BlogFollowing the large Bird’s Eye View imagery update a few days ago, Microsoft has also announced a big feature update to Live Search Maps. This is their largest update since it was first released in 2005.
Cool new features:
* Updated interface. The new interface is freshened and better organized. Try it out!
* Automatic routing around traffic. Did you know that many cities show real-time traffic data? Live Search Maps can now have your turn-by-turn directions avoid traffic jams.
* Data importing from GeoRSS, GPX and KML. You can import these XML-based files (such as KML exports from VGT) into a Live Search Collection.
Also, if you have a URL to one of these files, you can have Live Search Maps plot it directly: http://maps.live.com/?mapurl=UrlOfKML
Such as this link to VGT’s solar power stations plotted directly into Live Search Maps.
* 1-click directions. Hosting a party? You can send out a permalink for your destination, and Live Search Maps will give your attendees directions for getting there from other parts of town.
* Bird’s Eye navigation in 3D. This is really cool. Live Search Maps lets you see the amazing Birds Eye imagery in the Microsoft’s 3D browser. See an example here.
* Tour collections in 3D. You can tag maps in your collection with a preferred viewing angle and animation delay, so visitors can see a “fly-by” view of your collection.
* Collection search and exploration. You can now search for collections, or explore existing collections on the map.
