Google Maps - the Basics

Whether you just need directions, or whether you need a satellite image, Google Maps can help. It's easy.

Google Maps can be used to find a particular address or place of interest on the map. It can also be used to get directions from A to B on the map. Directions are returned in the form of a line on the map and in text directions (for example, "turn right at Hwy. 150").

Google Maps has a number of useful features. Live traffic maps on Google show traffic flows for a given area. Google Maps has a photo feature that shows photos of a particular place. It has a video feature that shows videos of a particular place.

Google Maps has a Wikipedia feature that shows entries in the Wikipedia online encyclopedia for a particular place. It also has a webcam feature. The video feature shows satellite photos of a particular place.

Using the satellite feature of Google Maps, a user can zoom in on a particular address from satellite photos. The terrain map of Google Maps shows features like rivers, lakes and hills. That's the type of technology that certainly wasn't widely available twenty years ago.

With Google Maps users can print maps, send them to others via email, or link them to other websites. In the Google Maps feature, there is a selection of search options: "all results", "businesses", "locations", "user-created content", "related maps", "mapped web pages", and "real estate". People can also create and add their own maps to Google Maps. That means they can add text, photos and videos to the map feature. Google provides a map editing guide and an editor for editing maps.

Google Maps competes with other websites like Mapquest.com.

One of the fun things that can be done with Google Maps and Picasa is to arrange photos - for instance, of a vacation - on a Google Map.

Geotags can be added to photos so that others can know where the picture was taken. The geotag option is useful for creating tour maps. Using Geotags is easy. First select the photos; then click "Places"; find the location on the map; click the marker button to add a place for the photo; move the marker to the right spot on the map; click OK. It's that simple.