See 3D buildings in a whole new way with Google MapsGL

In March, we shared news of a significant improvement over our previous 3D buildings in Google Maps, providing a much more recognizable view of thousands of important buildings around the world. Now, we’ve brought this enhanced 3D experience to Google MapsGL as well. Google MapsGL is a true 3D experience affording a perspective called “parallax”, so you can get different views of a building depending on where you pan. Here are a few comparisons of...

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New 45° imagery available for 19 cities

The latest 45° imagery update in Google Maps features new imagery for 8 international locations and 11 U.S. locations. This also marks the first time we're publishing 45° imagery for France.Avignon, FranceThe city of Avignon is the first place in France where 45° imagery will be available. Classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO, Avignon is full of history. The famous bridge “le pont d’Avignon” (referenced in the well-known French song “Sur le pont d’Avignon”) provides a spectacular view of the old city, including the “Palais des Papes” where...

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Visit global landmarks with photo tours in Google Maps

Every year, millions of people pack their bags and head to far-off places to enjoy sites and cultures different from their own. While there, they snap photos to document their trip and share their excursions online. Yet none of these individual photos captures the experience of actually being immersed in a specific location. With today’s introduction of photo tours, a feature of Google Maps that guides you through a 3D photo scene, we're one step...

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Street View comes to Ukraine

You can now visit the country of Ukraine through Street View in time for the 2012 European Football Championships. Located in the geographical center of Europe, Ukraine has many fascinating sites to explore.At more than 1500 years old, the capital Kyiv is the oldest city in Central and Eastern Europe. You can know take a virtual stroll around the historical center of the city refereed to as the ‘Cradle of Slavic civilization’, including the UNESCO World Heritage listed sites of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and Saint Sophia Cathedral.Kyiv-Pechersk LavraYou...

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Exploring Jerusalem’s Old City streets with Street View

Cross posted on the Official Google BlogEvery year, 3.5 million people come to Israel to visit ancient sites that are holy to billions of people, to walk among the unique stone of Jerusalem, or to relax on the beaches of the Mediterranean. Inside Jerusalem's Old CityTo help you explore Israel’s history and present, we’ve launched imagery of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Haifa on Street View. You can explore the narrow streets of Jerusalem’s Old City and each of its four quarters, walk along the Via Dolorosa and see the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,...

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Planting some green this Earth Day

Cross-posted from the Official Google and Google Green blogsSince 1970, people all over the world have recognized April 22 as Earth Day, an opportunity to appreciate and generate awareness about the natural environment. Here at Google we strive to do our part to make sure our planet is healthy for years to come. From investing in renewable energy to building products that help people be greener in their own lives, we’re building a better web that’s...

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Imagery Update: Week of April 16th

The Google Earth and Maps Imagery team has published another batch of aerial and satellite imagery. In this post, we’ll look at newly released imagery that reflects the themes of past, present, and future. 2011: In the U.S., federal and state taxes were due this week as they are every year in mid-April for the previous year’s income. So in our first aerial example shown below, the structure on the left is the Sun Trust Bank Building, which houses...

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Easily snap your photos to a location in Panoramio

Earlier this year we improved the uploader tool in Panoramio to make the process faster and more intuitive. Since then, members of the Panoramio photo-sharing community have been simply dragging and dropping their photos to the locations where they were taken, and working together to create a world map of beautiful images.Today, we’re announcing some improvements to help you even more easily geo-tag your photos in Panoramio. You can now snap your...

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Balloon and kite imagery in Google Earth

Here at Google we publish a lot of imagery, most of which comes from the satellite and aerial imagery providers with whom we partner. Last week we published something a bit different: images collected from balloons and kites! The resolution is amazing, and it’s something that just about anyone can do themselves. Public Laboratory image of Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA (July 2011) in Google EarthOur friends at The Public Laboratory for Open Technology...

