Google Lat Long: 2011

Santa Claus is coming to town... find out where with Google and NORAD

December 23, 2011

(Cross-posted on the Official Google blog)NORADstarted in 1955check their radargrownGoogle EarthGoogle MapsNORAD Santa sitewww.noradsanta.org

Follow Santa on Google Maps: Visit www.noradsanta.org to see where Santa is currently flying and where he’s headed next on Google Maps. Click on the video icons to watch “Santa cam” videos from all over the world, and the gift icons will display information about each city along the route.

Watch Santa fly in 3D with the Google Earth plug-in: If you have the Google Earth plug-in installed on your computer, you can track Santa’s location in 3D and see him deliver presents everywhere from the mountain villages of the Swiss Alps to the white sand beaches of Hawaii.

Track Santa from your mobile phone: Follow Santa on the go by searching for [santa] on the Google Maps for mobile app.

Get updates via social media: The NORAD team will be posting updates about Santa’s flight throughout the day on December 24. Follow them on Google+, Twitter or Facebook for live updates.

Subscribe to the NORAD Tracks Santa YouTube channel: All “Santa cam” videos will be posted on the NORAD Tracks Santa YouTube channel as they’re captured. You can also watch a recap of Santa’s 2010 trip. Check back often for updates!

Santa flying over London in Google Earth

NORAD Tracks Santa is a special project near and dear to all of us involved. I started working on the program seven years ago and it’s been a thrill to watch it grow over the years. Recently, I was given the opportunity to speak at TEDActive about the origins of NORAD Tracks Santa and how Google has brought this to life in Google Earth.

I’d like to thank all of Santa’s “elves” that helped out across Google and NORAD far and wide. Happy Holidays!

Posted by Bruno Bowden, Lead Google Engineering Elf

New 45° imagery for Detroit and 4 other cities

December 20, 2011

21 new cities45° imageryGoogle MapsHere at the cornerFox Theatre Hockeytown CafeView Larger Map
(If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can even have a look at what the site of the old Tiger Stadium now looks like!)standing proudly among
View Larger Map
Fayetteville, ARNashville-Franklin, TNBaton Rouge, LAHuntsville, AL

Imagery Update: Week of December 12th

December 15, 2011

Google EarthMapsLouvre

The Louve and Jardin du Palais Royal, Paris, France
United States Military Academy at West Pointstoried rivalry

United States Military Academy, West Point, New YorkCoachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

The Polo Grounds, Indio, California
Speaking of rock concerts, the unassuming black-roofed building at the center of the aerial image below is home to the 40 Watt Club venue that helped launch the American punk and New-Wave music genres. It’s the place where the band R.E.M launched their career.

Home of the 40 Watt Club, Athens, Georgia

If you’d like to receive an email notification when the Google Earth and Maps Imagery team updates your favorite site(s), we’ve got just the tool: The Follow Your World application!

These are only a few examples of the types of features that can be seen and discovered in our latest batch of published imagery. Happy exploring!

High resolution aerial updates:
USA: Athens, GA; College Station, TX; Palm Springs, CA; Pine Bluff, AR; Meridian, MS; Poughkeepsie, NY; Rockdale, TX; Rutland, VT; St George, UT; Seguin, TX; Seminole, TX; Sonora, TX; Stockton, CA; Waco, TX

Spain: Catalonia, Zamora

France: Paris

Countries/regions receiving high resolution satellite updates:
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Svalbard, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Bank, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

These updates are now available in both Google Maps and Google Earth. For a complete picture of where we updated imagery, download this KML for viewing in Google Earth.

Mapping made easier with the new Google Map Maker

December 14, 2011

ongoing effortsGoogle Map MakerUnited StatesCanada180 other regions

Start with a walkthrough of the new Google Map Maker
Google MapsGoogle EarthGoogle Maps for mobile
You don’t have to be an expert to start using Google Map Maker. High school student and Eagle Scout Tommy Bruce is a mapping superstar who finds mapping fun, fulfilling, and a simple way to help those in his community have the best, most comprehensive information possible. He started by mapping bike trails in his hometown of Mooresville, North Carolina and is now on an exchange program in Puebla, Mexico, mapping unmarked rivers that run through town! After witnessing Tommy’s accomplishments firsthand at the U.S. Geo User Summit, even his mother Margaret began thinking of places that she’s eager to put on the map. Why not make your New Year’s resolution to improve the map for millions of people? Start here.

Experience the tsunami-affected areas of Japan through Street View

December 12, 2011

(Cross posted on Official Google Blog) announcedStreet ViewGoogle MapsMemories for the Future View Larger MapPosted by Kei Kawai, Senior Product Manager, Street View

New 45° imagery available for 21 cities

December 12, 2011

45° imageryGoogle Maps

View Larger Map

Posted by Wayne Thai, Geo Data Strategist

A new view of Google Earth on 48 screens

December 12, 2011

2009Liquid GalaxyLe Pavillon de l’ArsenalGoogle Earth

Photo: Vincent FillonGoogle Cultural InstituteKML file

The Canopy and Transport Hub: Patrick Berger and Jacques Anziutti architectsJCDecauxEnd Pointultranoirsource code pagePosted by Pierre Lebeau, Product Manager

New Cities in 3D - Rome, Seville, Las Vegas, and more.

