MapQuest

Remember when you would stop at a gas station to buy a paper map of the city to find out how to get somewhere? Today you can get customized step-by-step directions, weather conditions, traffic data and satellite images for your journey, whether it is ten minutes or ten hours away. You can even avoid highways or tolls, plot a course with several stops and find local business information as well. Maps sure have come a long way, but which service is the most hassle-free and helpful?

First let’s look at simple directions. That is why most of us find driving directions online after all, is it not? If you are worried about road hazards, construction zones and thick traffic, then Yahoo Maps (www.maps.yahoo.com) is good for that function. MapQuest (www.mapquest.com) lets you check boxes to avoid highways and tolls, choose the shortest distance or take the route with the shortest time. The user-friendly, simple nature of this site is also a good perk for someone who wants their directions right away. They also have recently added the drag-and-drop function that Yahoo has had, which helps you navigate around traffic obstructions. If you are walking or jogging, then Ask (www.maps.ask.com) is the only site that lets you plot your pedestrian course. Google Maps (www.maps.google.com) can zoom in for close topographical views of any continent. To sum up, Yahoo is the best site when traffic or construction sites are a concern, while MapQuest provides quick point-A-to-point-B directions.

For those of you who are looking for local businesses on your maps, then you could check the new Ask City site (www.city.ask.com). However, a better bet would be the Yahoo Local listings, which have been rated by users for years, so you can type in “best Chinese” and get restaurants with four stars or more. Google, on the other hand, will only show Chinese food establishments with the word “Best” in the name. MapQuest has greatly improved their local search capacity by partnering with sites like www.yelp.com, www.when.com, www.cityguide.com and more, although Yahoo still takes the cake for business searching. Another contender to keep an eye on is www.superpages.com, which specializes in local business searches, rather than mapping.

Another site not detailed here, but worth looking at, is the newer Microsoft Windows Live Local (www.maps.live.com). You can stick a pushpin on favorite locations, record notes and upload pictures to your sites to save or share with friends, which is sort of like the Google map creator function. You can also view traffic reports and get the clearest route, explore collections of sightseeing landmarks and tour 3-D cities. This new player seems to perceptibly take the best of the other sites and do it better. As you browse, you will notice that all the sites have similar interfaces (except for that rebel, MapQuest) but the subtle differences are what make people so adamant about their favorite mapping engines.

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Google Maps was initially created to provide maps to be viewed on your computer. To remain competitive with standard paper maps, they also allowed the “print” option so web users could take their maps with them. To get driving directions or view street maps, you can visit www.maps.google.com. However, you can also view these maps on your mobile phone or on a web page with one of the embedded maps Google has created. Most recently, Google has surpassed MapQuest as the #1 online mapping site.

Say hello to Mapping 2.0! The best elements of social networking have teamed up with Google Maps to give web users what they demand: consumer reviews, shared photos and videos and personalized, customizable maps they can share with friends and family! For example, using Google Maps, you can save all your favorite destinations with your own markers, descriptions, photos and/or videos, creating your own map of “favorite local bars” or “favorite restaurants” for quick reference. You can also search for maps that other people have created for your area.

“Mashup” maps are created by users of Google Maps that appeal to a specific need or interest, and to access these maps, you can click on “My Maps.” One great mashup is “Gas Buddy,” which provides the gas prices and locations based on the city, state or zipcode you type in. The “Places of Interest” mashup will let you know which bars, ATMs, food or churches are on your way. “Outdoor Tracks” is the ideal mashup for the outdoor kind of folks, as you can view geocaching locations or adventure spot locales, as well as hiking, biking and jogging trails. If searching for real estate, then try www.housingmaps.com, which will show you Craigslist house listings across the country, which you can filter by city, price, type, listing with pictures or other keywords. If you are walking to lose weight, then you can use “Gmaps Pedometer,” which will calculate your burnt calories based on elevation, speed and distance. The best part is that all these useful maps are free!

The year 2007 was noteworthy for the Google Maps enterprise. In February, they launched “Google Traffic” for maps of 30 major cities and displayed subway stops and buildings for major cities like New York City, Washington DC and London. In May, the innovative “Street View” function was added, which gives 360-degree views of city streets in places like Venice Beach and Times Square. In June, drag-and-drop driving directions were introduced and November saw the introduction of a “terrain” topographical view. In 2008, new buttons were added for logged-in users, including “saved locations” and “more,” which lets users look at street maps, satellite maps, terrain maps, photos from Panoramio and Wikipedia articles. They have also signed a deal with satellite giant GeoEye to allow superior satellite imagery. It is no surprise that Google is a leader in the world of online mapping.