Google Maps and Google Earth  

Have you used Mapquest lately? I have and I can tell you I was sorely disappointed. On a trip to Austin Texas, the Mapquest directions had me baffled as to when to turn and where. The directions seemed out of whack with the locations. That’s when I decided that my online resource for directions needed to be updated. Why not try Google Maps? I had heard from a friend they were simple to use. So the next trip I took I printed off my Google Map direction, and I didn’t have any problems finding my destination.

Google’s cartographic services for users also includes Google Earth. Google Earth “puts the world’s geographic information at your fingertips”, according to the Google Earth site. We can all benefit from that, right? We’ll get to Google Earth in a bit. For now, let’s look at Google Maps and what separates it from its competitors.

Google Map Features

Google Maps does a terrific job of point A to point B directions. It’s really easy to use for this purpose. For instance, to input a beginning and end for a trip, you use a search bar like you would on a normal web search. You just write the location like the following: 101 W Windsor Rd, Urbana, IL 61802.

Google gives you three different types of searches you can make. You can search the map, find businesses, or get directions. While these options don’t stand apart from other online map services, Google provides them in their characteristically simple manner, and they also riddle the maps with useful information. You can find various types of businesses near your desired location, including attractions like hotels, landmarks, or restaurants. Once you have your location, you can also change the default map view from standard view to satellite view or to terrain view.