Two Google maps. Google Maps

Google Maps is a leader among modern mapping services that provide satellite interactive maps online. At least a leader in the field of satellite imagery and in the number of various additional services and tools (Google Earth, Google Mars, various weather and transport services, one of the most powerful APIs).

In the field of schematic maps, at some point, this leadership “was lost” in favor of Open Street Maps - a unique mapping service in the spirit of Wikipedia, where every volunteer can contribute data to the site.

However, despite this, the popularity of Google Maps remains perhaps one of the highest of all other mapping services. Part of the reason is that Google Maps is where we can find the most detailed satellite photos for the largest regions of any country. Even in Russia such a large and successful company as Yandex cannot surpass the quality and coverage of satellite photographs, at least in its own country.

With Google Maps, anyone can view satellite photos of the Earth for free almost anywhere in the world.

Image quality

The highest resolution images are usually available for the largest cities in the world in America, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Asia, Oceania. Currently, high-quality images are available for cities with a population of more than 1 million inhabitants. For less major cities and other populated areas, satellite images are available only in limited resolution.

Possibilities

Google Maps or “Google Maps” was a real discovery for Internet users and indeed all PC users, giving an unheard of and previously unseen opportunity to look at their home, their village, cottage, lake or river where they vacationed in the summer - from a satellite. To see it from above, from a perspective from which it would be impossible to see it under any other circumstances. The discovery, the very idea of giving people easy access to satellite photos, fits harmoniously into Google's overall vision of “easily providing everyone with access to any information on the planet.”

Google Maps allows you to see from a satellite simultaneously those things and objects that cannot be observed at the same time when observed from the ground. Satellite maps are different from regular topics, What's on simple maps colors and natural forms of natural objects are distorted by editorial processing for further publication. However, in satellite photographs all the naturalness of nature and the objects being photographed is preserved, natural colors, shapes of lakes, rivers, fields and forests.

Looking at a map, one can only guess what is there: a forest, a field or a swamp, while on satellite photography it is immediately clear: objects are usually round or oval shape the unique swamp color is the swamp. The light green spots or areas in the photograph are fields, and the dark green ones are forests. With enough experience in orientation in Google Maps, you can even distinguish whether it is a coniferous forest or a mixed forest: coniferous has a browner tint. Also on the map you can distinguish specific broken lines piercing the forests and fields of the vast Russian expanses - these are railways. Only by looking from a satellite can one understand that railways have a much greater influence on the natural landscape surrounding them than roads. Also in Google Maps, it is possible to overlay maps with the names of regions, roads, settlements on a national scale and the names of streets, house numbers, metro stations on a city scale on a satellite image of an area or city.

Map mode and satellite view mode

In addition to satellite images, it is possible to switch to the “map” mode, in which it is possible to view any territory on the surface of the Earth and study in detail the layout and location of houses of any more or less large city. In the "map" mode it is especially convenient to plan your movements around the city if you have already seen enough satellite views of your city.

The search function by house number will easily point you to the desired house, giving you the opportunity to “look around” the area around this house and how you can drive up/approach it. To search for the required object, just type in Russian in the search bar a query like: “City, street, house number” and the site will display to you the location of the object you are looking for using a special marker.

How to use Google Maps

To begin, open some place.

To move around the map, left-click on the map and drag it in any order. To return to the original position, press the centering button located between the four direction buttons.

To enlarge the map, click on the button "+" or roll the mouse roller when the cursor is over the map. You can also enlarge the map double click mouse in the location you are interested in.

To switch between satellite, mixed (hybrid) and map views, use the corresponding buttons in the upper right corner of the map: Map / Satellite / Hybrid.

Google Map is one of the most popular services today. It provides users with the opportunity to observe our planet (and not only) from a satellite online in high quality and in real time (sights of the planet in). At some point, the primacy of the schematic map view was captured by the Open Street Maps application. Where everyone in the know can edit a map in Wikipedia style, but this does not change anything and today Google Maps is the most popular online map service. The popularity of this company's maps has been in first place for many years due to the good quality of satellite images in every corner of the planet; even Yandex could not provide such quality in its homeland.

