useful Tips About The Google Map Help Guide

Saturday, June 27th, 2009 at 7:11 pm

For some people, mapping is the love of their lives. They enjoy spending hours plotting data onto a road map, such as satellite images, topographical relief coding, and streets and sewers. Yet, for the average person, the maps Google offer are a great resource and tool, yet not something that should take hours and hours to figure out. Millions of people use Google each day to find local businesses or get driving directions so it is not overly difficult. Even so, getting the right map help can make your experience more efficient.

Many people are looking for map help to print or save their directions. The default print option is the step-by-step directions with a tiny map that is barely legible. For you map-mongers, you can get a larger full-size map by canceling out of the print dialog box (in Firefox), at which point a new window will pop up, allowing you to check a box that says “Show original map view.” The preview then changes to a full overview of street maps and driving directions, where you can modify the zoom level on your print window.

When it comes to saving your directions, it may be surprising but you can’t actually just save your driving directions map on the Google map site; you can save place-marks and maps but not the full shebang. Instead, you have to click on and copy the link to the map (on the top right corner of the map that says “Link to this page”). If you save that link as a bookmark or in a Word document, then you will be able to access the exact same set of directions for next time.

Perhaps you don’t realize you need map help but you would like to know about some of the latest Google Maps features. For example, did you know you can get walking, biking and public transit directions, as well as driving instructions? You will see these options in a drop-down list under the “location and destination” window on the left-hand side. You may also want to try the neat “Street View” option, which allows you a 360-degree, real-time, video view of a particular street, like Miami Beach, FL or the Sunset Strip, CA. Just click on the street view button and drag the person icon to the street of your choice. However, be aware that this technology is fairly new so not all streets offer this special vantage point. On the top of the map, you may also click on the satellite maps, the street maps or the traffic pattern views. You may have also heard about a feature called “Latitude” where you can track your friends based on their cell phone proximity. Sure, it sounds a little creepy, but it can be extremely helpful if you have a friend traveling in from far away or if you are waiting on your late spouse to put that roast in the oven. Visit www.google.about.com/od/mapsanddirections/p/latitude_whatis.htm for more information on this new feature.

Travelers often need map help finding notable landmarks. You may not necessarily know the address of the Eiffel Tower, but you can zero in on the location by typing in “Eiffel Tower.” Now say you are in the car driving but you have no idea where you are. You can turn your cell phone into a GPS device using Google Maps for Mobile right on your cell phone. (Check out the video for this on the Google Maps site). You may also want to explore the country of Japan to decide where you would like to visit, just by typing in “Japan.” You can also search for zip codes, airport codes, latitudes and longitudes.