In fact, Google has been the default search map search engine for a long enough time that they might have been stagnating a bit.
That is, until Bing Maps came along.
A quick comparison...looking at Princeton High School using both services...
...from Google Maps...
...from Bing Maps...
All in all, not too different. The Bing version is a bit newer (based on the new turf in their version verses the stadium during the turf instillation in the Google version), and the colors are a bit richer, but that last could be simply because the picture was taken during a different season.
But clicking on the Birds Eye view provides something that Google can't come anywhere near matching...
...Bing's birds eye view...
Now that's just cool. I've checked through a bunch of the Cincinnati area - my current house, my old house, the apartment that The Girl and I first lived in - as well as some of the other places where I've lived - using the birds eye view, and it's consistently awesome...very, very awesome (at least in the areas where it's available - which means not yet Crawfordsville).
I don't know if it was this birds eye feature that has forced Google Maps to innovate, but they've clearly been fixing their googly eyes on improving their services.
...Google's Street View of PHS...
One of their recent bits of improvement is the Google Trike, through which they are adding to their Street View feature by way of taking their street view to places without streets. They're using the Google Trike to add in hiking trails, national parks, international sights - and they've opened the idea up to suggestions from the world.
Apparently, a little competition has been good for the Google gods.
1 comment:
I'd say a "bit" newer is an understatement. The turf was installed in my 7th grade year. I remember looking out from the 600 wing of the then PJHS to all the rolled up grass. That was ~8 years ago.
They should probably give the 'Nati a bit of an upgrade. All in all though, small nit. Google is awesome.
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