Google Maps online

Google continues to improve its brainchild in the form of visualization of our planet, improving the quality and detail of surfaces. More recently, the company has improved its services using the new Landsat 8 satellite, which can photograph the surface of planet Earth with a resolution of 15/30/100 meters per elemental point. The database of satellite images in real time was previously updated only in 2013. At that time, the application used images taken by the Landsat 7 satellite, which was also known for introducing some bugs and glitches into the maps. To compare the quality of images taken by different satellites, pay attention to the screenshot below.

Images taken by different satellites

In the examples given on the screen you can see that the image of the new satellite shows not only improved detail of earthly objects, but also more natural colors. Representatives of Google announced that about 700 trillion pixels of graphic data were spent on assembling a mosaic of the earth's surface of a new generation. Almost 43 thousand powerful computing machines in the Google cloud worked for a week on gluing together pictures.

How to use Google Maps online

Anywhere in the world you can use Google Maps online in high quality using a tablet, mobile phone or computer. Just follow the link https://google.com/maps/ or use the embedded map below and you can find the country, city, and even the route to the museum by entering the desired search parameters. And for mobile devices you can download a special application that is more convenient to use.

To find the way to a laundromat or a cafe that you often visit, simply enter the addresses in the program line and you will no longer need to enter this data every time. At the same time, you can not only view the route to the establishment, but also get acquainted with information that relates to this establishment, for example, opening hours, contact details, etc.

Let's try using Google's satellite map 2018 as an example.

Go to the website or open the app on your mobile device.
All you have to do is point your cursor or touch touch screen, and you can view details about that parcel.
In order to find out the distance between cities, right-click on one of them and select “Measure distance” from the drop-down menu. Now the second point can be specified with the left mouse button. If necessary, you can drag the point with the mouse to another location, and the distance information will be updated.
To select the “Relief”, “Bike Paths”, “Traffic” mode - select the menu sign (three stripes) and press the desired option. If you are using Apple devices, click on the diamond icon with a layer and also on the desired option.
To take advantage of high quality 3D images, click on the quad in the lower left corner. It will say "Satellite", if you need to return to map mode, press it again.
To select Street View mode, drag the yellow man to the desired area of the map or simply enter the exact location in the query bar, preferably including your home address.
Google Maps high resolution allows you to view streets in historical mode, i.e. how they have changed over time. To do this, throw the little man onto Right place cards. Select the clock icon and move the time slider to select the desired date.

Amazing Facts About Google Maps

Features and benefits of online maps in real time

From the first days, Google Maps became a revelation for all users. They made it possible to look at cards in a new way, to pay new attention to this tool in general. Everyone who accessed the Internet back in 2005 sought to immediately take advantage of online maps ami and see your city or country from a satellite.

It seems unthinkable, but today it is possible to view other planets solar system in the Google Maps app!

Planets in Google Maps

To do this, go to the web version of the program and zoom out the Earth image with the mouse wheel to the maximum. Other planets will appear in the block on the left that you can select to view. There are all the planets of the solar system and several additional satellites. For example, Callisto is a satellite of Jupiter. True, the photographs do not allow us to look at other planets as closely and in detail as happens with the Earth.

Google Maps from satellite in 2018 will allow you to view the surface of the earth and populated areas in excellent quality, which cannot be done using a regular map. When drawing up paper and other versions of maps, natural colors, clear contours of the banks of rivers, lakes, colors of areas of the earth and other color schemes are omitted, which is why we have poor orientation. Viewing the desert area on regular map one can only guess what kind of vegetation or relief there is. By accessing Google Maps in real time, you can even see the color and shape of the fence at any address on another continent.

In contact with

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. I recently wrote about and how you can use them on your website. Now it’s the turn of a similar service from another major player in this market - Google Maps. These two products compete in RuNet, but in the world the undisputed leader is Google.

In addition, they are now transitioning to the new kind maps, where many things have become more understandable and convenient, and it has also become possible to use the capabilities of Google Earth (once it was a separate application for a computer) without installing additional plug-ins in the browser.

