Business Archives

March 10, 2010

Use StreetView to make Points of Interest more precise

For a long time now, my biggest complaint about the points of interest (restaurants, car dealers, etc) in Google Earth and Google Maps was that they weren't accurate enough. They were close, but not precise. Google has already provided tools to help place markers more accurately, but now you can use StreetView to put them right on the buildings!

The process is quite simple. First, click on a marker, then click "more", then click "Move marker", as seen below:

Move Marker

After you do that, you'll be presented with a split screen. Move the marker on the map or in the StreetView window to place it as accurately as possible.

move-marker-streetview.jpg

Be sure to save you changes and you're done! Over time, this will help to make the layers in Google Earth considerably more accurate.

In a sad twist of fate, we've also learned that Google may stop updating their StreetView imagery in Europe. Google and the European Union continue to disagree on the length of time that Google should hold the unblurred imagery in storage, which has lead Google's Michael Jones to say:

"I think we would consider whether we want to drive through Europe again, because it would make the expense so draining," Michael Jones, Google's chief technology advocate and founder of Google Earth, said in an interview at the Cebit Technology Fair in Hanover.

At this point it seems unlikely that Google would stop capturing StreetView imagery over there, but the possibility now exists that they might.

Posted by mickmel at 8:06 AM | Comments (5)

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February 17, 2010

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Google has a few openings on the Google Earth team, and has asked us to share them with you since you're some of the biggest Google Earth geeks around!

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Do you fondly remember the first ever Maps Mashup (housingmaps.com) and were you posting KMLs to the Keyhole BBS circa 2005? Are you a neocartographer with awesome web development and Java skills, who is interested in applying them to help Enterprise organizations build sophisticated business critical mapping applications? Did you always wonder what became of the awesome Keyhole Enterprise technology, and do get excited when you think about possible Enterprise use cases of Google Earth and Maps?

If so then consider applying for one of the Geo Enterprise positions listed below. There's no better place to be!

• Enterprise Earth Sales Engineer - Mountain View
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Posted by mickmel at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)

February 8, 2010

Where 2.0 2010 coming in March; Discount for GEB Readers

For the past few years (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006), Frank has attended the Where 2.0 conference. I had the pleasure of attending with him in 2007 and we had a great time. Now that he's busy sailing around beautiful places like Bonaire, I'll be taking his place this year.

Where 2.0 happening March 30-April 1, 2010 at the San Jose Marriott in San Jose, California. Where 2.0 brings together the people, projects, and issues building the new technological foundations and creating value in the location industry. Developers, technologists, CTOs, researchers, geographers, academics, business developers, and entrepreneurs come together to debate what's viable now, and what's lurking just below the radar. Register before February 9 and save $300. Take an additional 25% off when using discount code: whr10ge

I recently had a chance to speak with Brady Forrest, Program Chair for Where 2.0, to talk about some of what we can expect at this years event.

You can find the full list of speakers on this page, but here are a few that he felt were worth pointing out:

• Dennis Crowley from FourSquare, Josh Williams from Gowalla and Jeremy Stoppelman from Yelp will all be there. Many people expect location-based services to explode in 2010, and these three companies are leading the way. Increasingly interesting game mechanics are expected to be developed this year, as turning these services into a more game-like experience will help to draw in more casual users.

• Speaking of Twitter, Elad Gil, Raffi Krikorian and Othman Laraki will be there. Of note is Ryan Sarver, formerly of Skyhook Wireless, who will be speaking on the "Increasing Usefulness of Location Data Geostreams".

• John Hanke of Google will be there. In the past, Google has been known to release some major developments at Where 2.0, such as the release of StreetView in 2007. No word on any big announcements, but it's always a possibility.

• Blaise Agüera y Arcas, the "Architect of Bing Maps" and the creator of Photosynth will be there to discuss user-generated and crowdsourced maps.

• Sean Askay, who created the very impressive "Map the Fallen" KML will be discussing his work on that project.

There are literally dozens of other speakers and events, and it should be a great week. If you plan on attending, leave a comment or send me an email and we can try to meet up. Hope to see you there!

