6 Interactive Things You Can Do With Google Maps

When most people use Google Maps, they use it to get from their house to some destination they have never been to before. But Google Maps is actually a powerful educational tool that can teach you a lot about the world around you. Spend some time exploring Google Maps and see what kinds of unique features you can find.

Display Locations in 3-D

If you press the “3" or “t” keys while in Google Maps, it will take on the familiar blue and red hue of a 3-D image. There are special glasses you can get from Google which will allow you to see all of the images in 3-D. The depth of the images may not change whether or not you can find your destination, but it looks very cool.

You Are Here

If you look at the bottom of the Google Maps page on your browser, you will see a feature that not many people know about. It is an identifier button that will put a “you are here” marker on your screen. By using GPS and IP functions, Google Maps can get a very close approximation of your location.

Dynamic Route Sharing

Google Maps allows you to create dynamic links of the places you have been and the routes you have taken. These links can be shared with your friends to help the find you when you are meeting out for the night, or determine where you could have gone wrong when you were trying to follow someone’s directions.

Photo Tagging

When you are using your smartphone to take pictures of the places you have been, Google Maps can tag those pictures with the proper location the moment that you take them. This can help you to organize your photos easier and it also helps when uploading pictures to your social media pages. This feature should work even when you automatically upload your images to your T-mobile smartphone’s sim card.

Maps of Underground Tunnels

Google Maps shows you just about every above ground road in the world and it is also starting to collect information on underground tunnels as well. For now, people can see some of the caverns of the Amazon rain forests and the underground Akiyoshi-do Caves of Japan. Google is currently expanding its library of underground images.

Navigating a New City

Google Maps has the intuitive search feature that Google is famous for, which means that Google Maps is able to create walking routes for you to explore whenever you are in a new city. This feature will start with the hotel you are staying at and then develop walking directions to what Google perceives to be your favorite restaurants and tourist spots. You can customize these routes by giving Google actual search criteria to use as opposed to a vague history of past searches.

Google Maps is the app that many people choose to help them get from one place to the next. But, as with most Google products, there is more than meets the eye with Maps. When you take the time to discover all that Google Maps can do for you, it is easy to see why this can be such an invaluable travel companion.

Image via Flickr by heiwa4126