In this article, we will also look at ways to insert a Google map on your website, both when using the old interface and when using the new one. Moreover, this is done quite simply, although the capabilities of the API, as in the case of Yandex, will provide the developer with almost limitless possibilities.

Features of Google maps and how to connect the new interface

The Google Maps service itself appeared in 2005. Almost at the same time, the company acquired a program with similar functionality, which a little later received the name Google Earth. What distinguished it from the online version was the ability to display the landscape of the area and the buildings of some cities in 3D.

To render such graphics, it was necessary to use additional computer hardware capabilities. Subsequently, it became possible to obtain the same effect in the online version of the maps, but this required installing a browser plugin. In the new version of Maps, this feature is integrated into the online version by default and is activated automatically if your computer meets the minimum performance requirements and an acceptable browser is installed. But first things first.

Just like in Yandex, you can add your organization to Google Map and build the optimal travel route (by car, public transport, plane, on foot or by bicycle). Not all places on our vast planet will be able to use all these methods, but still.

In the new interface, it will be enough to enter the starting point in the search line, and to select the second point, use "How to get there".

By the way, about the new Google Maps interface. It is still being tested (it is possible that by the time you read this publication, it will have already ended) and if the browser you are using supports all the features of the new product, then you will be offered to try it out.

How to add your business to Google Maps

The main type of Google maps lives at maps.google.ru. You will also be asked add your company details :

Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity, because despite the fact that users type the bulk of commercial requests in Yandex, its bourgeois analogue should not be discounted and skimped on the various opportunities for attracting traffic from it.

In general, all you need to do is check the consent box and click the “Continue” button:

Just in case, you will be asked to search for your company in the Google database, after which you can safely click on “This is not my company. Create a new entry."

After which you will be asked to fill out a form, i.e. enter data about your organization and add it to the Google Maps database so that this information is shown to users who are to some extent interested in receiving this information. In general, this action will not be superfluous.

If for some reason you have not yet been offered take advantage new version Google Maps, then invite yourself by following this link - google.com/maps/preview/.

As I understand, the new Google maps may not yet work in all browsers and not on all devices. However, they feel great in Chrome on a desktop computer, and I use this option because, in my opinion, it is much more usable.

If the new Google maps of the future are not to your taste, then return to classic and the familiar interface you can by clicking on the question mark located in the lower right corner and selecting the lowest item:

3D Google Earth objects on Google online maps

And, of course, about 3d Google Earth integrated into the online version is worth mentioning. You can switch to this viewing mode by clicking on the square with the inscription “Earth” in the lower left corner:

After you do this, the toolbar will change its purpose somewhat and will look something like this (a compass will appear and the ability to change the angle at which you can view the map):

It will be possible to look at satellite images not only from above, but also from the side, discretely changing the angle of inclination. Well, what am I telling you - you’ve probably played with Google Earth yourself and understand what’s what:

By default, your computer may have so-called simplified mode enabled when 3D Earth model and other 3D objects are not available. The opposite situation is also possible, when the new mode with support for Google Earth will work too slowly on your hardware and you will want to switch to the simplified mode.

No problem, just use the links:

Forced transition to a simplified mode for displaying new Google maps

If you are still using classic map view, then Google Earth option you can select by moving the mouse cursor in the upper right corner to the square labeled “Satellite”, and then clicking on the “Earth” square that appears.

If you have not installed the browser plugin yet, you will be prompted to do so.

Well, in fact, you will eventually get the functionality of Google Earth in your browser.

But this functionality is, by and large, the only difference between Google maps and others. Everything else is available from competitors, but it’s up to you to decide who it works better for. For example, the same routing works more or less acceptably in Yandex on the territory of the former Soviet Union, but outside it everything is not so great.

