Oct 04 2007
Fun With Google Maps
It seems many fans of metal detecting are also fans of exploring - they go hand-in-hand, don’t they? One of the best tools for exploring is a map, and the best map tool on the internet is Google Maps. I have been using Google Maps for years to help find my way around town, and recently, gMaps released Google Maps Street View. Street view is exactly what it sounds like….it’s a ton of actual photos taken from the street, all stitched together to make it appear that you’re actually on the street looking around. It’s pretty difficult to give a full explanation, so I’m going to let one of the Google guys (Ryan) do it for me:
Understand now? I live in Orlando, FL, which has this feature, so I’ve spent hours searching the map for my car - to no avail. Street view has brought on a bit of controversy since its inception, mostly with privacy issues. There are now billions a lot of websites devoted to finding unusual photos and situations in street view.
Here are three of my favorites:
Google Maps is Spying on my Cat - BoingBoing.net
Streetviewr.com - a huge collection of images. Click on any image for a larger, interactive version
grokdotcom.com - a small collection, but a few good links
If you enjoy flying, another google map site you might be interested in is Goggles. It’s a flight simulator using gMaps.
If you search the street views and find yourself, or something interesting, let us know in the comments.
