The Google Maps of the Week

Have you ever dreamed of owning your own 3d scale model of the Grand Canyon or the Matterhorn? Well thanks to the Terrainator you now can.

The Terrainator uses Google Maps to help you select your favorite area of terrain. It then creates an accurate scale model and uploads it to Shapeways, ready for 3D-printing. The models are scaled so that the base is 45cm². The cost of the model depends on the volume of material required to make the model. Flatter models are therefore cheaper than mountainous areas, although they are much less fun.

Currently you can buy models from terrain in the western USA, from the UK and from the Alps.


Pursued is a surprisingly fun Street View game from Hungarian independent game developers Nemesys Games. The game is very simple but no less gripping for that. You are placed into an unnamed location in Google Maps Street View and all you have to do is guess the city.

There have been map guessing games in the past that use Google Maps satellite views. The problem with trying to guess a location from a satellite view however is that you either recognise the location shown or you don't. What I find surprising with Pursued was how often I can recognise a country just from the style of architecture and the street furniture in the Street View.
 
Even if you can't guess the location from the visual clues in the Street View you can move around using the Street View navigation controls and get clues from nearby posters and street signs.


Pursued is fun!


I hope to say it but by far the most popular and most shared post on Google Maps Mania this week was, Paixão Nacional, a Google Map of the world's greatest rear-ends.

The map's designers assure users that this map is not porn and that 'the ass is art', however you should be advised that this map is probably NSFW. As well as submitting your own ass to the map you can vote on the asses already submitted.

Paixão Nacional also includes listings of the 'top asses', the most recently submitted asses and a 'but of the week'.