Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Microsoft Live Maps

Once again, I am overwhelmed by the advancements made in online mapping software. I was first wowed by Google Maps when several years ago they came out with the interactive Web 2.0 interface and I've been a loyal follower every since. Well, yesterday I tried out the new Microsoft Live Maps and I must say that I have been wowed again.

I live in a very rural area and the big test for the abilities of a mapping program has been to see if it can see my house in as high a resolution as has been available in larger cities for some time now. Currently, this is the best I can get from Google Maps.

Google Map of my home.

Not very impressive. So, I was playing around with Windows Live Writer yesterday and tried out its Insert Map feature which sent me to Live Maps. I entered in my home address and this is what I got!

MSVirtualEarth

There are also some other amazing features such as the ability to rotate around my house and see it from all angles. I can't imagine how they get all the imagery to make this possible, but it's very impressive.

There appear to be a lot of other features in Live Maps that I've been wishing for and I'll be spending more time playing with in the near future. But, one thing seems certain...

Adios Google Maps!

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