Microsoft's Bing vs. Google Maps Means Users Win
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Microsoft’s Bing Maps and Google Maps continue their competition to offer the best online mapping. This week, Microsoft launched Bing Maps Beta which not only retooled its mapping application with their Silverlight technology but also launched the release of Streetside. Also announced was the extended partnership of Microsoft with Navteq to supply 3D mapping data. The Google Geo Developers Blog has a post about the new aerial imagery available with API v2:
Today with the launch of new aerial imagery in the Maps v2 API, the directionally challenged now have a little more help. The imagery is available with or without road overlays on top, and in each of the major compass directions (North, South, East and West), so you can now view the map upside down instead of doing handstands.
The oblique imagery gives Pictometry (the oblique imagery used by Microsoft) a run for their money. The imagery is currently only available in San Jose and San Diego but expect Google to roll out more cities fairly quickly. Google’s Lat Long Blog also has a write up with examples of how the new imagery is being used.
The sure winner out of all of this competition is the user. More data, more imagery, better functionality, and better access to geographic information will lead improved mapping for the user.
Tags: Bing, Google Maps, oblique imagery, pictometry
Top mapping tool must be ViaMichelin.
A independant poll carried out by the ISA said
1. ViaMichelin
2. Mappy
3. Microsoft
4. Yahoo
5. Map 24
6. Google
Poll was based on brand, quality, customisation, accuracy, coverage, support, SLA, price, usability, speed, and 17 other criterias including data quality and algorithms .
Google maps for directions in my opinion having searched online is not particulary accurate.
As a developer nothing is included which makes the accuracy very poor and I know there are hundreds of flaws in the google.com solution and the one some developers use (not the experienced ones) as Google is such a weak and inferior product compared to the real Mapping providers, I say this having wasted my time developing a solution using Google which could not compete with Bing, Mappy or indeed as previously endorsed ‘ ViaMichelin’.
Just noticed that Google does not have the ability to validate postcodes. If they were not so convenient to use, I am sure no-one would use Google.