services use the API from " Google Maps”, and only a few services (including the domestic Yandex.Maps) can boast of their own cartographic developments, which are different from Google’s dominant maps in this segment.

At the same time, working with such cards is quite standard. You go to one of them, turn on the satellite display if necessary, and then enter your address (town, street, house number) into the search bar. After that, the service finds the required location, and you can use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the existing display. If for some reason the service does not find your house, I recommend entering the name of the city (town, village) and the street, and then find right house independently with the mouse.

At the same time, some services allow not only to see your house from above, but also to walk along the streets of your native city, and enjoy the view of the buildings we need up close.

Let's move on to the list of services that will help us see our home from a satellite.

Google Maps - look at your house from a satellite in real time

The world's most popular mapping resource is undoubtedly Google Maps. In addition to maps presented in a schematic and satellite form, the service also includes the possibility of 360 ° viewing of the streets of many cities of the world (Street View). Information about street traffic and traffic jams (Google Traffic), route planner from point A to point B, 3D display of many geographic points, and other useful features.

There are two main options for viewing your home:

Yandex.Maps - allows you to see the necessary object in Russia

Another mapping service with which you can enjoy the view of your home is Yandex.Maps. This service is the most popular in Russia, as the level of displaying the territory of Russia and the frequency of updating data for the Russian Federation exceeds all existing analogues, including the universally recognized maps from Google.

Like the Google Maps service, Yandex.Maps can boast of both standard and satellite map display (as well as the Hybrid mode, which involves applying various text and schematic markings on a satellite map). In addition, users have access to the street display mode (“Yandex.Panoramas”), the traffic congestion indicator (“Yandex.Traffic”), as well as the People's Map crowdsourcing system, which can be edited by any user.

To view your home using Yandex.Maps, go to the resource, type your address in the search bar above, and press enter. To switch to street view mode, click on the button with binoculars at the bottom of the screen (street panoramas and photos). And then select one of the streets marked in blue (you will switch to the street view at this point, and you can enjoy the flavor of these places).

Bing.Maps - satellite map from Microsoft

Bing.Maps is a web-based mapping service from Microsoft, formerly known as Windows Live Maps and MSN Virtual Earth. Its capabilities include satellite display of maps, street view, 3D display for 60 cities of the world, laying the optimal route and other features that are template for services of this type.

To view your home using Bing.Maps, go to the specified service, click on "Road" on the right, and select "Hybrid View". Then enter the address you need in the search bar, and view the view that opens.

MapQuest is a popular American mapping service.

Map Quest (translated as "Card Search") is a free American mapping service, the second most popular in the US after Google Maps. The resource can boast a high degree detailing the streets of many countries of the world, will help to lay a convenient route, inform about the available traffic and much more.

To work with it, you need to go to this resource, click on the button with the image the globe on the right (Satelite), which will allow you to switch to satellite display mode. After that, in the search bar on the left, enter the address you need (preferably in Latin), and enjoy displaying the desired location using the MapQuest service.

MapQuest is the second most popular service in the US

Conclusion

You can look at your home from a satellite using the services listed by me in this material. For the territory of Russia, I would recommend the Yandex.Maps service - the level of detail and the frequency of updated data inspire us to consider Yandex maps the best cartographic service in the Russian Federation. On a global scale, the Google Maps service is the undisputed leader, therefore it will be optimal to use the tools this service to display maps of many countries in the world.

In contact with

I have long wanted to write this post and tell you about Google maps. Surely you will say: “What is special about them? regular cards, with the possibility of laying routes, using with GPS, information about the subway, maps of cities and streets, etc.” All this has long become a familiar tool for us, but not everyone knows that Google maps has an amazing opportunity that it is simply a sin 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 can see three-dimensional buildings, streets, roads, vehicles, etc. It is worth noting that this function has appeared for a very, very long time. In Russia, it is almost never used, since 3D maps are still available only for foreign countries and that's not for everyone. But as a short sightseeing tour of another country, they are just great.

If your Internet connection speed is below 512 Kbps, then using the service will be problematic ..... of course, if you can wait a long, long time ... In general, you need a more or less high-speed connection channel =) Just in case, update the version of Adobe Flash Player http ://www.adobe.com/en/products/flash/

Where to begin?

To get started, of course, go to the site http://maps.google.ru

I must say that the function of 3D maps is very, very deeply hidden in the functionality of maps. Finding them is not easy. I myself did not understand for a long time what to press and where to look.