Posted by mickmel at 7:21 AM | Comments (0)

December 9, 2009

Place Pages arrive in Google Earth

A few months ago, Google added a new feature to Google Maps called Place Pages. Their description of them is a "webpage for every place in the world". They have these auto-generated pages for every location found in Google Maps -- restaurants, landmarks, cities, transit stations, etc. If you visit the page for a place you own, you have the ability to edit the page, add photos, etc. It's pretty neat.

Now you can see that information inside of Google Earth and it's very easy to do. When viewing a business or other POI in Google Earth, just click on the "View More Information" link and you'll see their page.

Dubai Page

When viewing a page, you can expand many of the sections by clicking the appropriate "more" link within the page ("more photos", "more reviews", etc).

Florence

It's a very minor change to Google Earth, but opens up a ton of data for you to access while you're in there. This seems to be another step toward making all of the data from Google Maps available in Google Earth (and vice-versa), which will help make both programs more useful for everyone.

Posted by mickmel at 8:49 AM | Comments (1)

December 8, 2009

Aerial perspective imagery

As some of you have pointed out in recent comments, much of the imagery used in the Building Maker tool seems to be angled aerial imagery, similar to the "Bird's Eye" imagery in Bing Maps. Google is now making that imagery available via the Maps API.

The imagery is currently only available in San Jose and San Diego, but I'd expect it will expand rather quickly. Over time, I'd expect this imagery to help expand the Building Maker areas, and ultimately help more 3D models find their way into Google Earth.

Google has already partnered with a few companies to integrate this new imagery into their sites. Orbitz is using it for hotel searches, and Redfin and Trulia are using it when they show off available real estate.

Perspective imagery

If you're interested in developing an application that uses this data, head over to the Google Geo Developers Blog to get more information about how to implement it on your site.

Posted by mickmel at 9:38 AM | Comments (3)

More entries for this category:

