Google Maps Driving Directions - Now Clickable and Draggable

Google Maps Driving Directions has made significant enhancement. You can now click and drag the Driving Directions route and see the route get updated as you are dragging. Here's a video from Google which explains it followed by an example I tried out.I want to drive from Plymouth, Michigan to Minneapolis, Minnesota. So what do I do, I zoom into Plymouth, MI and add this destination by right-clicking as shown in this image.

Now to set the endpoint you zoom into Minneapolis, and repeat the previous step or type in the end destination as shown in this image.

Here's the Driving Directions which I show it to the folks who I am driving with. No one seems to have the patience to drive through Chicago Traffic. No Problems....

I click over the route which passes through Chicago and drag it over to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Voila! Now I have a new route (as shown in the image below) and by clicking on the "Link to this Page", email the new directions to the folks who I am driving with. That Simple!


(via Google Lat Long Blog)

Man is about to sneeze or scream....

YAAAAAHOOOOOOO

Google Maps - "Link to this Page"

Just noticed this that now when you click on "Link to this Page" at maps.google.com the link text shows up highlighted and inside the map view and right below "Link to this Page" link as shown in this image.

Google Mapping Math and Reading Test Scores

Here's a Google Maps View of States with Math and Reading Tests which are more difficult/easy compared to Nationally Administered Tests.

For example in Math Tests: Missouri had 16% of the students scoring proficient or better in State Administered tests compared with 26% of the students who scored proficient or better in nationally administered tests.

Now compare Missouri with Tennessee:
In Tennessee 87% of the students scored proficient or better in state administered Tests compared with 21% of the students who scored better or proficient in Nationally Administered Tests.

(Source: Time Magazine)

How a Bill becomes a Law - Mapped

Want to know the exact path a bill in US Congress takes to reach the President's desk before it becomes a law, then you should definitely check out this cool Google Maps Mashup. (found at ProgrammableWeb)

Google Mapping America's Top 100 Sweatiest Cities

Old Spice has come out with a list of America's 100 most Sweatiest Cities. Phoenix, AZ tops the list for 4 years in a row. Here's a Google Maps View of America's Sweatiest Cities. (Source: NBCi TV from Dallas)

Google Mapping Top 100 Most Powerful and Best Paid Celebrities

Here's a Google Maps View of Forbes List of World's Top 100 Most Powerful and Best Paid Celebrities. Topping the List this year is Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Madonna, Rolling Stones, Brad Pitt. (Source Forbes)

America's Smartest Cities Mapped

America's Smartest Cities as mentioned at CNN Money has been mapped out on Google Maps. Seattle, WA is the top ranked city where 52.7 percent of its residents 25 years or older have atleast a bachelor's degree. (via)

Google Mapping - TB Patient Andrew Speaker's risky trip

Here's a Google Maps View of TB Patient Andrew Speaker's risky trip across the Atlantic. (Source Newsweek)

JetBlue now provides Google Maps on seatback TV's

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Flyers on JetBlue Airways will be able to track flight altitude, speed, and location in real time on the way to any of JetBlue's 54 destinations.

To celebrate the launch of real-time flight tracking on Google Maps, on all its flights, JetBlue is staging a Photo Contest. Check out the contest details by clicking here. (via Google Lat-Long)

Michigan's Fortunate 50 mapped

Google Mapping Michigan's Fortunate 50 Executives.
Data Source - Detroit News

Indian IDOL contestants on Google Maps

Here's a Google Maps view of Indian IDOL 3 Contestants along with YouTube video for some of them. There are 28 contestants (14 Boys and 14 Girls).

It has a international flavor. Though majority of the contestants are from India, there are couple from United Arab Emirates, 1 from Australia, 1 from United Kingdom and then everyone's favorite Meiyang Chang a Chinese Indian. He has a incredible voice. Check him out.

The format is pretty much similar to American IDOL.

Link: Indian IDOL

Google Maps Street Views - Some Images

Spider-Man wannabe or a Felony in Progress (via nytimes.com)
Steve Jobs' Home - (Needs some landscaping) (via Information Week)
When you got to go you got to go. (Guy doing his thing)(via wired.com)
Google-Mobile going over the speed limit (via wired.com)

Google Maps API updated to support Driving Directions

Google Maps API has been updated to support Driving Directions. This quote from the Google Maps API blog:

You can request directions between a pair of points or a longer sequence of points.

You can request results in multiple languages. We support most major languages including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, and more.

You can fine-tune responses for your application by choosing to request only the directions text or the polyline for the route.

The API is available for directions in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Australia. More countries will be added as Google Maps launches in new countries.

Unfortunately, you can't route from New York to Paris. But perhaps you can make a mashup that gives a better suggestion than "Swim across the Atlantic Ocean."

