Sunday, April 10, 2011

This Week's Best Google Maps

rome2rio

Google Maps includes a number of little Easter Eggs with suggestions for your inter-continental travel. For example, if you ask Google Maps for driving directions from Japan to China Google Maps suggests, at step 42, that you 'Jet ski across the Pacific Ocean'.

If you don't fancy jet skiing then rome2rio could be the solution that you are looking for. This Google Maps based travel search engine can help you get to anywhere on Earth with flights, trains, ferry and driving directions.

GroupMe

GroupMe is a mobile app that lets you create your own social networks to share group messages, conference calls, photos or Google Maps.

Using GroupMe you can create a group with people who are already in your contacts. Once you have created a group you can then text message the group, start an instant conference call, share photographs or share a Google Map showing the location of everyone in the group.

As soon as you create a group you instantly have access to a shared Google Map. The map lets you share your location with the people in your group, find out where your friends are and see them all on a map.

The GroupMe app is available for iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

CultureNow

This Google Map is mapping the locations of history, art and architecture in the public realm. The project was started in New York, and has mapped a huge number of cultural locations in the city, but now also shows cultural landmarks across the USA.

It is possible to search the map by category (and there are a lot of them). So, for example, it is possible to refine a search for art galleries, museums or historic buildings etc. If you click on a map marker you can get more information about the listing.

Each listing also includes a list of other nearby cultural locations.

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