December 9, 2011

View Larger Map

US:Europe: Posted by Brian Brewington, Google Maps

Updating the Maps of the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Sweden

December 8, 2011

As always, our team continues to work hard to provide up-to-date and accurate base map data for places around the world. Today, we are happy to announce updated maps for the UK, Germany, Finland and Sweden.

You may notice many improvements to Google Maps in these countries, such as improved water bodies and more comprehensive local park coverage. Many of these and other changes are the result of us working directly with a variety of organizations, agencies and data providers. For example, Germany's Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie) supplied us harmonized data from surveying and mapping agencies of all 16 federal states (Länder). And in the case of Finland, we acquired water body data directly from the National Land Survey. We're thankful to these and other data providers for helping us ensure that our digital maps accurately reflect real life.

We’d also like to thank all our users who report problems and help make Google Maps better for everyone. Starting today, the “Report a Problem” tool will appear in the lower right corner of the map for the UK, Germany, Finland and Sweden. So, if you see anything amiss, do let us know and we’ll do our best to update the map as quickly as possible, sometimes within just a few days!

Posted by Valient Gough, Software Engineer

Exploring ancient ruins in 3D with Google Earth

December 8, 2011

(Cross-posted on the Inside Search Blog)Searches can become stories. Some inspire us, others change the way we see the world or just make us smile. This is the latest in a series of videos about people who have used Google to discover or do something extraordinary.Professor David KennedyGoogle Earthremotely identifiedunearthed an enormous recordgeoglyphsWheelsProfessor Kennedy’s Search Story videoProfessor Kennedywww.OneWorldManyStories.comuncover ancient relicsnew hominid ancestoridentify hidden forestsput craters on the mapShare itPosted by Vicky Homan, Google Earth Product Marketing

Looking for stores in a shopping mall or doctors in a hospital?

December 6, 2011

As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, being a well-informed and efficient shopper is more important than ever. That’s why we’re excited to introduce a new feature in Google Maps that can help you find places that are located within or are part of larger buildings, such as malls, office buildings, and hospitals.
When appropriate, the name of the overarching location will be added to the listings that appear in Google Maps, just beneath a place’s address. For example, you can now easily tell that the Disney Store near you isn’t a standalone store, but rather, located at the Hillsdale Shopping Center. Similarly, you can more easily see that a specific doctor’s office is at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, or that the restaurant you’re looking for is actually in the same structure as a local hotel.

Labels for the shopping malls where a store is located

List of stores and restaurants located at the shopping mall

This feature is available starting today for a variety of U.S. locations and venue types, and we hope to expand it to more categories and countries over time.

Pedal to find your dream home with Google Maps

December 5, 2011

Google MapsStreet View Custom MapsPedal to PropertiesPedal to Properties
Bicycling DirectionsGoogle+ PagePosted by Dave Kim, Product Marketing Manager

Here comes Santa Claus

December 1, 2011

Père Noël, Weihnachtsmann, Babbo Natale, Father Christmas, Saint NicholasSanta ClausNORAD Tracks Santawww.noradsanta.orgholiday gamesNORADSantaGoogle MapsGoogle EarthGoogle Maps for mobilewww.noradsanta.orgGoogle+Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering, Google Earth and Maps

Imagery Update: Week of November 28th

November 30, 2011

Google EarthMapsBreckenridge, Coloradoexperience the next best thingStreet View imagery

Perspective view of ski slopes in Breckenridge, ColoradoBoathouse RowFairmount Water WorksPhiladelphia Museum of ArtRocky movies

Boathouse Row, Fairmount Water Works and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaMonumento al Gral Alvarado

Miramar, ArgentinaGdańsk, PolandBrick Gothic

Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Gdańsk, PolandBurgos Cathedral

Burgos, Spain

Calvary Baptist Church, Hi Vista, CaliforniaFollow Your WorldHigh resolution aerial updates:Countries/regions receiving high resolution satellite updates:this KMLGoogle EarthPosted by Eric Kolb, Geo Data Strategist

A new frontier for Google Maps: mapping the indoors

November 29, 2011

Official Google BlogGoogle MapsMy LocationGoogle Maps 6.0 for Android

Mall of America in Minneapolis before and after, with a floor selector

San Francisco International Airport before and after, with 3D tilt

Mall of America, IKEA, The Home Depot, select Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, Daimaru, Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi locations and more. Watch an IKEA demo here.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Narita International (NRT), among others.

