It's a click & drag situation

Posted by Ryan Sturgell and Barry Brumitt, Software Engineers, Google MapsCan you imagine going back to clicking arrows and waiting for the screen to refresh just to move the map left/right/up/down? It'd be as big a bummer as going back to 8-track tapes. Today, we're taking another big step forward with driving directions in Google Maps: now you can click & drag to change destinations along your route.Let's imagine you want to help your friend...

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Google Earth Outreach

Posted by Rebecca Moore, Manager, Google Earth OutreachYou may have heard that we've launched an exciting new program for non-profit organizations called Google Earth Outreach.We hope you'll read more about the genesis of the program, watch a video of yesterday's launch event, and have a look at the Google Earth Outreach website, where you'll find tutorials on how to create a great KML, case studies written by organizations who are already using Google Earth, and a showcase featuring dozens of public-benefit KMLs. And then we hope you'll get started...

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Put your business on Google Maps

Posted by Hubert Pan, Product ManagerAs part of our quest to build the best local search experience possible, Google's Local Business Center is where business owners can go to add or edit their business listing on Google Maps by providing their address, contact information, hours of operation, and even storefront or product photos.This free process is now even faster and easier to use. Users in international locales can now receive verification via...

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More than the sum of its parts

Posted by Steve Lee, Product Manager, Google Maps for mobileSome experiences are more than the sum of their parts. Here at Google, we recognize that to develop the best user experiences, we can't work alone. We'd like to applaud the inclusion of RIM's Blackberry 8800 and Samsung's Blackjack in PC World's list of the 100 Best Products of 2007. These two devices raise the bar of what is possible in the mobile world, and enable the GPS capabilities needed to fully experience another of PC World's top 100, Google Maps for mobile .The Maps for mobile...

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Add your reviews to businesses on Google Maps

Posted by Jonathan Goldman, Software Engineer, Google MapsThe Cheeseboard Pizza Collective in Berkeley is one of my favorite places on the planet. My friends and co-workers will tell you, I can't really shut up about the place. But now, rather than continue to impose my unsolicited opinion about this little gem on those around me, I can finally be more constructive by articulating my thoughts and sharing them with the world. That's right, Google Maps now offers user ratings and reviews of local businesses.Google Maps has offered a collection of...

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Trading a bow and arrow for a laptop

Posted by Rebecca Moore, Google Earth teamRecently, several of us on the Google Earth team had the great honor to meet with Chief Almir, leader of the Surui Indian tribe in the Brazilian Amazon. Chief Almir had travelled for many hours and thousands of miles to our Google headquarters in Mountain View, in order to propose an unusual partnership. He had come to ask for our help in protecting the rainforest lands as well as the culture and lives of...

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Google Maps in Sweden

Posted by Giorgo Scherl, Product ManagerTraveling to Sweden and want to make sure your hotel in Stockholm is actually close to the gorgeous waterfront? Or, if you are like me, you want to find a Pippi Langstrump (aka Pippi Longstocking) doll for your daughter while in Sweden. Well, now you can, as this search for Pippi on maps.google.se shows.We are very pleased to announce today that Google has launched maps for Sweden. On maps.google.se we worked with Swedish content providers such as Eniro and Samtrafiken to integrate local business listings,...

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Help Model a City!

Posted by Bruce Polderman, Business Product Manager City planners have long used sophisticated 2D GIS and other mapping applications to manage community planning activities and to try and convey results to the general public. While they may be very effective analysis tools, these applications often fail to impart knowledge in a format that the average citizen can easily grasp. A 2D map, the architect's rendering, and a tabular summary are not tools that are familiar to the layperson. The world is 3D, and city planners are beginning to look at ways...

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Google Earth KML Gallery

Posted by Vaughn Tan, Associate Product Marketing ManagerSince Google Earth was launched, users have been exploring our world and creating content overlays (KML files) to share their explorations with others. We're now highlighting these KML files in the new Google Earth Gallery. To see the 6 new user-created KML files highlighted each week, you can either go to the website or add the gallery's Google Gadget to your iGoogle pa...

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The JetBlue point of view

Posted by Brett Muney, Manager Product Development, JetBlueSummer is here again - a time when you, your friends and families start planning well-earned summer vacations. School is out, the sun is shining, and the weather is beautiful. To help you count down the minutes before you're wiggling your toes into the sand, JetBlue is now providing customers with Google Maps in all of its signature seatback TVs. Now everyone can enjoy a seat with a view: the new channel enables flyers to track flight altitude, speed, and location in real time on the way...

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Hop on the bus, Gus. Or the train. Or the subway.

Posted by Christoph Oehler, Product ManagerFor some time now we have been "painting" icons for transit stops into our maps. While it was helpful to be able to see where to catch a train or bus, it left a lot of people wishing they could click on the icon to get more information about a specific station. Now that's all changed! Depending on the data available for a given public transit system, Google Maps now shows the next departure times, what lines serve a specific station, and/or a link to the transit agency to get more detail. Try clicking...

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