Traffic, Street View and Google Maps Directions

By the way, Google Maps also has the ability to show road conditions, i.e. traffic jams. On the classic online version, the layer with traffic jams can be connected in the upper right corner:

There you can also connect a layer with photographs to be able to view pictures taken at the place you are interested in. IN new interface for layer maps with photos there is no such thing, but they are always present at the bottom under the search bar or open at the bottom of the window using the corresponding arrows:

On the new Google Maps, the traffic layer is activated in the area below the search bar:

Its legend (color differentiation) will be shown at the bottom of the window that drops out of the search bar. You can also see it there traffic forecast on Google maps for the day and time you need:

Function route planning in the classic interface is available from the right column after clicking the corresponding button:

In general, everything you need is there. You set the starting and ending point of the route, and you get several travel options, which can be different when choosing a method of transportation: car, public transport or your own feet.

In the new Google Maps interface, everything looks more concise, it seems to me. The starting point is taken to be the one you are viewing now, and to enter the final point, just click on the “How to get there” button located at the bottom of the search line:

As a result, Google will display several routes on the map (the main one is shown as a blue line, and the alternative ones as a gray line), the travel time for which will be calculated taking into account the current road situation (traffic jams):

Again, the optimal route can be calculated for traveling by car, walking or traveling by public transport. For some countries, calculations for cycling or flying will still be available. In general, everything is adult.

You can show or hide traffic jams on the route, add some exceptions hidden under the “Parameters” spoiler, and also get a text description of the constructed route using the “Step by Step” link.

And finally, the amazing option of any modern online maps - street view(in Yandex this was called panoramas). In Google Maps, it is activated in a rather original way - you will need to drag the yellow man (in the classic version he lives in the upper left corner, and in the new one in the opposite lower corner) to where you want to see the surroundings with your own eyes.

There are a lot of options for using this option - from a banal virtual study of a future route, to a virtual trip to a place where you have never been or where you have been, but want to refresh your memories or get nostalgic. In Google, this opportunity is even more wonderful, because the whole world opens up before you, and not just the large cities of Russia, as was the case in Yandex.

In general, we throw the little man in the right place and see street panorama in this place. You can zoom in and out, move forward, look in all directions, up and down using the mouse or the arrow keys on the keyboard.

It is clear that you are all used to this, but if you think about it, it becomes clear all the tremendous work that was done by the employees of the Google maps department to implement complete coverage of everything globe(well, not all of it, but a significant part of it). There is even the option of traveling inside buildings, such as hotels, as shown in this video:

To do this, cars with precise geopositioning systems and a number of cameras drove around cities and villages, which then made it possible to assemble a panorama from the photographs taken. People with equipment carried on their backs worked in hard-to-reach places. Faces and license plates included in the photo are deliberately blurred to avoid unnecessary excesses.

How to get a Google map for your website

With Google Maps, the situation is approximately the same - in order to insert a driving map on your website, you don’t need much intelligence, but only a specialist can do more complex ones, or an extension (plugin) for the engine you use (CMS) will help you with this.

As a result, a window will open where on the second tab "Code" you can choose the size of the window in which your map will be inserted (you can change it later, in the code, replacing the numbers in the width="" height="" attributes of the iframe tag).

It will turn out something like this (the diagram is clickable - the mouse and buttons on the keyboard react to your passes):

However, this is not exactly what we need. There is no way to draw a route manually, put markers with captions, or highlight the necessary objects. In fact, everything described can be done, but for this we will need a special tool. It's called Google Maps Engine Lite .

Selecting an option "Create a new card", you will have at your disposal a constructor with tools already familiar to Yandex - adding marks, drawing lines and routes.

To begin with, for example, put a mark where your office is located (give it a name, description and indicate the site URL). Then click on it with the left mouse button and select the route icon. A field will open on the left where you will need to enter a starting point (for example, the nearest metro station), after which Google will provide a route to your office.

If you wish, you can draw a line around the office building and close it to highlight it in the background color (you can also add a name, description and website for this object). As a result, in the Google Maps Engine Lite editor, this whole mess will look something like this:

Select "Public on the Internet" and save your changes.

