Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:00 PM

One of my favorite quotes is by American anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

We can each play an active role in changing the world for the better by preserving areas we care about. The Nature Conservancy has just made it easier with their Adopt-an-Acre program. They’ve updated their mapping tool today as the result of a Google Earth Outreach Developer Grant, which offers funding to organizations that create clever, cutting-edge applications using Google mapping technologies.

One of the solutions for widespread habitat loss is to acquire large plots of land for conservation. Since 1991, the Adopt-an-Acre program has protected more than 600,000 acres spanning from North America to Africa and Australia, even protecting offshore areas critical for delicate coral reefs and humpback breeding grounds.

Adopt an acre through the Nature Conservancy

There are two featured areas that allow you to adopt a specific acre, the Nash Prairie Preserve in Texas and the Warm Springs Mountain Preserve in Virginia. Simply fly to ground level on the embedded Google Map and choose your acre. You can also select your plot through Google Earth by clicking on the “View in Google Earth” link. This map enables any interested individual to make a pledge and help restore an acre of land to its pristine state.

The Nash Prairie Preserve in Texas is a beautiful and vital tall prairie grassland. These prairies used to cover wide expanses in the Bottomlands region of coastal Texas, but these areas have been reduced due to metropolitan encroachment. More than 120 bird species and 300 plant species thrive in this disappearing ecosystem, which you can help protect.

The Warm Springs Mountain Preserve in Virginia is the other area within a 77,000 acre wildlife corridor where you can adopt a specific acre. If you have a connection to the Allegheny Mountains in Virginia, or if you are passionate about preserving species like the interior dwelling songbird, you can choose from a variety of landscapes, pristine rivers and mountain forests to conserve.

Best of all, you can adopt an acre in the name of a loved one or as a gift to someone else. Their name will appear on the map alongside others who have entered their names in support of preserving our wild America.

Learn more about what nonprofits have done with mapping technologies on the Google Earth Outreach website.

Posted by Tanya Birch, Google Earth Outreach

Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 9:00 AM

First kisses, last kisses and all those kisses in between... here’s your chance to kiss and tell!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Canada Kiss Map is a Google Maps API powered application that enables users to share the stories and locations of their most memorable smooches.

from www.torontokissmap.com

Creator Chris Kay Fraser teaches creative writing and moonlights as an independent Maps API developer. She views this clever use of the Google Maps API as an opportunity for Canadians to share their romantic tales. All entries are anonymous and must be 500 characters or less.

Fraser launched a smaller scale version of the project in the summer called the Toronto Kiss Map which already has thousands of entries. As Fraser told the Canadian Press, “people have responded in incredible ways.”

Check it out for yourself, and Happy Valentine’s Day to all our users - in Canada and around the world!

Posted by Aaron Brindle, Google Canada

If you’re anything like me, you might use Google Maps to look up the same places and directions more than once, like the location of your hotel while you’re on vacation, or directions to a friend’s house that you’ve visited before. When you’re signed in to your Google account, the My Places tab on Google Maps makes it easy to find starred locations, places you’ve rated and checked-in, saved Custom Maps, and even past local searches.

Now, when you visit My Places, you’ll see directions you’ve recently looked up appear on the panel to the left of the map. You can also filter the results to access only these previous directions from the ‘More’ tab.



This historical archive of directions results makes it quicker and easier to continue planning later. For example, if you have a few minutes to spare during the day and use your work computer to search for directions from your house to the restaurant where you’re meeting friends for dinner, you can easily access those same directions from your home computer via My Places once you’re ready to head out. We’ll even remember when you’ve customized your directions by dragging the blue line to your preferred path, and show that you route again.

These past directions and places will only appear for signed-in users who enable Web History. And like other items in My Places, it’s simple to remove any of the locations or directions via the drop-down arrow next to each item.

Whenever you need to access or organize your important places and directions, just visit Google Maps and click on the My Places button to get started.

Update (2/15): Sorry for the delay, but the new feature for viewing saved directions in My Places will be available soon. We'll update this post again when the feature is live.

Update (2/18):  The feature is now live on Google Maps. Thank you for your patience!

Posted by Tatsuo Nomura, Software Engineer, Google Maps

Monday, February 13, 2012 at 12:00 PM

Have you ever wished you knew the most direct route from your dormitory to your geography class across campus? Do you want a great way to help your roommate finally discover the library before midterms? Now is the perfect time to form a team and ensure that your university map is up to date using Google Map Maker. Today we’re kicking off the first ever Map your University 2012 competition for the United States and Canada!

From February 13th until March 9th, 2012, Google invites students studying in the United States and Canada to become local experts by updating and adding detail to their campus maps for viewing in Google Maps and Google Earth. Adding everything from walking paths to university buildings to local businesses will help students and visitors alike when trekking across your college grounds. Winning teams will be selected based on the thoroughness and accuracy of mapping in and around campus, and a brief personal statement. Fabulous prizes include Android tablets and phones, GPS devices, Google Map Maker messenger bags, t-shirts, and more!


