Online Maps and Driving Directions
"Once upon a time, I had to drop off my kids at the airport. It's a 90 minute drive, or at least it's SUPPOSED to be a 90 minute drive. Without heaping too much embarrassment on myself, let's just say that I got lost on the way there AND back, and saw a lot more of the northeastern United States than was necessary. It could have gone a lot smoother, if I had only remembered to consult an online map first..." |
|
Real men never stop to ask for directions
...but they do read maps. So before you head out, make sure you plot your course. These online map services will help you get from from Phoenix, Arizona all the way to Tacoma, Phildelphia, Atlanta, or LA.
MAPQUEST
MAPQUEST provides free easy-to-read online maps, driving directions and destination information to online and wireless users. MapQuest maps and driving directions can be viewed online, printed, downloaded to your handheld computer, emailed or faxed, making them easy to take along on the road.
The MapQuest Road Trip Planner also helps travelers find restaurants, ATMs, entertainment and attractions along the route. You can even view aerial photos to get a bird's eye view of surrounding areas. Mapquest offers detailed driving instructions to get you from your doorstep to the endpoint of your journey, most anywhere in the USA, Canada and 12 European countries. And there are road and street-level maps for dozens of other countries.
YAHOO MAPS
YAHOO MAPS offers a similar slate of features, including online maps, and point to point driving directions. You can integrate the service into your My Yahoo screen for added convenience. The ability to find points of interest, restaurants and hotels along the way is not integrated, but there is a prominent link to Yahoo City Guides.
Like Mapquest, Yahoo Maps provides interactive maps that allow you to pan and zoom for detail on any portion of the trip. The total distance and approximate travel time are also displayed. You can email the driving instructions, map the return trip, or generate a printer-friendly version of any map. Destinations that you enter are saved so that you don't have to retype them next time you visit.
GOOGLE MAPS
Currently my favorite, Google's new dynamic, interactive maps are draggable -- you don't have to click and wait for graphics to reload each time you want to view a different part of the map (unlike Mapquest and Yahoo). Just use your mouse or the directional arrows to move around or see areas that are hidden offscreen. You can also use the slider or plus and minus keys to zoom in and zoom out.
Even cooler, you can switch to satellite or hybrid view, which gives you access to satellite and aerial images of your locations, with highways, streets and business locations superimposed on the map.
|
|
|
|
Posted by Bob Rankin on 10 Aug 2005
| Need More Help? Try the AskBobRankin Updates Newsletter. It's Free! |
 |
Prev Article: What Exactly is BS? |
|
Next Article: Free Virus Scan |
 |
|
Link to this article from your site or blog. Just copy and paste from this box: |
Post your Comments, Questions or Suggestions
|
Free Tech Support -- Ask Bob Rankin Subscribe to AskBobRankin Updates: Free Newsletter Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved About Us Privacy Policy RSS/XML |
Article information: AskBobRankin -- Online Maps and Driving Directions (Posted: 10 Aug 2005)
Source: http://askbobrankin.com/online_maps_and_driving_directions.html
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Free
Most recent comments on "Online Maps and Driving Directions"
Posted by:
John Ellett
17 Aug 2005
Bob...In my mind, the maps put out by the Mapquest and Yahoo ore worthless...BUT, the driving directions are priceless...I usually get my TripTic from AAA and then call up the precise driving instructions from Mapquest....Between the two, I have hardly, if any,y problems...Although, I do recall calling up the driving instructions for something like Kingman, AZ and the Eastern end of the Interstate....Instructions told me how to get on the Interstate, then said "Continue for 1400 miles"...Real fine instructions, that worked out very fine, except for sleep stops...John, in Merced, CA
Posted by:
Giles Cresswell
31 Aug 2005
I can certainly attest to the accuracy of Google Maps driving times. Twice we have not believed the time it was quoting and twice we arrived early. Obviously they are always dependant on how many red lights you catch but they were certainly correct to within 5 minutes for two drives of just over an hour.
Posted by:
John Trev
29 Aug 2007
www.mapjack.com has online map service and location finder in San Francisco showing street-level (street side) pictures of every city street and can search for businesses and actually see the front of the business.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Google has also done this for San Francisco and other cities.
Posted by:
David
11 Sep 2007
Driving directions to nowhere, You have the right to choose where to go…. See http://www.txtapic.com/roadsign