Click "Ready" in the previous window. After this, click on the folder icon in the upper left corner of Google Maps Engine Lite and select "Add to site":

Actually, that's all. Copy the code, if necessary, adjust the dimensions of the Google map window in width and height (the width="" height="" attributes of the iframe tag) and paste the code directly into any page of your site (the frames should not be cut by the visual editor you use).

How to create a map in the classic interface and add it to the site

In the classic Google Maps interface You can go to the “My places” tab and click on the “Create map” button. As a result, you will be taken to the already familiar Google Maps Engine Lite window. But we have already discussed this a little higher and therefore is not of interest.

However, you can also click on the link "Classic interface", where you will again have extensive opportunities to create a driving map for your website. In the upper left area there are tools for applying your markings to the Google map.

You can put tags of different colors:

You can highlight knowledge by drawing polygons and get directions from the nearest metro using the Draw Line Along Roads tool. For each markup element you create, you can add a title and description.

The same can be done for the card itself, after which you will need to select “Open access” and click on the button "Ready".

After saving, select the created map and click on the “Link” icon at the top left and select the option shown in the screenshot "Setup and Preview":

In the window that opens, you can set the width and height of the diagram, and using the mouse or buttons located in the preview area, you can position the objects you added (by changing the scale of the map and moving it), and you can also click on the label so that the name you specified and description in a pop-up window.

That's all, you copy the code and paste it into the site (the iframe tag is usually not cut by visual editors and there should be no problems with pasting). The issue of insertion is reflected in more detail in the article about Yandex maps mentioned at the beginning. The result should look something like this:

Second part of the code:

View directions on the map bigger size

I removed the extra link as unnecessary. Well, somewhere like that. If these features are not enough for you, then you are welcome to the Google Maps API for developers. Javascript programming skills are required.

Although you can still try to search plugins for your engine(WordPress, Joomla), which can offer you their own map constructor based on the mentioned API. As a result, you can get something original and then inserting the resulting map into the site will not be difficult at all - the plugin will do it for you. If you have something in mind, I will be glad to add your information to the article. Thank you in advance.

Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site

You can watch more videos by going to

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View a map of Planet Earth from satellite online

Below you can see the Google map built into the site. For more stable operation of the plugin, we recommend using the Google Chrome browser. If you see an error message, please update the specified plugin and then reload the page.

Watch Google Earth from satellite, in real time online:

Another advantage of Google Maps is the presence of a client application for working with satellite images. This means that the service can be accessed not only through a browser, but also through a pre-downloaded program. It has many more opportunities for viewing and studying satellite images and working with a three-dimensional virtual globe.

A 3D satellite map from Google (a downloadable application, not an online version) allows you to:

use a quick search for the desired objects by name or coordinates;
take screenshots and record videos High Quality;
work offline (preliminary synchronization via the Internet is required);
use a flight simulator for more convenient movement between objects;
save “favorite places” to quickly move between them;
view not only the Earth's surface, but also images of other celestial bodies (Mars, Moon, etc.).

You can work with Google satellite maps through a client application or browser. A plugin is available on the official page of the program that allows you to use an interactive map on any web resource. It is enough to embed its address in the site’s program code. For display, you can select either the entire surface or a specific area (you will have to enter the coordinates). Control - using a computer mouse and keyboard (ctrl+mouse wheel for zooming, cursor for moving) or using the icons indicated on the map (“plus” - zoom in, “minus” - zoom out, move with the cursor).

The Google Earth service in real time allows you to work with several types of maps, each of which reflects certain data on satellite images. It’s convenient to switch between them “without losing progress” (the program remembers where you “were”). Available viewing modes:

landscape map from satellite ( geographical features, peculiarities Earth's surface);
physical map (detailed satellite images of the surface, cities, streets, their names);
schematic geographic map for a more accurate study of surface images.

The satellite image is automatically loaded at the point of approach, so a stable Internet connection is required for operation. To use Google Earth offline, you need to download an application for Windows or another operating system. Its operation also requires the Internet, but only for the first launch, after which the program synchronizes all the necessary data (satellite images of the surface, 3D models of buildings, names of geographical and other objects) after which it will be possible to work with the received data without direct access to the Internet.