Google Maps is a multifunctional mapping service that combines navigation, information about points of interest and nearby places, and tools for point search for coordinates, streets and houses.
The trial version of the service appeared back in 2005, and since then, Google’s service has occupied a leading position in the genre in terms of attendance, accuracy and breadth of information coverage.
Supported Directions
Initially, the Google Maps service was opened to community members through a browser – the authors suggested using a search bar, viewing images of the planet, and choosing a way to display space – from a satellite or in the form of diagrams. A little later, owners of smartphones and tablets running on the Android operating system were also allowed to build routes and look for addresses, and not through a browser, but through separate software.
And then it came to support for iOS and Windows Phone. Regardless of the choice, the developers suggest remembering that access to Google Maps is free of charge: you won’t have to pay a penny for access to individual tools. And most importantly, it provides protection from advertising, which turns a freely distributed license into real art without significant drawbacks.
Functional diversity
Evaluating the features offered by developers without hints is more difficult than it seems at first glance. Too many features of the service are not available to those who finish their acquaintance with Google Maps immediately after finding the right address. And therefore – a brief instruction on those things that cannot be missed and should be used.
Navigation
Initially, Google Maps offered to select a starting point and destination, and then learn how, using a car, to overcome the resulting route in the minimum time.
A little later, the developers made a series of long-awaited adjustments that help to get recommendations for walking, cycling and using public transport (from the additional benefits – a pre-known fare and the schedule of buses, trains, trolleybuses and trams, updated in real time).
The Your Timeline technology deserves special attention, which describes in detail the distance traveled for a selected period of time.
Working with navigation is easy – it is not even necessary to know the address, the main thing is to put down two points on the map and, having received the route, follow the recommendations that appear on the screen.
Offline maps
A feature that allows you to save maps to the internal or external memory of mobile platforms for use offline is still in beta testing, although it works at the proper level.
Among the shortcomings is a strange system of organizing those parts of the planet that are important to preserve. Instead of separate cities, countries and regions in Google Maps, you have to select sections of maps that are digitized and transferred to memory. As a result, important parts of the road can be easily missed.
But the advantages of offline maps include continuous updates, navigation assistance and support for geolocation, which will help you find your current location at any time.
Announcements and testimonials
Google Maps supports the social mood of community members, and therefore offers to share opinions on any occasion. Did you like a cafe on the outskirts of the city?
It is worth leaving a review on the institution’s personal page and setting a rating that will help others immediately figure out which dishes to order and what to prepare for. The recommendations received are attached to the profile of each participant, and then they add up to reputation and “benefit” points. And, therefore, there will be a chance to pass for a real critic who appreciates quality and balance between taste and price.
By the way, anyone can add “ads”, the main thing is to register, fill out the proposed text questionnaire, and confirm the fact of ownership of the establishment. As a result, you can get free reviews, easily expand your target audience and attract a bunch of customers.
Street View
Street View technology has long changed the way we perceive the planet.
One has only to click on a special little man located on the quick access panel in the browser or in the software, and the standard map will be reincarnated – it will immediately acquire special lines and dots that help you find out what individual streets and sights look like without even leaving your home. Street View also helps to evaluate the architecture, the rate of development of the city (you can select images for a certain date and get a number of comparative elements).
Special services
The Google Maps service officially hides the location of military bases and high-security facilities. Such information is not a secret for a long time, and yet it definitely deserves attention.
Google Maps is a service that has long changed the way we perceive the world. And there are many reasons for this: here is the breadth of geographic coverage unattainable for competitors (neither Apple Maps nor Yandex.Maps are able to offer even 50% of what is already available in Google Maps), and accuracy when working with routes (the only exception is The Russian Federation, where Yandex is clearly the leader.
Although, such trends can also end quickly enough), and the intuitiveness of the interface. And most importantly, the service never rests on its laurels and opens up even more prospects.
So, for example, there was a view of the planets and the study of the surface of the moon, maps of gas stations and parking lots, special catalogs where it is easy to add your favorite places, and then share the resulting list with friends. What prospects lie ahead? It is not known, but bypassing Google Maps is definitely not recommended.
