Yahoo Go! 3 (Beta) Maps Updated

Yahoo Go Beta 3 Maps updated

Yahoo Go 3 beta is now on version 3.0.0.18

Directions are now supported across borders - UK & France

UK has Driving directions overviews (quickest/shortest who knows?)

Hybird and Satellite modes are available.

Downside - on the N82 with auto-rotate Yahoo Go! Beta complains it cannot display in Landscape mode on the Phone - weird.

Google Maps Mobile supports this

Google Maps can cope with Auto-Rotation on Nokia N82's

Yes still in Beta, there is still room for improvements. Both Google Maps and Yahoo do not have traffic information for UK or Europe, maybe take this out of the options when you have selected a European Location as default?

Nokia N82 users there was firmware updated made available 08/04/2008 (version 20).

See
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/7018_Flash_Video_and_Web_Runtime_hi.php

The 108.2mb update - mainly includes Flash lite support and adds GPS location (geotagging) to photographs you take (provoided you have a good GPS fix).

So now you can view stickpeople fighting....

Flash is now available for N82 users.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_Xiao

Google Sky (Web Version) Released

Google Sky (Web Version)

Google have just released Google Sky (Web Version) - Works in the same way as Google Maps does, but you now look up from the Earth to view the Sky at Night.

Google Sky Web Version (English UK)
Date Collected from:

Digital Sky Survey
Digitized Sky Survey
Hubble Space Telescope.

"Select the thumbnail images at the bottom of the display to bring up the planets, the constellations, highlights from the Hubble Space Telescope, famous stars, galaxies and nebulae, views of the universe in the x-ray, ultraviolet and infrared"

Other items available through Google Sky:

Backyard Astronomy - Highlights the stars, galaxies and nebulae that can be seen with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope. These placemarks tell you about the celestial objects as well as providing links to sites such as Google Scholar where more detailed information can be found
Infrared - An infrared view of the sky from the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). Change the transparency of this layer by moving the slide bar to blend the optical and infrared.

Microwave - A view of the microwave sky from NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), which shows the universe as it was 380,000 years after the big bang.

Historical - The sky as drawn by Giovanni Maria Cassini (printed in 1792) showing the constellations in their classical form from the collections of David Rumsey

Is the imagery different from Sky in Google Earth?
The images seen in Google Sky are identical to those found in Sky in Google Earth. Google have changed the projection to display these images within Google Maps (the Mercator projection). As with Google Maps this means that the northern and southern celestial pole cannot be shown.
Source: Google Sky Help Pages

Official Google Blog: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/space-jam.html
Lat Long Blog: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/03/organizing-more-than-one-worlds.html

Microsoft Virtual Earth Version 6 - Released

Microsoft Virtual Earth Version 6 - Released

What is it?
"Virtual Earth provides the power behind Live Search Maps, an online mapping service that enables users to search, discover, explore, plan, and share information about specific locations. By using traditional road maps, labeled aerial photo views, low-angle high-resolution aerial photos, and proximity searching capabilities, Virtual Earth provides unique opportunities for developers to incorporate both location and local search features into their Web applications."


(Finally the video uploads! - from Space to the Grand Canyon)
This is a Powerful 3D Engine - You can use it like 'Google Earth' but this is in a web browser (Firefox here with the 3D plugin already installed)

Whats is New? (lots)

Version 6.0 of the map control includes improvements in the following areas:

• Enhanced accuracy

• Additional functionality

• Enhanced performance (it is a lot smoother

• Enhanced Geocoding. Integrates multiple geocoders and datasets.

• Rooftop Geocoding. Rooftop locations are the most precise geocoding.

• Consistent Pushpin Accuracy. When switching between aerial and Birdseye views.

• Multi-point Routing. A new method takes multiple points for a route

• Switching from Miles/Kilometers available

• Bulk Addition of Shapes. A new method to add multiple pushpins in one call.

• Improved Shape Control. You can now specify how a shape object appears relative to other shapes or tile objects, providing greater control in viewing data and objects.

• MapCruncher (Beta). MapCruncher Beta for Microsoft Virtual Earth makes it easy to publish maps overlaid in an application using the Virtual Earth map control. See the MapCruncher Web page for further information.
  

• 3D Altitude Settings. Altitudes for three-dimensional objects can now be specified in meters.
  

There have been significant speed and accuracy improvements for pushpins and shapes in high numbers. Performance enhancements also include faster map panning.


MapCruncher Beta for Microsoft Virtual Earth makes it easy to publish maps overlaid in an application using the Virtual Earth map control. Once you are familiar with the tool, it will take you about ten minutes to generate a new tile layer. Just find 5 to 10 corresponding landmarks on your map and on the Virtual Earth map view, and MapCruncher will register your map to the global coordinate system, warp it to fit a Mercator projection, and generate a set of image tiles that can be seamlessly layered on top of Virtual Earth map control's standard road, hybrid, or aerial imagery. It even makes a sample HTML page for reference. MapCruncher accepts a variety of vector formats (PDF, WMF, EMF) and raster formats (JPG, PNG, TIFF, GIF, BMP). Where to get more information?
Start here http://dev.live.com/virtualearth/sdk/ test the functions out.
http://blogs.msdn.com/virtualearth/


Download the SDK Version from http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb429619.aspx

More Blogs detailing the features
http://blogs.msdn.com/keithkin/archive/2007/10/17/virtual-earth-v6
-api-now-available.aspx

upgrading from version 5?
http://www.nateirwin.net/VirtualEarthMapControlV6Released.aspx

New UK Address Geocoder with Sidebar - Google Maps API

UK Geocoder with Sidebar - using Google Maps API


Expanding on the Local Search Geocoder, using the Google AJAX Search API

Please use the Official Example:
http://gmaps-samples.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/geocoder/singlegeocode.html

This New! version use the Google Maps API (based on ESA's orginal code in version 2.55 of the API)

Now that Google Maps API supports UK Geocoding this can be done! (UK Geocoding accuracy has decrease now)


Enter a UK Address
Click 'Search'
10 results max are returned
Click on the address to zoom to that location
if you want to click on the marker and select 'copy to memo area'
This stores as many geocoded addresses as you want and then can be copied out to spreadsheet.
This could be then imported to a GIS using the latitude and longitude

Credit to Esa

*Note on the accuracy on the geocoded addresses, it can be up to 150 metres out in any direction.

Sponsored Links - Google Ads on Maps

Google Maps API on Version 2.85 of the API now integrates Adsense and the mapping together


http://mapperz.googlepages.com/sponsered_links.html
though you will have to pan to the USA to get a sponsored link box
(Mapperz waiting for the UK to come active, have tried different text , vets, plumbers, doctors etc)
If you find a sponsored link in the rest of the world, post a comment

the code to add ads is

var adsManager = new GAdsManager(map, "Your AdSense ID");
     adsManager.enable();

*remember you don't have to

No Official Post on this yet, and still very beta. Mapperz tries to do a UK based version but either no sponsored 'paid' links or is refined to USA only so far. There is not a lot of code or details how and when ads appear.
There have been a few suggestions on the Google Maps API group.

Here is Pamela Fox full text example then to Mapperz tinkering version...



It's seems to be based on the text associated with the page, which is okay, though prefer the AJAX Search ads method based on the users search.

A great potential to get your maps making money while you sleep!

Previous post on adsense in AJAX local search