So, enter the following into the search box: 3D New York. A similar picture will appear

Next, to enter the 3D mode, for example, click on the letter I. It doesn't matter. Subsequently, you will be able to manage your location using the map. The main thing is to go into 3D mode. So, press I and then on "Street View". By the way, if you still see the phrase “Street View” on Google maps, then you can view it in 3D mode

And so. 3D mode is started 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 on the map, you can control your location. Attention, it cannot be placed outside the blue area, since only the marked blue area on the map enters the 3D viewing area. Click on the corner of the mini-map. It will expand half the screen. This makes it much easier to manage

If a location is unavailable in 3D view mode, pictures corresponding to it will be displayed in its place.

To switch to full-screen view mode (it's 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/Zoom out, read various signs, look at photographs, look at diagrams and symbols. What I really liked is that there is 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 New York's famous Times Square.

The only thing I would like is switching between day / night. But this is already nit-picking. Few people will need to look for any street in the middle of the night.

Now let's move from New York to Paris. Specifically to France. Google has also provided a 3D viewing mode for it. Let's introduce: 3D Paris

We click on any street. Our goal is to find the coveted inscription "Street View". So found. Here 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 see it in full screen. So it's much more interesting.

The next stop will be in Japan. Enter the following: Japonya 3d Tokyo. Let's select some place and expand it to full screen mode.

As you can see, the image quality is so high that you might think that this photo was actually taken in Japan.

Did you like it?

I think that this little walk around the world was interesting for you. I've never been so addicted to looking at maps. But really, you can look at all this beauty for hours. It's so interesting to see another city, almost live, walk along its streets, see the architecture and nature. It's a pity that you can't watch Russian cities in 3D. For example, Moscow, Peter. Well, I think without them you can have fun. The main thing is not to get carried away. Virtual travel very tighten. You will not even notice how you will lose several hours of your time in search of something new and interesting. In general, forward to GoogleMaps.

Times Square in New York (Times Square) - the main crossroads of the world

Do not forget to write in the comments about your impressions. See you soon!

Google Maps is a leader among modern mapping services that provide satellite interactive maps online. At least the 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 Wikipedia-style mapping service where each volunteer can enter data on 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 it is in Google Maps that we can find the most detailed satellite photos for the most extensive 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 their own country.

With Google Maps, anyone can view satellite photos of the Earth for free from almost anywhere in the world.

Image quality

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 imagery is available for cities with more than 1 million inhabitants. For less major cities and other settlements, satellite images are only available in limited resolution.

Opportunities

Google Maps or " Google Maps"were a real discovery for Internet users and indeed for all PC users, giving an unheard-of and previously unseen opportunity to look at their home, their village, cottage, lake or river where they rested in the summer - from a satellite. To see it from above, from such an angle, 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 photographs, fits harmoniously into general concept Google "easily providing access to all users to any information on the planet."

Google Maps allows you to see from the satellite at the same time those things and objects that cannot be observed at the same time when observed from the ground. Satellite maps differ from regular maps in that they simple maps colors and natural shapes natural objects distorted by editorial processing for further publication. However, all the naturalness of nature and shooting objects, natural colors, shapes of lakes, rivers, fields and forests are preserved in satellite photographs.

Looking at the map, one can only guess what is there: a forest, a field or a swamp, while on a satellite photo it is immediately clear: objects are usually round or oval in shape of a unique marsh color and there are swamps. Light green patches or areas in the photo are fields, while dark green are forests. With sufficient experience of orientation in Google Maps - you can even distinguish between coniferous forest or mixed: coniferous has more brown shade. Also on the map you can distinguish specific broken lines piercing the forests and fields of the vast Russian expanses - this railways. Only by looking from a satellite can one understand that railways affect the environment much more than roads. natural landscape. 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.

Map Mode and Satellite View Mode

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, to study in detail the layout and location of houses of any more or less big city. In the "map" mode, it is especially convenient to plan moving 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 desired house, giving you the opportunity to "look around" the area around this house and how you can drive up / approach it. For search required object just type in Russian in the search bar a query like: "City, street, house number" and the site will show you the location of the object you are looking for with a special marker.

How to use Google Maps

To get started, open a location.

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 mice in the place you are interested in.

To switch between satellite, mixed (hybrid) view and map, use the corresponding buttons in the upper right corner of the map: Map / Satellite / Hybrid.

For free observation of the Earth's surface and viewing satellite images online, you can use several applications. In Russia, two of them are the most popular: Google Maps and Yandex Maps. Both services boast good quality high-resolution satellite images of most countries.

Yandex maps is an online application from Russian developers, so the cities of Russia are more accurately worked out in it. It has a built-in functionality for viewing traffic congestion data (large settlements), demographic and geodata. In maps from Google, no less high-quality satellite images of the territory of the Russian Federation, but data on land plots and traffic are only available for the USA.

