Google Maps for iPhone

Google Maps have released an iPhone app bringing Apple's mapping service back to millions of iOS 6 users who are discontent with Apple's in built maps. The upgrade to iOS 6 forced users to lose their Google maps but users gained turn-by-turn navigation and an incredible new 3D mapping system. Google have been quick to release a similar 3D mapping service on Google Earth, fly over San Francisco on Google Earth to see for yourself.

Apple's maps have been built using vector images, and load quickly at all scales. Google previous maps used to load at each scale but have been redesigned to uses vector imagery as well. Google have also included turn-by-turn navigation to compete with Apple's maps and the many other navigation apps available, often for free on the iPhone platform.

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Google Maps is Epic

Have you ever sat down and thought about Google Earth? Well it's rather ambitious, even for one of the largest technology companies in the world, to map the whole world. And yeah, they are trying to map the whole world, with detailed maps, satellite images, street view, local businesses and turn-by-turn navigation. And then to offer it to anyone with internet access... for free. Google has changed the way millions of us use maps.

This video from Google explains where the Google Maps/Google Earth service is going and a bit about the history of the service. Google's mapping service during the Katrina Hurricane disaster is just one way that digital maps have changed the world.

 

iOS 6

The Apple World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) earlier today included the announcement of iOS 6. iOS 6 is the sixth major version of the Apple mobile operating system which rus the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. There are hundreds of new features but some of the major new features are listed below.

• Maps - All new Apple Maps including Turn-by-Turn Navigation and Siri integration.
• Facebook integration throughout the OS
• FaceTime over a cellular connection
• Improved Safari including better iCloud integration
• New options for controlling alerts, including "Do Not Disturb" mode
• Shared Photostreams
• Passbook - for a paperless ticketing system

iOS 6 will be coming to iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch 4th Gen, iPad 2 and the New iPad this Autumn.

Google Maps Style Improvements

Google Maps has become the standard for mapping in the last few years. Their maps are accessed by people all across the globe for accurate and up to date maps of the world.

The recent 2011 update is compared to 2009 on Google's Lat Long blog, the images are below.

New York is a good demonstration of how the map is easier to read as the main roads are shown narrower.

This is most dramatic change is in Sydney, where there is a large concentration of main roads. The colours used in the map are toned down, and as a result more information can be displayed. This increases as you zoom in, where labels appear and are resized at every zoom level. The images below show London's South Bank.

And zoomed in London South Bank University shows the names of individual buildings. Try it yourself in the embedded map below.

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So how did an internet search engine become so dominant in the world of cartography?