JR and Tokyu Corporation

help centermaps.google.com/floorplansherePosted by Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering, Google Earth and Maps

Visualizing water and energy solutions in a warming world

November 28, 2011

Editor’s Note: Today’s guest author is Zachary Hurwitz from International Rivers, an environmental and human rights organization with staff in four continents, who has worked to protect rivers and the rights of communities that depend on them for over 25 years. International Rivers was the recipient of a Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant, funded through the Google Inc. Charitable Giving Fund at the Tides Foundation. We are excited to showcase International River’s innovative use of Google Earth and KML tours.COP17 climate meetingInternational RiversFriends of the Earth InternationalNnimmo BasseyRight Livelihood AwardGoogle Earth

International Rivers’ Google Earth tour shows the effects of large dams on ecosystems around the world.

The Google Earth tour shows many data layers, such as hydropower use across Africa.KML filetour videoPosted by Zachary Hurwitz, International Rivers

Street View comes to beautiful Belgium

November 23, 2011

Street View.

View Larger Map

Grand Place, Brussels

View Larger Map

European Parliament, Brussels

View Larger Map

Waterloo memorial, Brussels from the roadPosted by Julien Blanchez, Google Belgium

Street View special collections: ski and snow edition

November 21, 2011

(Cross posted on the Official Google Blog)Street View Google Mapsnew ski resortsSquaw Valley

View Larger Map

Squaw Valley Resort - Going down Gold Coast FaceBreckenridge Ski Resort

View Larger Map

Breckenridge Resort, Looking down Four O’Clock
Whistler Blackcomblast year

View Larger Map

Whistler Blackcomb, Whistler PeakStreet View snowmobile
Street View galleryPosted by Ryan Falor, Product Manager, Street View Special Collections

Finding the perfect home with Google Fusion Tables

November 21, 2011

Editor’s Note: This is a true story, but some of the details have been changed for privacy purposes.Google Fusion TablesGoogle Mapfew steps,fusion table

‘Visualize > Map’

Our house ratings viewed in Google Maps (after being converted into a Fusion Table).customized the icons

Posted by Kathryn Hurley, Developer Programs Engineer, Geo DevRel

Follow robotic wave gliders on a record setting Pacific crossing in Google Earth

November 17, 2011

Google EarthLiquid RoboticsPacific Crossing (PacX) Challenge Expedition

Wave glider robots await launch from San Francisco in this first expedition blog post in Google Earth.KML filePacX Gallery pagePosted by Jenifer Foulkes, Product Manager, Ocean in Google Earth

See your rated places and discover new ones directly on the map

November 15, 2011

Google Places BlogMy Places tab was releasedGoogle Places

Rated Foreign Cinema 5 Stars. Ritual Coffee & Spork are recommended by Google PlacesGoogle Maps for AndroidPosted by Myles Jordan, Software Engineer

Map your military service for Veterans Day

November 11, 2011

Today is Veterans Day in the U.S., and we’re honoring this community by sharing relevant Google tools for veterans and families all over the world--you can learn more on the Google for Veterans and Families site. I specifically wanted to highlight a couple of these tools that enable people to map and tell their stories using Google Earth and Google Maps.Explore veteran tours in Google Earth
several storiessix siblingsArmy nurseMarine LieutenantWatching these tourshere

Make a Custom Map of your service
Google Maps makes it easy (and fun!) to create a simple Custom Map and also share with others. With our mapping tools, veterans can map their service and then share the personalized map with their families and friends. Stories, photos and videos can be geo-located so the complete story is recorded and marked on a map.

We hope our mapping tools can be useful to the veteran community for sharing and recording life stories. For more other relevant Google products, we invite you to explore the Google for Veterans and Families site, www.googleforveterans.com.

Posted by Sean Askay, Developer Advocate

Announcing the 2012 Google Model Your Town Competition

November 10, 2011

[Cross-posted from the SketchUp blog]successGoogle Model Your Town Competition

Barranco, Lima, PeruModel Your Town CompetitionSketchUpBuilding Makercompetition websiteYour World in 3D

Getting to know you

November 10, 2011

you can find it here

Santa Claus is coming to town... find out where with Google and NORAD

New 45° imagery for Detroit and 4 other cities

Imagery Update: Week of December 12th

Mapping made easier with the new Google Map Maker

Experience the tsunami-affected areas of Japan through Street View

New 45° imagery available for 21 cities

A new view of Google Earth on 48 screens

New Cities in 3D - Rome, Seville, Las Vegas, and more.

Updating the Maps of the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Sweden

Exploring ancient ruins in 3D with Google Earth

Looking for stores in a shopping mall or doctors in a hospital?

Pedal to find your dream home with Google Maps

Here comes Santa Claus

Imagery Update: Week of November 28th

A new frontier for Google Maps: mapping the indoors

Visualizing water and energy solutions in a warming world

Street View comes to beautiful Belgium

Street View special collections: ski and snow edition

Finding the perfect home with Google Fusion Tables

Follow robotic wave gliders on a record setting Pacific crossing in Google Earth

See your rated places and discover new ones directly on the map

Map your military service for Veterans Day

Announcing the 2012 Google Model Your Town Competition

Getting to know you

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