Watch a map of Planet Earth from a satellite online

Below you can see the Google map embedded on the site. For more stable operation plugin, we recommend using Google browser Chrome. If you see an error message, then update the specified plugin, then reload the page.

Watch Google Earth from satellite, in real time online:

Another advantage of Google Maps is the presence of a client application for working with satellite images. This means that access to the service can be obtained not only through a browser, but also through a previously downloaded program. It has much more opportunities for viewing and studying satellite images, working with a three-dimensional virtual globe.

Google 3D satellite map (downloadable app, not online version) allows you to:

use a quick search for the desired objects by name or coordinates;
take screenshots and record videos High Quality;
work offline (preliminary synchronization via the Internet is required);
use a flight simulator for more convenient movement between objects;
save "favorite places" for quick movement between them;
view not only the Earth's surface, but also images of other celestial bodies(Mars, Moon, etc.).

You can work with Google satellite maps through a client application or a browser. On the official page of the program, a plugin is available that allows you to use interactive map on any web site. It is enough to embed its address in the program code of the site. For display, you can select both the entire surface and a specific area (you will have to enter the coordinates). Management - with the help computer mouse and keyboard (ctrl+mouse wheel to zoom, cursor to move) or using the icons marked on the map (“plus” - zoom in, “minus” - zoom out, move with the cursor).

The Google Earth real-time service allows you to work with several types of maps, each of which reflects certain data on satellite images. It is convenient to switch between them “without losing progress” (the program remembers where you “were”). Available view modes:

satellite landscape map ( geographic features, peculiarities Earth's surface);
physical map(detailed satellite images of the surface, cities, streets, their names);
schematic geographic map for a more accurate study of surface images.

A satellite image is automatically uploaded at the point of approach, so a stable Internet connection is required to work. To use Google Earth offline, you need to download an application for Windows or another operating system. Its operation also requires the Internet, but only for the first launch, after which the program synchronizes all the necessary data (satellite images of the surface, 3D models of buildings, names of geographical and other objects), after which it will be possible to work with the received data without direct access to the Internet.

What are Google Maps? It is a service that consists of several applications provided free of charge and includes the mapping site Google Maps and a route planning program (Google Transit). Google maps offer a satellite view of so many cities around the world and include a detailed map of the location of streets, houses, routes for travel. public transport or auto, guide to various objects And so on.

Features of work

The Google Maps map is displayed in two variations:

conventional traditional map (similar to Mercator maps)

and satellite images (not online, but taken certain time back).

The scale of the maps is also based on the Mercator projection, that is, it is constant and changes from the poles to the equator in the direction of decreasing.

Another separate project of the corporation is closely connected with Google Maps - Google Planet, which corresponds to the globe, on which the regions of the Earth's poles are clearly visible.

For which places are offered satellite imagery? Not for everyone, but only for big cities in Russia, England, America, Canada and others.

Not all governments have approved such placement and use of images (because the placement of some objects that are clearly visible on maps can be used by terrorists to plan and carry out attacks).

That is why many objects on the maps are shaded. Such “secret” objects include, for example, White House or the Capitol.

Different places on satellite images are given in different resolutions - the less populated the area, the less detailed it is. Also, some places in the pictures may be hidden due to the shadow of the clouds.

Google maps online

switch to satellite mode- lower left corner;
zoom in/zoom out- lower right corner.

As soon as the company introduced a new service, a wave of interest in satellite images swept around the world.

The creation of sites began, on which satellite images began to be placed in the public domain interesting places, unusual architectural sights, stadiums, man-made formations. Since 2008, the US Weather Service has been using Google Maps to prepare its forecasts.

It should be noted that not all images are taken from the satellite - most of The pictures were obtained thanks to aerial photography from a height of 300 meters.

Google Maps online maps make extensive use of JavaScript. As the user moves around the map by dragging it, new parcels are loaded from the server and displayed on the page.

If the user is looking for specific objects, then the search result is inserted in the sidebar, and the page itself does not require a reload. The location on the map is displayed dynamically through a red marker icon.

In 2006 year, the first version appeared for mobile phones, and in 2007 a second version appeared. A GPS-like service is used to locate the phone.

In 2008 year Google Maps could be used for Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, BlackBerry, Java (from 2+), IOS (Apple), Palm OS (Centro+).

In 2011 In 2007, the corporation announced that it was providing mapping services to more than 150 million customers.

So that third-party site owners could use Maps, Google announced in 2005 the free Maps API (Application Programming Interface) service.

The map can be placed on any site using this technology for interaction software. To date, there are more than 350 thousand such sites around the world.