Microsoft Maps fucking *destroys* Google Maps (update with pics for lazy people)

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Andrew

Andrew

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Jun 24, 2006
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Its been a while since I last used Microsoft's online maps service (now http://maps.live.com/), the last time it had some black and white ariel photography, everything was pretty mediocre.

First I am checking out Miami.. high resolution ariel images of the city, boats everything. And when I say high resolution, like detailed cars. It looks like the latest version of Sim City. Understandable, they did the high resolution images of big cities. Then I check my little hometown and my parent's house, a city that got so-so quality images on Google Maps. Same resolution. I can see the garden in the backyard. The shadows from the trees aren't a blur, you can see individual branches. Oh, and there are all four viewing angles -- north, east, south, and west.

It may be a while before I ever use Google Maps again. Next time I am going somewhere I'll actually know what the building and the neighborhood actually looks like.

EDIT/UPDATE: In the little nav box on the left, underneath the folded flat map is another icon with buildings popping up. Click that.

To those of you who haven't figured it out, here are some images:

Think this looks good?
maps-ms1.jpg


Here is what is really impressive:
maps-ms2.jpg


Oh, and you can see all sides -- north, east, south, and west
maps-ms3.jpg
 


But does live maps show people leaving strip clubs via street views? Yeah, didn't think so.

Edit: Seriously, It still sucks for my location. Google kills MSN from my viewpoint.
 
Live has great US maps, but for the rest of the world google is way better so far...at least for the locations I checked in various countries
 
I'm in the process of replacing microsoft mappoint with microsoft virtual earth on one of my sites and yea, totally trounces google maps. Especially with POI's.
 
MS uses USGS and Pictometry (afaik)
Google uses Digitalglobe (afaik)
I love it when the media makes a big shit over Google Maps being able to see over military bases and the white house and shit.
a.) They are just an interface to a map database, they didnt take the pictures
b.) Navteq takes the pictures
c.) There are multiple different sources that take arial pictures even if Google Maps blurs out something on their particular map copy from their particular source
d.) There are other sites that even use the same source as Google Maps that probably wouldnt blur it out
e.) The US government supplies arial photography for crying out loud. You can log on to a .gov site and get all the shit you get from Google Maps

;)

But, yeah, MS has pretty wicked sources. Too bad its MS...
 
US is great at MS, the rest of the world is crap!

Look at Zurich, for example.
This is the biggest city in Switzerland, for crying out loud.

Crap, crap, crap.
:repuke:

::emp::
 
StarkReality said:
Live has great US maps, but for the rest of the world google is way better so far...at least for the locations I checked in various countries
Click to expand...



I am coming to this conclution as well. When i zoom in on my town using the air view you can't see it at all.
 
Those maps were photographed by secret services and sold to google and microsoft so the thing is, you really don't want to see your house...
 
krazyjosh5 said:
MS uses USGS and Pictometry (afaik)
Google uses Digitalglobe (afaik)
I love it when the media makes a big shit over Google Maps being able to see over military bases and the white house and shit.
a.) They are just an interface to a map database, they didnt take the pictures
b.) Navteq takes the pictures
c.) There are multiple different sources that take arial pictures even if Google Maps blurs out something on their particular map copy from their particular source
d.) There are other sites that even use the same source as Google Maps that probably wouldnt blur it out
e.) The US government supplies arial photography for crying out loud. You can log on to a .gov site and get all the shit you get from Google Maps

;)

But, yeah, MS has pretty wicked sources. Too bad its MS...
Click to expand...

MS gets their images from GEOEYE which uses actual people to analyze and construct the the maps from raw imagery data unlike Digitalglobe that uses a computer to construct the maps which is one of the reasons digitialglobes maps look like shit compared to GEOEYEs.
 
Are they not allowed to show actual people on those maps? I spent the past hour looking for someone, anyone, couldn't find a single person. :(

Very neat though.
 
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