![alternative to google maps satellite view alternative to google maps satellite view](https://i0.wp.com/www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/larger/public/article_images/2015/02/google-maps-street-view-screens.jpg)
The following figures show an example of Google Maps in the Map - in other words, as the user zooms in, more features are shown.
![alternative to google maps satellite view alternative to google maps satellite view](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/b4QITaB64DY/hqdefault.jpg)
Thresholds set for the scale at which they will start to appear on the Place names and basic topographic features including rivers, lakes and When stops do appear you notice that the maps team doesn’t seem to appreciate that virtually all bus and many tram stops are unidirectional and so sometimes you have to click around to find the one going in the direction you’d like - something which could be fixed by something as simple as an arrow (or something much better).The default view, 'Map' includes street data and other Often stop icons do not appear (even when they are at the centre of your screen - where is the westbound Queen and Spadina stop?). Some of the places where thoughtful (and sometimes context-dependent) design is clearly missing is when you look at a bus or streetcar routes. While I understand that a lot of the transit view in Google Maps depends on transit agencies, Google is the tech company whose product looks bad and who has the resources to either fix the data themselves or create better systems so that it’s easier for agencies to do this (or even community members). Even the relatively new UP Express Airport train doesn’t appear (and its logo is nowhere to be found).
![alternative to google maps satellite view alternative to google maps satellite view](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/05/c0/f3/05c0f302f73bd2eee485d3983b5eb73f.jpg)
Of course, the best part of this map is that despite GO’s logo appearing several times you can’t see any of GO’s routes on the map - even though several run an all-day service. Things like detailed street and building layouts (you can see the former in the top left of the image below) might be able to help, but they end up being inconsistent and cluttering up the map.
![alternative to google maps satellite view alternative to google maps satellite view](https://cdn.techjourney.net/2006/11/flash-earth.jpg)
When you are in suburban places (like Mountain View!), points on each business are fine from a resolution perspective, but with small business units and lots of malls & food courts finding something in an urban centre on maps can be a huge challenge. For one, the UI is bad - changing levels is not intuitive, but the map also just doesn’t feel complete or do a good job reflecting the building: It’s just a slightly more accurate cloud of pins. Indoor mapping is potentially one of the coolest applications imaginable for software mapping, because getting around big buildings can often be hard even with a map kiosk, but I don’t think I have basically ever used it in Google Maps. Now, I could write a book on features that Google Maps has, how they work, and how they could work - but in this article I’ll just highlight a few things that remain shockingly bad that I experienced when I was living in Toronto (often it takes a while to figure out what works and doesn’t in any given city). I am just sad to see it in a place where it doesn’t excite me like it used to. To be clear, this is not meant to be dunking on the Maps team or product - it’s one I love. In some cases, the user experience in the public transport view is just laughably bad, and has been for years upon years - all while alternatives with better design but inherently far less reach have sprung up. Of course, most of all, as someone who is passionate not just about cities but also public transport, Google Maps feels like it’s completely missing so many things that could make it the resource for learning about cities and using public transport. What’s even worse than that was getting my degree in Computer Science and learning how to write software and so understanding pretty well what the map could, and couldn’t be doing. What’s more is that long standing problems with maps have collected without fixes - it’s easy to not notice some of these things if you regularly use maps, but they really make the experience worse. Even today, when I take calls, I often find myself scrolling around maps while talking, looking at different map details, street names, businesses, and unique-looking finds on satellite imagery.įor the longest time, Google Maps felt like the most incredible innovation it could help you get around almost anywhere, and with street view and later 3D flyover view (which is less nice but, more extensive than Apple’s alternative) you could get an incredibly good sense for a place without actually needing to be there.īut nearly 20 years has gone by, and a lot of the wonder is gone.ģD views of cities are now roughly 10 years old, and new features have slowed to a trickle in recent years. Over my life, I have spent an ungodly amount of time using Google Maps sometimes to navigate, sometimes to plan trips, sometimes to measure distances, but more often than not just to explore. By George Socka from Toronto, Canada - August 2012 Vaughan Colossus Cineplex - UFO Has Landed at Highway 400 and 407, CC BY 2.0,