Google Maps

For all you mapping fans out there, Google has unveiled their own map application called Google Maps that's similar to Mapquest, Yahoo Maps, MSN Maps, etc.  My initial impression is that it's very good, but still needs a bit of work.  Then again, like most of these new Google sites, it is in "beta" and will probably remain there for at least a couple of years!

Pros: 

• Excellent, large display.  This is a larger overall display than any other of the map applications on the web that I've seen.  This means that you can get a huge amount of viewable map detail on the screen at one time.  You can always make the map smaller by just resizing your browser window, or make it even bigger by telling your browser to display full-screen.
• Nice clear vector graphics.  I'm not sure if this is flash or what, but the effect is very slick.  No jagged lines, so everything is smooth.
• Great navigation.  Not only can you click on the navigational buttons to move the map position, soom in or out, etc, but you can also do this via the keyboard.  Besides, that, you can even drag the map around with your mouse, a feature I've only seen before on map applications like Delorme's Street Atlas USA.
• Searching for points of interest, stores, or addresses.  Very fast and puts very clear thumbtack-like graphics that you can click on to get a balloon popup that gives you more info.
• Speed.  I suppose this may have to do with your computer and/or browser, but I found it incredibly fast.  Part of this is in that it doesn't have to reload the entire screen, just the part that shows the map – or even just a part of the map that may change.  This speed ads a suprising amount to the interface.  Speed always makes things easier to use, but it's not until you actually experience it in such a away that it hits you by how much!

Cons:

• While this may be an advantage in some eyes, the simplicity of the interface for an advanced users may be limiting for some.
• No distance legend.  Not the biggest inconvenience, but it sure would be helpful to be able to estimate how far it might be from one place to another without having to actually plug in directions from exact points.
• It's a bit more intuitive to zoom by clicking on a point, but this doesn't work in Google maps.
• No way to capture an image of a map.  This may have to do with the vector graphics and having to convert that to a bitmap image, but it would be nice to be able to grab an image to post on one's site without having to do a manual screen capture.
• Freaking out.  There's a weird problem I discovered when trying to zoom in too far in a spot on Nova Scotia where I guess there aren't maps that go down far enough.  The screen kind of freaks out.  You can immediately zoom back up and be fine, but the effect is a bit buggy.  I'm sure this will be fixed in due course.
• No memory.  It would be awfully nice to have Google Maps remember specific places.  On Yahoo! Yellow Pages (and Yahoo Maps), you can set specific places, so for example, I can set my home address and work address and when looking something up, I can very quickly specify directions from one of these memorized places.  In Google maps, you have to keep typing in the same address without it memorizing it. 
• NavTeq data.  Not sure if this is really a valid con, because all the web map apps use the data from this company.  While most of the data is probably fine, I have a pet peave because they actually get the addresses on my block wrong, putting our house a block east of where it should be.  I alerted them to this back last summer and they said it would be changed by their next update, but it's now been at least six months, and with the way development happens today, six months with no update seems a bit long…

All in all, I would still say that Google Maps will probably satisfy most people's need for maps and directions.  The interface is great, and I'm certain will only improve as time goes on.  While there's a lot of advanced directional functionality (like waypoints, etc.) that are still only available on stand-alone retail software packages, it's definitely the best of the current crop of major mapping sites I've seen in terms of its usability.

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