subject: Google Maps Charge Road Hardship [print this page] To provide users with online maps, some enterprises have gradually given up on Google Maps, in favor of less familiar with the service. Released seven years ago, Google has become the virtue of street maps, satellite photos and street pictures online map leading enterprises, replacing AOL's MapQuest pioneers such. According to U.S. Internet traffic monitoring firm comScore data, in February this year, the dell precision m2300 battery nation's total of 91.7 million online map users, of which 71% use Google Maps. However, there are indications that Google's dominant position is being threatened - perhaps from some of the company's own move.
Many sites will be integrated into Google Maps in their own web pages, such as real estate location or terrain information. Google has already begun for the largest collection of service charges prior to the annual maximum of up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Google announced in October last year, if the daily Map Views of a quarter of small sites over 25,000 times, Google has its charges. This change has sparked opposition from many independent Web developers, Google promotion, these developers contributed.
"If your site is just on the map plus the contents of some of the pizza shop, it does not matter if your brand is expanded around the map service, will be a great impact." dell inspiron e1705 AC adapter Positioning data provider the WeoGeo executives, James Fee said, "Google said the few affected users, but I heard that rely on the map business companies, the impact rate is about 30-40% per month may have a cost of tens of thousands of dollars."
The end of February, social media, location-based services Foursquare map ISP of the site will be changed from Google Maps to the OpenStreetMap, which is a user contribution to the map service, and very similar to the creation and management models of the Wikipedia. Foursquare said in a blog post, the reason for taking this hp compaq business notebook 6710s battery measure, from Google's prices. The new iPhoto application for the Apple iPhone and iPad also uses OpenStreetMap data, but Apple's other products are still using a lot of map data sources, especially Google. Real estate search engine Nestoria, also said to give up Google, because the price to switch to the OpenStreetMap.
According to comScore data, the OpenStreetMap traffic is also very small. Google Maps users in February this year, 65 million, an increase of 16%. Second MapQuest for 35 million, down 13 percent. Microsoft will be to map user total 900 million, an increase of 18%. Foursquare, and other enterprises participation, however, seems to improve OpenStreetMap's quality map data contributors is also mobilized. "We would like to take a lot of attention." Said the OpenStreetMap founder Steve Coast is. He said that the company's registered users has reached 500,000.
Coast is still leading the OpenStreetMap, but he was 16 months before joining Microsoft, which seems to be hoping to counter Google's dominant position through support for OpenStreetMap. Although he refused to disclose the specific work will be the map, but industry sources, he is developing an open source software, easy for developers to use the OpenStreetMap. (Foursquare, through a company called MapBox middlemen to obtain a map of the company.) Google has OpenStreetMap donating funds to help its meetings and purchase of hardware hp pavilion dv9000 AC adapter, but Microsoft for the project, contributed a valuable map data.
Google seems to want to fight back. On Tuesday, the supply company launched two new websites, and want to encourage all levels of developers use the company's mapping application, the development of geographic location-based services and mobile applications. One of the site provides easy-to-use guide to another site lists a series of pictures show the developer to use Google Maps to create a variety of products.
Google declined to be interviewed on the map service. Via e-mail, the company spokesman Sean Carlson said that this pricing "in order to encourage responsible use of map data and ensure its long-term future, while ensuring that the vast majority of developers will not be affected". He also added that, since the pricing measures announced Google Maps traffic and use of the service's website continues to grow. In addition to charging practices have been resisted and open camcorder battery source alternatives, Google has other concerns. With more and more people use the Internet via mobile devices, location-based services has become an important part of many large Internet companies, all of the industry giants to invest more resources to the map.
According to comScore data, in January of this year, 52 million Americans through the smart phone to access the map, an increase of 67%. Google is dominant in this area share of 67%, but the market is still very young. Foursquare is still mobile applications using Google Maps, but one of the company's executives said, this situation may change. Google is no longer just provide basic navigation information also map the introduction of the internal picture of the shopping center and airport. Microsoft is building a map service can even mark the height of the building and displayed according to the information on the social networking outlets door on the first floor is lined up in a long queue.
"We are entering a location information is ubiquitous era, with the help of users and independent sources of data, we can better describe the physical world." Stefan Weitz, say, business, senior director of Microsoft's search will be. Bing maps is a branch will be the search business. Horowitz said that although the map is relatively remain static, but by changing the time and environmental data, and personal preferences, can each site be supplemented.
Nokia last year spent $ 8.1 billion acquisition of map company NAVTEQ, the company is currently developing a map-based mobile application, you can inform the user when to leave the room to catch the train. Such applications need to see the user's schedule, the conventional path of the train was late, time and user alerts, hp probook 4510s AC adapter and then should set off a few minutes before. Microsoft and Nokia to jointly develop mobile applications, has also recently introduced a number of tools for software developers, for Windows operating system development map.
To start with Apple's business gradually around the iPhone and iPad The company has also acquired several map-related enterprises, including Poly9 and C3, the former is small but has developed a powerful 3D map, the latter to the 3D model Find a city street. Apple has also acquired Placebase restaurant ratings and other third-party data into the map. But Apple has yet to integrate these services enough to contend with Google for a stand-alone product.
Even in the business map 42 years of development experience in the Environmental Systems Research Institute, also joined the race. The annual total of $ 1.2 billion sale to government agencies, retailers and public utility companies mapping software, they will next month launch a service that allows users to spend money to access the maps submitted by its customers. They hope to outside developers a variety of new data can be superimposed on the map, to provide services for computer and mobile phone users.
"People will be submitted to and share hundreds of millions of copies of the map," says Jack Dangermond dell inspiron 1521 battery, founder and president of the Environmental Systems Research Institute. But he also acknowledged that in little opportunity of overnight leader in the industry. "I do this trip for many years," he said, "the Internet has made it all alive, the new cartography and geographic thinking cool."
