Maps for Fun and Business

Steve Bass

Steve Bass writes the "Hassle-Free PC" column in PC World's print edition and is the author of PC Annoyances, 2nd Edition: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer, available from O'Reilly. Sign up to have Steve Bass's Tips and Tweaks newsletter e-mailed to you each week. Comments or questions? Send Steve e-mail.

I've always loved looking at maps. So MapBlast was a big deal when I first wrote about it in 1997. "Impress your client by sending a detailed map--plus driving directions," I said, and I really was amazed by the technology. But like most things in computing (except, of course, my salary), cool and useful mapping sites have mushroomed. [Note to Copy Editor: I like mixed metaphors; they're good for my creative juices and they keep you on your toes.--Bass]

Here are some I think you'll be interested in exploring.

Google's Maps

Unless you've been completely out of it, you've probably heard about Google's new mapping service. Google maps are practical, sure, with driving directions and a way to quickly find local business locations. But what drives me to Google is its nifty feature that lets me toggle between a street map and a satellite view. It's just too cool.

Just as cool is the way I can navigate Google maps. Compared to MSN's MapBlast and YahooMaps, which force me to click an icon to navigate, Google lets me hold and slide the left mouse button to pan around the map. That's terrific.

Sightseeing With Google

I'm also amazed at some of the images caught by Google maps. For instance, go to this map and use the slider in the upper left of the screen to zoom in. Now examine a mysterious image seen on a Google map, then read some of the explanations at AboveTopSecret.

BTW, I'm sure you didn't think I found these by myself. Nope, I had help. Check I-Hacked, the even better PerlJam site, and Google Sightseeing.

If you're a techie, you might be interested in sticking a Google map on your Web site. You can do it with what appears to be not lots of work. You'll find the instructions on the (and no, I'm not kidding) Rancidbacon site.

Dig This: Optical illusions, really good ones, fascinate me. Here are two that are very cool. The first is the "Rapid coloured afterimage," which comes from the "55 Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena" site. If that dot image doesn't work with your browser, try the one at ARType, but you'll have to put up with pop-ups. Just as cool are animated circles that, well, aren't animated.

Tips for Google Maps

Here are a few Google Maps shortcuts and quick tips:

Mapping Beyond Google

Google isn't the only site that's making mapping innovative and fun.

Microsoft's MSN Virtual Earth might be available in the next few weeks. Get some background at "Gates Unveils MSN Virtual Earth." You can learn even more about it by watching a streaming video interview with the Microsoft kids who worked on the project. You'll also get a glimpse of the product. The most remarkable views about three quarters into the interview.

While we're waiting for MSN Virtual Earth, check out MultiMap. Place your cursor over the image on MultiMap's aerial photos of the UK (after it downloads, which may be a while on a dial-up connection) and you'll ooohh and ahhh. [Thanks, Paul!]

Google may have satellite views, but they're not nearly as good as those on Microsoft's TerraServer site. For example, here's Google's image of a local school in my area. Now try a view of the same school, using Microsoft's TerraServer. The difference is significant, no? For more insights into TerraServer, check Microsoft employee Robert Scoble's blog. [Thanks for the lead, Carl.]

Just as much fun as TerraServer is NASA's World Wind. It's a free application that you download. When you fire it up, you'll first see a satellite view of the earth that lets you zoom around in 3D. As you view the earth, you can change overlays and see assorted satellite views, including topo maps.

Here's a World Wind quick start: Click on the magnifier in the Toolbar and type in a familiar location, say, Yankee Stadium (the search may take a while if the spot isn't popular, as in my example). Double-click the name when it appears in the result field, then change the Altitude setting and click Go to zoom in. To see the area from another satellite, click one of the icons on the toolbar. A good one is the U.S. Geological Survey's Digital Ortho, 11 icons from the left, or one icon to the right for Topos. A fellow named Dan Sanders has provided a good tutorial and help site.

Remember, kids, these are your tax dollars at work.

If you're in Southern California, check out MapLA. It's a service that realtors, contractors, and surveyors often use because they're can search and view by parcel. Realtors apparently enjoy measuring distances, another neat feature of this map. Use your mouse like a photo program's cropping tool to hone in on a specific location. [Thanks, Josh D.]

And if you're interested in topo maps, check out TopoZone. It'll cost you $50 a year for the service, but if you use topo maps a lot, it's way cheaper than buying individual maps. And there's a free trial once you register.

Right, I know, there are probably hundreds of mapping sites and products I've missed. If you have a mapping service you like, tell me about it.

Dig This: While you're out on the trail, you may have to start a fire quickly. At the TrackerTrail site, you'll learn how to do it with a chocolate bar and a can of soda, or even with a chunk of ice.