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Save the date! Announcing Geo Teachers Institutes for Ireland and England

Educators all over the world have used Google's geo products to help students conceptualize, visualize, share and communicate information about the world around them.This summer, we will host two Google Geo Teachers Institutes: June 13 and 14, 2012 in Dublin, Ireland and June 20 and 21, 2012 in London, England. Both events will be held at the local Google office.This two-day event is a free professional development experience designed to help educators...

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A bird’s eye view of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee procession

Following the royal wedding in 2011, the eyes of the world will again be on London as we celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. As part of her Jubilee celebrations, The Queen will take part in a procession along some of London’s most famous landmarks. We’ve created a 3D aerial view video of the procession route, providing a virtual tour of the landmarks that The Queen will pass. The procession starts with a view of New Palace Yard, leading up through Whitehall, past the Cenotaph war memorial, a focal point for Remembrance Sunday....

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Remembering the Titanic

One hundred years ago, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean and sank, along with three-quarters of the 2,200 passengers and the entire crew on board. It was her maiden voyage from England to New York City and has gone down in history as one of the deadliest maritime tragedies.The story of the Titanic has remained with us through the decades. It has inspired books and movies and is memorialized around the world in museums...

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Map of the Week: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with Google Maps API

(Cross-posted on the Google Geo Developers blog)Map of the Week: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with Google Maps API Why we like it: This Google Maps API implementation really speaks to the versatility of the API and breadth of the Google Maps API developer ecosystem! From small personal projects to exciting start-ups and high-performance cars, the Google Maps API can be used by everyone. As you would expect, this top of the line Mercedes-Benz is loaded with...

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Help improve the “blue dot” for people visiting your venue

When we announced the availability of indoor maps for Android last November, we also introduced Google Maps Floor Plans as a tool for business owners to upload the floor plans for their venue and have them appear in Google Maps for Android. Today we’re releasing the Google Maps Floor Plan Marker app, which enables those who’ve uploaded floor plans to improve the indoor location accuracy their visitors experience when using indoor maps within their...

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Enjoying opening day with Google tools

Spring is finally here and with it, the beginning of the 2012 baseball season! For die hard fans, this means the beginning of another fabulous year of Cracker Jacks and days at the ballpark. To celebrate the start of the 2012 season of America’s pastime, we’ve created a special Google Earth video featuring aerial imagery and 3D models of the country’s most legendary stadiums. Fly to Fenway in Boston, soar over Chicago’s Wrigley Field and check out...

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Opening up the world of art with Street View

As a continuation of our global efforts to expand Street View to the world’s most interesting and unique places, we’re pleased to announce a major expansion of the Google Art Project.Since we introduced the Art Project last year, curators, artists and viewers from all over the globe have offered exciting ideas about how to enhance the experience of collecting, sharing and discovering art. Institutions worldwide asked to join the project, urging us to increase the diversity of artworks displayed. We listened. Our global team has worked hard to expand...

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Now see service alerts for the London Underground in Maps

Ahead of a busy summer in London, we are bringing real time service alerts for the London Underground to Google Maps. We’ll let you know of any disruptions on the Underground that are happening at the time you need them most. To see these alerts, click on a station in a timetable or in the public transport directions results. Last summer we announced live transit updates, providing travelers with up-to-date information when planning their trips....

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Get typical traffic for roads, not just highways

Have you ever been stuck in traffic during the heavy morning commute, or found yourself late for dinner plans because you left work right in the middle of the Friday night traffic? In addition to using Google Maps to find alternate routes and reach your destination faster, you may have also found the feature that shows typical traffic patterns on highways to be useful. Knowing the usual highway conditions during certain times of the day, like rush...

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Google Model Your Town 2012: Vote for the winner!

Cross-posted from the SketchUp BlogThe 212 teams that participated in this year’s Google Model Your Town Competition produced thousands of models, the vast majority of which were jaw-droppingly, heart-stoppingly, mind-bogglingly gorgeous. Narrowing down the field to six finalists was a gut wrenching affair, but it had to be done. In alphabetical order, the finalist teams for 2012 are:Evansville, Indiana, United States | Evansville’s collection of...

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