Google Maps Labs Finally Improves Navigation Features – Sort Of
Yes FINALLY! I can’t tell you how frustrating it has been for me since the day Google Maps arrived. I always wanted to hold down the shift key (like every other modern mapping API) and draw a box to zoom in. With Google you had to use your mouse wheel and really who has a mouse wheel anymore with our notebooks and touch mice. Something had to be done.
Enter Google Maps Labs. You should now see that little green beaker in the upper right hand corner of your Google Maps screen.
Clicking on that icon you are presented with some new features:
A two of note:
Drag ‘n’ Zoom
Now this was the one I was most excited about until I saw its implementation.
See that little square below the zoom bar? You are supposed to click on that if you want to zoom in. You can’t do what is completely obvious to everyone, hold down the shift key. I wouldn’t mind if they had both, but not adding the shift key to enable is totally baffling. But even worse, you can’t use the escape key to get out of the Drag ‘n’ Zoom. You have to move your mouse all the way back over to the left and turn it off.
Aerial Imagery
I don’t agree with what Google calls this because I’m sure there is “Aerial Imagery” in their “Satellite” images, but they’ve got 50 Billion in cash and I’m under water on my mortgage. So what do I know? Anyway this is the Google oblique imagery we’ve read about. It is only available in some small areas, but we can now see them outside of the Google Maps API. When you zoom to an area that has supported oblique imagery, you’ll see the new oblique aerials button that turns it on. You can use the Drag ‘n’ Zoom to quickly get into an area you wish.
The Others
The rest aren’t in my opinion that newsworthy but address probably small needs of users. I think this is a good way for Google to get some new features into Maps quicker than their normal release schedule. I just wish they’d get on board with existing UI and naming conventions.
via GigaOM
It’s like GIS in the 1990′s again. Not a bad thing. Likely to be a response to Bing Map Apps. Will be interesting to see new features, tools and functions from both parties in the future.
I like the LatLon dropper; it’s really handy for those rare occasions you need to pull out coordinates, and easier than right-click->What’s Here->click on green marker.
I don’t really like the implementation of the zoom-rectangle; it’s not modal (which would be painful, since it’s the only “tool”), so you’re stuck with click->zoom->click->zoom… I’d prefer to see this as a keyboard-modifier action–as you suggest–like shift-click. This would keep the geogeeks happy while not complicating the experience for casual users with tools.
at least let me click the escape key to unselect it
I’m not sure how holding down shift and dragging a rectangle is “completely obvious to everyone”. Your standard user would have to be told at some point in the map experience how to do it and then remember it. “Hm, was it control-drag, or alt-drag, or shift-drag?”
That why I said I’m fine with them leaving that weird zoom button in there (whIch I think isn’ any more obvious than the shift drag). But not being able to hit the escape key to break out of the zoom in is really bad.
New functionality is never unwelcome, but in Google Maps’ case it’s readily apparent that there have been major data quality issues throughout the US ever since the switch away from Tele Atlas. The best functionality in the world doesn’t matter a whole lot when the underlying data has significant issues with both its spatial accuracy and the accuracy of its attributes.
I can certainly understand how you feel.
I’ve always found it hard to zoom in accurately on Google maps really fast, this is a really nessesary feature.
Is it just me or do AJAX maps seem so clunky compared to the new generation of Silverlight / Flash powered maps? Its like moving to High Definition TV, you really notice the difference when you have to go back and use the old stuff and it all looks blury.
John, not sure how it would be any different. Both consume the same tile cache underneath. Serving up PNGs is really not something that Flex/SL would change.
Serious? No the next gen of online mapping uses Silverlight/Flash to oversample the tiles and provide a smoother experience. So if you fly quickly into a specific city it can request tiles well above the current level and give you faster context before loading the current level.
I can’t find a good Google Maps example but I know it is possible in flash also, just compare zooming into a new city with the mouse wheel in the Bing Maps Silverlight control:
http://www.microsoft.com/maps/isdk/silverlight/
(or hold ctrl to draw zoom box)
compared to the ajax control. I find this silky smooth and responsive compared to current AJAX examples.