Many university students around the world are already hard at work mapping their schools. UC Berkeley, pictured above, was among 18 universities that participated in the 2011 US Map Maker Roadshow, as was Lehman College, where students mapped almost their entire campus in one day! Over 700 attendees across the country participated in hands-on mapping workshops and mini-competitions with the help of Google’s Student Ambassador Program.

Now it’s your chance to make your university shine for all the world to see on Google Maps and Google Earth. For more information about how this powerful tool works, rules and registration, be sure to visit the contest homepage. The winning team will be announced in early April. Good luck, and happy mapping!

Posted by Catherine Moats, Community Manager, Google Map Maker

(Cross posted on the Official Google Blog)

A few months ago we shared an engagement story about a Google engineer who used Google Maps to help coordinate an elaborate proposal to his girlfriend. It served as a great example of how Google Maps can be more than just a handy tool for directions; it can help connect you to the places and people you love.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we were once again reminded of the unifying power of maps through our ongoing work with one of America’s most famous malls, Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. We recently collaborated with Mall of America to conveniently bring its indoor floor plans and My Location information to Android mobile users. As the largest indoor retail space in the United States—complete with a theme park and aquarium—finding your way around Mall of America can be challenging. So we mapped it, enabling you to quickly and easily see where you are and what’s around you from the palm of your hand.

Check out the video below to see how the enormous Mall of America can be scaled down to a romantic setting for two.

Whether it’s through a customized scavenger hunt, search results for a local store with the perfect gift or the best directions to get to your date on time, we hope Google Maps helps you navigate your way to a wonderful Valentine’s Day.

Posted by David Kim, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Millions of people use Google Earth to explore exotic islands, re-visit their childhood homes, and scout out day hikes. Are you one of them? If so, why not share your virtual travel with friends and family?

With the recent release of Google Earth 6.2, you can easily share screenshots of your explorations with the people in your Google+ circles. Give it a try: just open Google Earth, sign in to your Google account via the button on the top right, and click “Share” to send a snapshot of your 3D view to your Google+ stream. Watch how easy it is to share:


We’ve already seen fantastic Google Earth land and cityscapes shared on Google+, not to mention solar systems, ocean topography, Street View scenes, weather forecasts, gigapixel photography and more. If you can find it in Google Earth, you can share it on Google+.


And if you’re looking to engage with like-minded cartographers, add the new Google Earth +Page to your Google+ circles and share your own Google Earth snapshots with us. Use the hashtag #GoogleEarthSnapshot in your image description and we could include your photo in a community album on Google+!

There’s a world full of geo enthusiasts out there, so check our Google+ page often to share in the exploration.

Posted by Mark Harrison, Community Manager

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 4:22 PM

Our February update of 45° aerials contains imagery of 15 U.S. and 7 international locations in Google Maps.

Heidelberg is a university town in southwestern Germany, located at the Neckar river. A former residence of the Electoral Palatinate, Heidelberg is popular among travellers for its historic city center and castle ruins of red sandstone in a mix of architectural styles. Having been around for more than 600 years, the University of Heidelberg is one of Europe’s oldest institutions of higher education.

View Larger Map

San Sebastián (Donostia in Basque) is a Spanish town located on the northern Iberian Peninsula along a bay that’s shaped like a seashell. The San Sebastián International Film Festival has given the town international renown.

[ http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en
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Carmel-by-the-Sea, situated along Highway 1 in California’s Monterey County, is famous for the Spanish Mission founded there in 1770. Its mild climate and the variety of nature and wildlife that can be experienced on the famous 17-Mile Drive around Monterey Peninsula make it popular among artists and tourists alike.

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Located along the estuaries of the RÃo de la Plata, Buenos Aires is the largest city in Argentina and the second largest metropolitan area in all of South America. Founded in 1536, the city is recognized for its eclectic Italian and Spanish-influenced architecture and rich cultural life.

[ http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en
View Larger Map

Have fun exploring the new sites!

Here is a list of updated cities:

US:
Charleston-Folly Beach, SC; Lee’s Summit, KS; Lexington, SC; Magna (Salt Lake City), UT; North Charleston, SC; Pine Island Center, FL; Plymouth, MN; Salinas CA; Santa Rosa, CA; Shawnee, KS; South Hill, WA; Spanish Springs, NV; Killeen, TX; Decatur, AL

Europe:
Torrelavega, Spain; Pamplona, Spain; San Sebastian, Spain; Bailen, Spain; Rolle, Switzerland; Ponferrada, Spain; Wachtberg, Germany; Weinheim, Germany

South America:
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Posted by Bernd Steinert, Geo Data Specialist