  1. StreetView inside buildings? - December 1, 2009
  2. Links: Full list of StreetView updates, TeachMideast.org, CyberCity 3D partners with HomeGain - November 11, 2009
  3. KML file that shows the October imagery, now updated in Google Maps - October 22, 2009
  4. Get your home or business modeled in 3D for Google Earth - October 19, 2009
  5. More 3D Cities Appearing in Google Earth - September 14, 2009
  6. 360 Degrees Longitude Book Using Google Earth - July 15, 2009
  7. North Shore City, New Zealand in Google Earth - July 2, 2009
  8. Using Google Earth to Review Urban Development Project - June 15, 2009
  9. New "Businesses" layer for Google Earth and iPhone Google Earth - May 27, 2009
  10. 3D Disneyland Resort Paris in Google Earth - May 24, 2009
  11. Where 2.0 - Day 2 - Short Summary - May 21, 2009
  12. Google Ads in Some Google Earth Panoramio Placemarks - May 6, 2009
  13. Links: Ocean Now, Michigan Earth Day, Goldman Prize, Convention Center, Queen Mary - April 21, 2009
  14. Nine Inch Nails Uses Google Earth Again and iPhone - April 7, 2009
  15. Google Wants to Hear Your Google Earth Story - April 3, 2009
  16. Links: Where 2.0, Map Lens, Historical Placemarks, Condé Nast - March 30, 2009
  17. Google Announces Two New 3D Cities - March 7, 2009
  18. Huge Update to Berlin's 3D Building Collection for Google Earth - March 4, 2009
  19. Links: New 3D Town Project, Model Underwater, World's Largest Ship Graveyard - March 3, 2009
  20. New York City in Photo-Realistic 3D Now in Google Earth - December 17, 2008
  21. Links: Going Sailing, Mumbai Attacks, Street View, South Africa Award - December 11, 2008
  22. Tomb Raider Challenge with Google Earth - December 3, 2008
  23. Links: Where 2.0, Weather Buoys, Argentina, Earthscape, MapMyPage, and more - November 19, 2008
  24. Peachtree City Public Information Interactive Map - September 30, 2008
  25. McCain Geo-Biography in Google Earth - September 23, 2008
  26. 600 Starbucks Closures in Google Earth - July 22, 2008
  27. GIS Data for Canary Islands in Google Earth - July 15, 2008
  28. Roses First 3D City in Spain for Google Earth - July 10, 2008
  29. Google Releases More Map Crowdsourcing Tools - June 24, 2008
  30. Where 2.0 - Day 1 - May 13, 2008
  31. Impressive Upgrade to Virtual Earth 3D - April 11, 2008
  32. New York Times in Google Earth - April 7, 2008
  33. Links: Digital Urban Booklet, GE OSX UI Tweak, Peru Meteor Strike - March 31, 2008
  34. Armageddon Pills in Google Earth - March 14, 2008
  35. See Guys Putting Up Sign on Luxor Hotel & Casino - February 18, 2008
  36. Links: Zillow News, Virtual Volcanology, Design in GE, GearthHacks News, Ski Time, VE Geocoding - January 18, 2008
  37. Top 25 Stories of Google Earth 2007 - December 27, 2007
  38. Governor of Alabama Unveils Google Earth Application - December 4, 2007
  39. Links: Tracking Santa, Netherland Statistics, Boat Parades, OpenAerialMap - December 3, 2007
  40. KFC Logo Stunt Now in Google Earth - November 19, 2007
  41. Armor All Promotion in Google Earth - November 16, 2007
  42. Defense Earmarks in Google Earth - November 7, 2007
  43. Google Earth Christmas Gift: 15% Discount on SpaceNavigator - November 2, 2007
  44. Links: Glider Towing, 3D Bonanza, John Hanke Presentation, Google Maps Profiles, Virtual Earth 3D Modeling - October 19, 2007
  45. Business Layers Have Reviews and Pictures in Google Earth - October 16, 2007
  46. Microsoft Virtual Earth Supports Basic KML and KML Searching - October 15, 2007
  47. Links: Google Maps Zoom, GE Pro Classes, 10 Features of GE, Arc2Earth V2, Spot Image Layer - October 14, 2007
  48. DigitalGlobe New Satellite WorldView I is Black and White? - September 18, 2007
  49. The Gmail Video Collection in Google Earth - August 30, 2007
  50. New Real-Time Traffic Layer in Google Earth - August 21, 2007
  51. Virtual London Project Dead in the Water - August 8, 2007
  52. Using Google Earth and Web 2.0 Mapping Tools for GIS Visualizations - August 7, 2007
  53. News Roundup - Microsoft and KML, Minnesota Bridge, New Competition, and more - August 5, 2007
  54. Energy Production Information for Western US - July 17, 2007
  55. Largest Coca Cola Logo - Made from Bottles - July 12, 2007
