We've always been proud of the practical uses and environmental benefits of Google Transit, but it turns out that it's an extremely helpful tool for another very important reason. Read about one Googler's own unique perspective on why it's an invaluable resource for people with no and low vision.
We're continuing to add more agencies to the Transit fold (Fredericton Transit, Canada; Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, Massachusetts; and Sage Stage, California are recent additions), and we'll keep you posted on our progress.
Friday, 18 January 2008
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
If you're as excited as I am about the fourth season of Lost, starting on Jan 31, then you might find this Lost fan map very useful for refreshing your memory. It includes all the places mentioned on the show, such as where Sawyer grew up, the flight path of Oceanic 815, and the locations of the Hanso Foundation offices. It also has a ton of interesting trivia. For example, did you know that the characters were lying whenever they mentioned Canada? I never noticed that.
And here are some links to other TV show maps:
Amazing Race 12 - Great map of the current season
Sopranos - Locations that appear on the show
American Idol Geography - Hometowns of past winners
American Idol Season 7 Auditions - Locations of the auditions for the new season
The Faces of Grey's Anatomy - Hometowns of the cast
One Tree Hill Locations - Notable places in the Cape Fear region that have appeared on the show
Veronica Mars filming locations - Parts of Southern California where Veronica Mars was taped
Monday, 14 January 2008
If you've been following the news this month, you're probably aware that the presidential primary season is in full swing. The Internet has provided all sorts of tools to enhance participation in the campaign process, and we've been extremely pleased to discover the ways in which people have been using maps to share information.
One common theme is using maps in one form or another to coordinate meet-ups among supporters of candidates. Here are some API maps showing meeting locations for supporters of John Edwards, Mike Huckabee, and Barack Obama. Supporters also seem to be using maps to showcase their candidate, as in this collection of a staggering number of John Edwards videos from YouTube, and this map of testimionials about Rudy Giuliani from across the country.
Maps have also proved particularly useful for visualizing data, like in this map showing the results for Ron Paul in various straw polls. Or of course the mapplets we've featured that showed real-time results for the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary.
Maybe you'd like to get involved yourself? Try a search for a candidate's office in the state of an upcoming primary ("john mccain in south carolina" or "obama in nevada," for example) to find local campaign information.
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
The new year is here and it's time to unveil a new set of features and content for Sky in Google Earth. This update is particularly exciting for us because most of the new images, views and sounds have been developed by the Sky community. From views of the sky across the electromagnetic spectrum to exploring how the sky changes over time, there's something to satisfy everyone's interest in the stars.
Using NASA's space telescopes, you can view how the universe looks at many different wavelengths -- from X-rays, ultraviolet and infrared light all the way through to radio waves. You can also play with the transparency of the different overlays for the Sombrero galaxy to see how different parts of the galaxy light up in different wavelengths.
For the nighttime sky observer, the Earth & Sky layer provides podcasts to let you know about upcoming events in the sky. Pull up a chair and sit back to hear about everything from meteor showers and eclipses to the latest news from the world of astronomy.
In addition to showing you the latest from the world of astronomy, the new version of Sky also brings you glimpses of the sky as seen by astronomers in the 17th century. Constellation maps from the David Rumsey collection and the U.S. Naval Library show the astronomical state of the art, three centuries ago (there be dragons).
Also, we now have a community layer that highlights contributions that Sky users have posted on the Google Earth Community site (http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb
Finally, we're excited to announce the availability of Sky, Moon and Mars imagery in the Google Maps API. This allows any developer to build interesting applications and websites using Sky imagery, and extend the Sky experience to any place on the web. Some early examples of these applications include the Cosmic Visibility page and even an iPod touch hack.
We welcome you to come and explore the new dimensions of Sky.
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
A few days ago, we announced that Google Maps would be presenting real-time U.S. presidential nomination results for the Iowa caucuses. The map was so popular that we've decided to do it again, this time for the 2008 primary in New Hampshire.
Beginning today, users can direct their browsers to maps.google.com/nhprimary2008 and watch as live results stream in from towns across the state of New Hampshire. As the first official primary of the 2008 presidential race, these results play a large role in guiding decisions for primaries in other states. They may be a determinant of which candidates decide to stay in the race, and which decide to withdraw. It is also worth noting that from 1952, the first year the primary gained its influence, to now, almost every elected president won his party's New Hampshire primary.
If you'd like to take a 3D tour of the results, make sure to check the map tonight for a KML file presenting the results within Google Earth. Either way you view it, we hope you'll join us as we present these important decisions.
I love heading up to Tahoe in the winter to go snowboarding, especially when there is good snow in the form of lots of fresh powder! Unfortunately, good snow for snowboarding often means bad road conditions, and making the decision to chance the weather or stay home can be tough without a good source of information. So I was delighted to find this great map of snow conditions in Tahoe that the Reno Gazette Journal put together during the heavy snow storms in Tahoe over the past several days. I was even more delighted to see the editors at the Journal use two recent Google Maps features by embedding the map in one article and inviting people to collaborate with them on the map in a second article.
So if you're thinking of going skiing or snowboarding this winter, search user created content on Google Maps for maps like this, or consider creating your own map of winter conditions if you don't find one in your area. And above all, drive safely, and have fun in all that great snow!
Thursday, 3 January 2008
As the first step in deciding nominees for the 2008 United States presidential elections, the Iowa caucus has always been known as a pivotal event for each White House hopeful. In fact, candidates have been targeting almost all of their campaign energy in Iowa for the past month, as results here set the precedent by which other states will make their own voting decisions.
Tonight, Iowans will gather in locations throughout the state to discuss and debate candidate support prior to making their nomination decisions.
Meanwhile, the rest of the nation can follow caucus events simply by pointing their browsers to our new Iowa caucus map on Google Maps. The map displays live news and events from across the state, and beginning tonight, both the Democratic and Republican parties of Iowa will be partnering with us to present real-time caucus results by county and by party. Users across America will be able to watch a stream of results show up on Google Maps at the same time as these important decisions in Iowa are being made.
To view more caucus coverage, check out our latest post on the Official Google Blog highlighting an Iowa Caucus YouTube channel, the recently launched Elections section of Google News, and our very own Elections 2008 iGoogle gadget.
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