Looked into this a little further and it looks like the new HTML5 canvas will allow AJAX maps to do a better job, so really I should be saying the current generation of HTML4 DOM maps seem clunky.
“Smoother” navigation is different than what you implied with your HDTV comment. You can’t convert analog into HDTV and you can’t “convert” an existing tile cache into something different. Fooling the eyes with swapping out tiles is of course as you point out what they are doing. If this is really revolutionary I’m not so sure, but I do concede it does look a whole lot smoother.
Sorry bad example, the point was, I really notice the difference when going back to older technology how much better the new stuff is. I hadn’t played with an HTML4 Map for ages till I checked this out from your post.
eg, When I watched my first Blu-ray I went yes this seems better but i don’t see what the fuss is. Now I can’t watch DVD’s cause they look blury in comparison, I’m spoilt.
For me I’m now spoilt by Silverlight / Flash maps
Is it worth limiting your userbase for a slightly smoother zoom transition?
You can have an equivalent zoom with HTML 4 using pure JavaScript:
http://www.seadragon.com/developer/ajax/
Using Opera this is very smooth. Not too bad on IE 8, but admittedly a little clunky on FireFox. If browsers could take advantage of multiple threads then there would be no noticeable difference.
The point is, that the user experience in Silverlight is far better than in AJAX.
What counts is the is exactly this user experience. In Silverlight-Apps I get the feeling that the application responds instantily to my actions. This is not the case in AJAX.
You have to take into account the user experience in installing Silverlight too
Really? This borders on a flip flop for me James – only a few months ago you were berating web developers for cramming their web maps with GIS tools and toolbars. The drag rectangle is a step backwards, it doesn’t give what the lay user expects zooming in, and when implemented, is completely unintuitive zooming out. I think the zoom wheel (and fall back to sliders) is a nice stop gap until we get touch screen monitors in a year or two. I’ll be surprised and disappointed if it makes it out of beta.
The problem with the zoom wheel is that it doesn’t exist for everyone. My laptop doesn’t have it, my mouse doesn’t have one and of course my iPhone doesn’t have one either.
Besides that, I can never get it to zoom into the area I want, it seems haphazard to me.
I think you speak as a GI professional James – of course, I like to use the zoom tool too, but thinking of the broader audience, does it really make sense? The lay user expects to draw an area they wish to fill the viewport, but because the zoom rectangle often differs in proportion to the dimensions of the viewport, they don’t get what they expect? I’m still going to champion simplicity on this one
Would you really use a zoom tool on an iPhone? Not a double tap or pinch?
Have a good weekend – Rob
I can’t argue with anything you say.
My biggest gripe about the Drag ‘n’ Zoom tool is that it takes over the controls when selected. It may be the best way to handle this for grandma, but it kills workflows zooming in.
I agree about the workflow but i also find searching for the right key (control, alt or shift depending upon the programmer) painful as well.
I’m a web developer but from what i’ve seen most GIS desktop packages make you go into a marque zoom mode no?
Is the best solution is to allow multiple intuitive ways to zoom in and let the user decide their preference, so they can double click, mouse wheel, click the zoom in button or Ctrl-Draw Marque zoom box or simply pinch the screen based on what they feel today?
Imagine if your car worked that way, I can change gears using 5 different techniques
[...] Google Maps labs and Microsoft Explore [...]
The feature I liked the best is the arbitrary rotation. It’s one of the best features of GoogleEarth and to be able to have north on the bottom, left or right with the labels correctly positioned on the screen is wonderful.
Too bad I can’t use the link to share my new West-is-Up map with anyone.
Hi can anyone help?
our webiste:http://bluglo.be
using google earth API ,but proportions in different browers.
in Firefox look good. but in IE,Google chorme is bad
If i put these code :
function filler() {browseWidth=document.body.clientWidth;document.map3d.width = browseWidth+0;}
,IE8 can not see anything,only black background.
If anyone can tell what’s problem ,that will be great help.
Thank you
Im no expert, but I feel you just made an exceptionally very good place place. You of course know what youre talking about, and I can basically get behind that. Thanks for being so upfront and so sincere.