  56. Pool Guy Taps Google Earth - July 10, 2007
  57. News Roundup - New GeoSearch, GeoWeb 2007, Traffic Gadget, Earthplot, Environmental Data - July 9, 2007
  58. OgleEarth Roundup: Illegal Fishing Caught, Picasa Web Albums Review, Geo-Ads Patent, HeyWhatsThat - June 28, 2007
  59. News Roundup: GE 4.1 Stuff, Plotting a Trail, Business Reviews, More Second Earth - June 20, 2007
  60. Pict'Earth - UAV Aerial Photography Solutions - June 19, 2007
  61. Road Maps and Local Search for Sweden in Google Earth and Maps - June 13, 2007
  62. News RoundUp: Football Game, VesselTracker, Antarctic Bases, Egyptian Digs, 3D Cities Help, Chimps, Gallery - June 12, 2007
  63. Google Transit in Google Earth - June 5, 2007
  64. ChartGeek - Sectional Maps for Pilots in Google Earth - May 28, 2007
  65. News Roundup - GeoCommons, AC3D, LaudonTech Maps, MacFamilyTree - May 23, 2007
  66. More Roads, POI, 3D Buildings in Google Earth - April 12, 2007
  67. News Roundup: Amsterdam Google GeoDay, Google LitTrips, US Capitol - March 30, 2007
  68. Traditional Advertising Gets Boost in 3D Google Earth - March 27, 2007
  69. Google Earth Classified Ads by Safarri - March 26, 2007
  70. Movie Making Information for 300 in Google Earth - March 20, 2007
  71. gCensus - US Census Data for Google Earth - March 14, 2007
  72. Lloyd's Using Google Earth for Insurance Visualizations - March 12, 2007
  73. Major Layer Update for Google Earth - March 10th - March 10, 2007
  74. News Roundup: Google Earth Resume/CV, Google Maps Interface to BMW cars - March 7, 2007
  75. News Roundup - Tax Collector, Google Federal, Virtual Worlds Conference - February 28, 2007
  76. World Oil Consumption - 3D Charts in Google Earth - February 27, 2007
  77. FedEx Pilots "Smart" Tracking with Google Earth - February 23, 2007
  78. Google Earth Advertising Gets More Credibility - February 21, 2007
  79. News Roundup - India Censorship, SightSeer, Plazes, Education - February 5, 2007
  80. Update to Ads in Google Earth/Maps - February 2, 2007
  81. Shape2Earth - GIS Data to Google Earth - January 29, 2007
  82. Dutch KLM Releases Air Fare Finder in Google Earth - January 24, 2007
  83. News roundup: Google vs. Microsoft, 3D San Jose, Endurance, Weather, Off the Map - January 23, 2007
  84. Google Announces Aerial Photo Shoot for Australia Day - January 26 - January 22, 2007
  85. Google Earth Layers - January 11, 2007
  86. SpaceNavigator Works on Mac OS X - January 9, 2007
  87. News Roundup: GlobeXplorer Acquired by DigitalGlobe, Conferences, Google Telescope - January 8, 2007
  88. Mars Sucks - A Game for Google Earth - December 29, 2006
  89. Amazing Implementation of Marine Charts for Google Earth - December 21, 2006
  90. NASA and Google Sign "Space Act Agreement" - December 18, 2006
  91. Trulia Adds Google Earth for Real Estate Searches - December 5, 2006
  92. Exciting New "3D Mouse" for Google Earth - The SpaceNavigator - November 27, 2006
  93. Exclusive Economic Zones in Google Earth - November 24, 2006
  94. Satellite Photo of KFC Logo and Viral Marketing Scheme - November 17, 2006
  95. CBS News Does Google Earth - November 9, 2006
  96. Baseball, 3D Stadiums, Videos, and Google Earth - November 2, 2006
  97. Cape Town Travel Guide for Google Earth - October 31, 2006
  98. Spanish Architecture Project in 3D by Tagzania - October 27, 2006
  99. Live Flight Sales and Driving Tips with Google Earth - October 26, 2006
  100. James Bond DVD Promotion Using Google Earth - October 20, 2006
  101. News Roundup - October 9, 2006
  102. Google Earth Enterprise in Oil and Gas Industry - October 3, 2006
  103. Ad Campaign for Saturn Aura Uses Google Earth - September 26, 2006
  104. Google Earth Las Vegas - September 22, 2006
  105. Roundup - Pillows, redtrails, earthpoint, Robogeo 5, libferris, virtual land rush - September 20, 2006
  106. Anousheh Ansari Blasts off to Space - September 18, 2006
  107. Interview With Michael Jones - Google Earth Chief Technology Officer - September 14, 2006
  108. Huge New Layers Update in Google Earth - September 13 - September 13, 2006
  109. "Prison Break" on Google Earth - September 11, 2006
  110. CBS News Does Google Earth - Missing Last Step - September 8, 2006
