We’re all familiar with online maps at this point. Some might have started with MapQuest while others were first introduced with Google Maps, Bing/Live/MSN Maps, or Yahoo Maps. For being something that was as simple as a fold-out that fit in the glove compartment of a car, the maps that the we all have access to today have come quite a long way. The maps that are available now are more accurate, have much greater detail & information, are quicker & nicer to use, accomodate for traffic & different methods of transportation, and are (of course) kept up-to-date. Let’s see how the evolution of these tools has affected web design as well as everyday people.
This entire campus was added via Google Map Maker. Image Credit: Ars Technica
Fundamental: Speed & Accuracy
It first started with trying to figure out who could get you the information you want the quickest & was the most accurate. We’ve all heard GPS horror stories of the map software telling people to do something crazy like make a u-turn on the interstate or simply takes them to the wrong location. Google Maps & OpenStreetMap have turned to crowd-sourcing to help enrich their maps with finer details (e.g. full-fledged college campus maps) in addition to staying up-to-date at a faster pace. Google has facilitated this by setting up a businesses verification process so businesses can manage their own listings, and Google has also launched Google Map Maker for making peer-reviewed map edits.
Behind the Scenes: Website Integration
Google Maps gained traction early on for its easy-to-embed maps that were still fully interactive rather than being static images (e.g. the visitor can get directions to the business & look around the map without leaving the site). They further catered to web developers by launching an API so developers can integrate a wide a array of map data/tools/capabilities into their website/web app. A developer API isn’t the most user-friendly tool available so they’ve since reached out to non-developers by launching My Maps so people can create & manage their own customized maps using an easy-to-use interface, and these can still be embedded like a regular Google Map.
Connect with HRB:
Important to Everyone: The User Experience
Google has also been evolving the technology powering their maps to make the user experience better. One of their largest improvements somewhat early on was the introduction 3d models of buildings, landmarks, and terrain with the Google Earth application. The most recent improvement they’ve made utilizes HTML5′s WebGL technology to help merge the advancements made with the Google Earth application with the Google Maps website. They’ve been rolling out invitations to try out WebGL-enabled maps to people using HTML5-capable web browsers recently (a popup is shown in the sidebar to opt-in & shows a tour of what’s new). The WebGL tech allows for them to utilize complex graphics natively within a web browser (avoiding the need for plugins/downloads and doing so without introducing sluggishness/stuttering). Take a look at what’s new in Google Maps by utilizing WebGL:
I highly recommend enabling MapsGL if you’re given the choice as it’s a groundbreaking improvement technologically as well as being a more seamless & more enjoyable way to use maps in your web browser. WebGL is still a new web standard, but people can look forward to seeing more of this in the websites they frequent as HTML5-capable browser adoption increases. Needless to say, we’re investigating WebGL as something to be added to our website development toolset.
If you’re curious, Does my Browser Support WebGL? will tell you if your current web browser is WebGL capable or not, and upgrading to a web browser that has it is as simple as downloading the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari (currently needs to be enabled via the Developer menu), or Opera (Internet Explorer hasn’t added WebGL support yet).
Related posts:
- Google Chrome 5 is Released. No longer in Beta.
- Google Voice is Finally Open to the Public: 5 Simple Steps for Account Setup
- Google Instant