Water is wet and readers prefer Google Maps
Online maps it is not the most riveting subject, but still interesting. I too use Google Maps as my online mapping service. It is not always accurate; Google never did figure our the 2 year closure of I-64 while other mapping services offered alternate routes. I assumed most everyone used Google Maps but I didn’t realize to what extent:
- Google Maps 113 [76%]
- MapQuest 25 [17%]
- Other answer… 5 [3%]
- Yahoo Maps 4 [3%]
- MSN Maps 1 [1%]
- I don’t map directions online. 1 [1%]
Four other answers were Bing Maps and one was the iPhone map, which is Google-based. I had to look up #2 MapQuest to see who owned it: AOL. I was never on AOL so that would explain why I never got hooked on their maps.
Competition is a good thing so hopefully other map services will keep Google on their game. During the week the poll was conducted Google Maps made a big new addition:
“Google Maps started life in 2005 offering directions for drivers, added transit routes in 2007, expanded to pedestrian navigation in 2008 — and now it covers bicycles, too.” [Washington Post]
This service will need improvement but I’m very pleased to see the addition. Happy mapping!
– Steve Patterson
I'm one of the Mapquest users, mostly because they were around before Google maps (guess I'm a creature of habit). And being a bit of a map geek, here are a couple of other good sites (just not for getting directions): http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/ and http://msrmaps.com/Default.aspx
As JZ71 alluded to, Google actually came late to the mapping game, although they are the clear leader now. MapQuest was the first that I remember, and Yahoo also had maps before Google.
I'm a fan of Google maps. A street in our neighborhood is closed at one end, but has pedestrian access. Google maps was not recognizing that. As a result, there were convoluted instruction for transit. I recently posted a correction and in less than a month it was made.
Mapquest was the only good map site before Google Maps. I never realized it was bought by AOL. Google just became more convenient.
I remember Google Maps directing people around the western half of the 40/64 closure. The map didn't explicitly show that the route was closed. But it wouldn't give directions using the closed section of the highway. I can't speak to the second half of the project since I was no longer in St. Louis at that time.