  111. British Airways Uses Google Earth to Improve Online Sales - September 1, 2006
  112. Turnhere.com - Videos About Places - August 15, 2006
  113. Campus Maps with 3D Buildings in Google Earth - August 14, 2006
  114. Music Group Audioslave Uses Google Earth for Promotion - August 4, 2006
  115. Vancouver in 3D for Google Earth - July 21, 2006
  116. Weather Symbols in Google Earth - July 18, 2006
  117. News Roundup - July 15, 2006
  118. Magnalox Provides Live Tracking Interface for Google Earth - July 7, 2006
  119. 1000 Pizzas Publicity Stunt Using Google Earth - June 28, 2006
  120. Win a Free Trip from Surfing Magazine by Using Google Earth - June 21, 2006
  121. RoboGEO - Simplifying Georeferencing of Photos - June 10, 2006
  122. Digital Camera Illustrates Camera Shot with Google Earth - June 4, 2006
  123. Forbes Magazine Article - Maps Mania - June 3, 2006
  124. Pin in the Map - Keep it Simple - May 30, 2006
  125. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Points of Interest in Google Earth - May 26, 2006
  126. See More Recent Aerial Photos in Google Earth - May 22, 2006
  127. Google Earth Business - May 21, 2006
  128. Da Vinci Code Tour in Google Earth - May 17, 2006
  129. Ads in Google Earth - May 10, 2006
  130. Gulf Impact - Analysis of Damage to Oil/Gas Industry from Hurricanes - May 9, 2006
  131. Win a Mazda CX-7 in a Sweepstakes Contest in Google Earth - May 1, 2006
  132. Mission Impossible III Promotion with Google Earth - April 28, 2006
  133. TheCity Local - Google Earth Dating Service - April 26, 2006
  134. City of Bergen Norway Makes Smart Business Move in Google Earth - April 10, 2006
  135. Honda Releases Traffic System in Japan for Google Earth - April 4, 2006
  136. Apple iPod Ad in Google Earth? - March 27, 2006
  137. Business and Google Earth in Information Week - March 22, 2006
  138. Track "Amazing Race" TV Show in Google Earth - March 20, 2006
  139. Google Earth E-mail Signature - March 14, 2006
  140. Bed and Breakfast Locations in Google Earth - March 6, 2006
  141. Here Comes the Oscars - March 5, 2006
  142. Eye in the Sky Advertising - March 4, 2006
  143. EarthPoint - Real Estate Listings with some GIS - March 3, 2006
  144. Arc2Earth Released - March 1, 2006
  145. Giant Frog Attacks Chicago - February 17, 2006
  146. Visualizing Controversial New Buildings in New York in Google Earth - February 6, 2006
  147. CNET Superbowl Guessing Game in Google Earth - February 2, 2006
  148. Win a Fiat Sedici in Google Earth - February 1, 2006
  149. South American Trade in Google Earth - January 27, 2006
  150. Sundance Film Festival "Event Map" in Google Earth - January 24, 2006
  151. KMLer for Converting ArcGIS for Google Earth - January 19, 2006
  152. Real Estate for Google Earth by Re/Max - Again! - January 14, 2006
  153. Top 500 Hotels in Google Earth - Travel + Leisure Magazine - December 28, 2005
  154. Adidas Promotion Uses Google Earth - December 27, 2005
  155. Company Specializes in Google Earth/Maps Services - November 28, 2005
  156. Ski Resorts and Snow Reports in Google Earth - November 21, 2005
  157. Everything You Wanted to Know About Singapore - November 12, 2005
  158. Example of Google Earth Ad - November 8, 2005
  159. EarthBooker - 80,000 Hotels in Google Earth - November 7, 2005
  160. Real Estate Interest in Google Earth Grows - November 1, 2005
  161. NewsGlobe a Geographic Locator for News - October 6, 2005
  162. Cruise Ship Positions and Web Cams - October 5, 2005
  163. Garmin Buys MotionBased - October 4, 2005
  164. ~12 Million Google Earth downloads? Where's Mac/Linux Versions? - September 30, 2005
  165. Google Helps NASA - September 29, 2005
  166. Making Money with Google Earth - September 28, 2005
  167. Security and Privacy Concerns and Google Earth - September 13, 2005
  168. City of Portland GIS Adds 3D Buildings - September 3, 2005
  169. Business Opportunities and Google Earth - August 30, 2005
  170. Real Estate Done Google Earth Style - August 29, 2005
  171. ABC Primetime Uses Google Earth - August 26, 2005
  172. City of Portland GIS - August 25, 2005
  173. EarthPlot - Commercial Software - August 23, 2005
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