After a period where progress seemed to have stopped, web-based map services are heating up again. Here are some recent developments:
Google is expanding it’s travel-related services with a new interface to search for hotels and see their location at the same time:
Google’s Hotel Finder (not to be confused with HotelFinder.com) can find the ideal accommodation for a particular user based on a few different priorities, such as location and budget. For example, when searching for where to stay, the user can draw shapes around neighborhoods using a mouse rather than searching by individual addresses.
Full read: Google Experiments With Hotel Finder Search Tool
Access: Google Hotel Finder
Microsoft adds maps for 400 shopping malls in the U.S. in the mobile version of Bing Maps:
Microsoft’s innovative but too-unloved mobile map search service announced today that it has added floor plan maps for 400 shopping malls to m.bing.com.
Full read: Bing Mall Maps and the Future of Mobile Retail
More Google: tube directions for London!
Google made the announcement earlier today, and the 1bn+ passengers that use Transport for London (TfL) services each year, covering 18,000 bus stops and 250+ Underground stations, can now obtain transport options as well as navigate the streets – entirely within Google Maps.
Full read: Google Maps now gives public transport directions in London
More UK: an excellent G.I.S. application, showing property values for the UK
Zoopla, a UK property search and information website, has today launched heatmaps, which show the average current value of homes across the UK in an easy-to-visualize format
Full read: Heatmaps let Zoopla users see average house prices across the UK
Access: Zoopla
Got any other examples?
Tags: Bing, Google Hotel Finder, Google Maps, maps, Zoopla
