How digital online maps turned out to work for you?

Ten years ago while traveling for a friend’s wedding during a weekend, was something like typing a postcode into the multimap, printing out step by step instructions followed by the enduring amateur navigation from your partner who is in the passenger seat. A decade on the digital maps and the inexorable rise of the smartphones have actually changed the way we locate, navigate and plan out our journeys. The smartphones, the satnavs, and the computers act as our guide for each and everything starting from the process of driving holidays to the entire process of nipping into the shops.

The mobile technologies offer us so much in one place, in short, gives us the palms in our hand that often turns out to seem like a revolution because we will no longer have to go searching for a specific address. Google Maps for this has made our life’s very easy and it’s just that we will have to reach outer pockets. Having a map in your pocket is one of the best development made by Google.

During the time of the medieval period of 19th-century people did not have to bother much about looking out for areas and we’re happy in their very small little world. And as the maps turned out to go cheaper, they turned out to become the most important tool for the public today. The pocket maps before the digital maths where designed for the individuals, that could easily fit into the coat pockets and help them travel with ease.

The applications like the google maps today have turned out to become a major defacto interface between the physical and the digital world, meaning that the individuals will not have to worry anymore for being lost again and again even if they do not know the route or say the direction. Though it was sir Tim Berners who came forward and supported the first online maps on 1993 and was not until the launch of the Google maps it was ten years ago today that the digital maps began entering into the mainstream.

In the year 2004, it was believed that the Danish brothers Lars and Jen’s Elistrup went to Google with an idea of having a web application that would not just display the static kind of maps but would even provide the individuals with some of the best searchable, scrollable and zoomable maps.

The Google then immediately acquired their company where 2 technologies, along with another company called Keyhole developing the geospatial visualization software that would soon turn out to become Google Earth. After this, it was completely a new team of 50 people who came forward and started working on google maps. Google maps were launched in the united states on the 8th February 2005. And in the UK two months later from the given date. Though by this time it was not believed to be the first digital map of its kind, Yahoo had beaten Google successfully when it comes to the redevelopment of the long-standing yahoo maps in the year 2004.

Yahoo had successfully beaten Google in terms of the web map and the MapQuest, for all their turn-by-turn directions, people will not come forward and take a stand-up position unless and until Google came forward. Google Maps was not the first one to be out in the market, the role that it actually played in transforming the digital maps turned out to make them popular, bringing them from the technical world into the eye of the public consciousness.

Google Map today has been successful in boosting more than 1 million active users today, making it be one of the most famous navigational software in the entire world. Borne out of the various series of acquisitions Google map has turned out to become successful, encompassing satellite imaginary, street views, turn by turn navigation and a lot more.

 

In the year 2005 google launched the driving and public transport directions but was not launched unless and until the launch of satellite imagery was done. Google main aim was to create a seamless and browsable map of the entire world says John Hanke the co-founder of the keyhole and vice president of Google geospatial division till the year 2011. He believes that the satellite imagery during this time was quite expensive in order to be acquired and there were not many satellites available by then.

Street view turned out to be one of the most controversial but the most popular feature of google maps. This was launched in the United States for specific cities in the year 2006 and was then rolled out to Europe, Japan, and Australia in the year 2008. The service of this application relied entirely on building up pictures of every street in the city followed by the equipped camera that was mounted on every vehicle or say the car. Each and every car had sensors being fitted along with the GPS that allowed Google to trace the routes and meant that the company no longer had to rely upon any kind of a data from the third party websites.

How digital online google maps turned out to work for you.

Google maps first appeared in the smartphones in the year 2007 on Apple’s first iPhone, an era when both google and Apple turned out to be partners more than the rivals as they are actually today. Smartphones to this turned out to be the major crystal moment that made people fall back in love with the maps again said Gale. Digital maps are essential to each and every activity done in our daily life. And no one would ever wish to buy a mobile phone if it does not have the option of google maps in it.

So, how have the digital online maps turned out to work for you? Do share your experiences in the comments section that is given below. We would love to hear the experiences of yours…

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