Michigan Sights - Mackinac Bridge

Here's Google Maps Satellite View of Mackinac Bridge which connects Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsula. Quoting Wikipedia:

The Mackinac Bridge is the longest two tower suspension bridge between anchorages (8,614 feet (2,626 m)) in the Western Hemisphere

Google Maps now with Street Side Views

Google Maps now adds Street Side Views for cities like San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York.

Here's an example:
Navigate to maps.google.com
Type in your city for eg: San Francisco
Click on Street View button as shown below:
Next click on any roads outlined with blue color (example below is: Golden Gate Bridge). You now get a Street Side View. Go ahead and Drag the street view to look around 360°. Use the arrow buttons to navigate down the street. You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard.

Top High Schools in America - 2007

Here's a Google Maps view of Newsweek's Top 100 High Schools in America for 2007.

Google Maps now allows you to avoid Highways

Now when you map out your driving directions using Google Maps you can avoid that big city traffic, take a scenic route.

Google Maps now has a option whereby you can avoid "highways". Check the driving directions from Phoenix, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ (via GoogleMapsMania)

From Phoenix, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ when driving through highways it takes about 2 hours 11 minutes to cover 144 miles. (Google Maps Link)













Now when you avoid highways it takes about 4 hours and 30 minutes to cover 181 miles. (Google Maps Link)

Bomb Explosion at Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad, India

5 people were killed today (5/18/2007) in a bomb explosion at Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad, India (more at CNN)

Here's a Google Maps View of Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad, India.

A Place Between US

Check out this cool Google Maps Mashup. What caught my attention was the domain name "a.placebetween.us".

You are in Detroit and your buddy lives in Chicago. You don't want to drive all the way to Chicago. So what do you do?. Head over to a.placebetween.us and enter 1.Your Location 2.Your Buddy's Location and then type in the type of place/business in between Detroit and Chicago you would like to meet. The place in between could be say Coffee place. So you type in Coffee and this cool mashup shows you all the coffee places in between Detroit and Chicago.

India joins the Nuclear Club on this day in 1974

On May 18th, 1974 India conducted its First Nuclear Test Explosion at Pokaran, Rajasthan (Google Maps). At the time it became the sixth nation to have nuclear weapons (the other five were USA, Soviet Union, Britain, China and France).

US Presidential Candidates (2008) on Google Maps

Here's a Google Maps View of United States Presidential Candidates (2008). In addition to basic facts the Google Maps View also includes the latest news on each of the Candidates (via Google News RSS Feeds) along with YouTube video.

Related: US Presidents - their birth places on Google Maps (From George Washington to George Bush)

America's Meanest Drivers

The likelihood of you running into a MEAN Driver in Miami, FL is very high compared to Portland, OR where you rarely might find a MEAN Driver.

AutoVantage is out with the latest ranking of "Road Rage in America". Miami Tops the list whereas Portland, OR was rated as the city where the drivers are most polite and courteous.

Here's a Google Maps View of the 25 cities which were ranked along with a link for "Anger Management" availability in each of the 25 cities.

Global View of Childhood Mortality data from 1990 to 2005

Here's a Google Maps View of Childhood Mortality (per 1000 live births) from 1990 to 1995. Egypt had a -68% biggest drop whereas IRAQ 150% biggest rise in Childhood Mortality Rates (for Children under 5).

Initial Idea for this Google Maps Mashup was from TIME Magazine (May 21st 2007 Issue - page 20) under the title "How Hard Is It to Be a Mom?".
Source for the data is SAVE THE CHILDREN.

United States First Transcontinental Rail Road

Promontory Summit, Utah (Google Maps View) is the location where United States First Transcontinental Rail Road was completed. This event occured on this day (May 10th) in 1869

One Hit Wonders

Here's Google Maps View of One Hit Wonders. Source - Forbes, Wikipedia, American IDOL.

Google Maps Driving Directions reprogrammed after Oakland Bridge Disaster

Withing 48 hours of Oakland Bridge Collapse, Google engineers have reprogrammed the driving directions with alternate routes. Check the driving directions out from Albany, CA to San Jose, CA

(via WashingtonPost)

Twitters of note - 05/01/2007

Here are some of the twitters I ran into yesterday (05/01/2007) at my twitter Google Maps page.

Follow David Hasselhoff



Follow Matt Voerman

San Francisco Traffic

San Francisco commuters face a traffic nightmare after the collapse of a section of bay bridge. This after a traffic accident on Sunday (04/29).

Here's a look at the current traffic conditions in the San Francisco Area on Google Maps. The adjacent image is from the local news Google Maps Mashup I created last year. In addition to traffic this Google Maps Mashup gives you the local news (Google News RSS Feeds), Weather (Yahoo), Movies, Golf courses, Restaurants.