Bing Maps

Bing Maps
Web address www.bing.com/maps
Type of site
 Web mapping service
Virtual globe
Owner Microsoft
Launched December 5, 2010 (2010-12-05)

Bing Maps (previously Live Search Maps, Windows Live Maps, Windows Live Local, and MSN Virtual Earth) is a web mapping service provided as a part of Microsoft's Bing suite of search engines and powered by the Bing Maps for Enterprise framework.

Features

Street maps

Users can browse and search topographically-shaded street maps for many cities worldwide. Maps include certain points of interest built-in, such as metro stations, stadiums, hospitals, and other facilities. It is also possible to browse public user-created points of interest. Searches can cover public collections, businesses or types of business, locations, or people. Five street map views are available: Road View, Aerial View, Bird’s Eye View, StreetSide View, and 3D View.

Road view

Road view is the default map view and displays vector imagery of roads, buildings, and geography. The data from which the default road map is rendered is licensed from Navteq. In certain parts of the world, road view maps from alternative data providers are also available. For example, when viewing a map of London, road data from the Collins Bartholomew London Street Map may be displayed. In all parts of the UK, road data from the Ordnance Survey can also be displayed. A Bing Maps app is available that will display road data from OpenStreetMap.[1]

Aerial view

Aerial view overlays satellite imagery onto the map and highlights roads and major landmarks for easy identification amongst the satellite images. Since end of November 2010, OpenStreetMap mappers are allowed to use imagery of Bing Aerial as backdrop.[2]
At the end of January 2012, both Bing Aerial and Birds Eye View imagery at military bases in Germany became blurred. This was on request of the German government obviously using data of OpenStreetMap.[3]

Bird's-eye view

Bird's-eye view displays aerial imagery captured from low-flying aircraft. Unlike the top-down aerial view captured by satellite, Bird's-eye images are taken at an oblique 45-degree angle, showing the sides and roofs of buildings giving better depth perception for geography. With Bird's Eye views, many details such as signs, advertisements and pedestrians are clearly visible.

Available : ITALY : Avezzano, Caserta(and its palace) Como, Genova, Lavis, Malnate(half),Milano(and its urban area), Napoli,Novara,Palermo, Piacenza,Pompeia(and its archeological ruins), Potenza,Reggio,Roma,Trento,Venice(and much of its region),Varese,Vercelli,Verona( and surrounding area), USA: Los Angeles, San Francisco

Streetside

Bing Maps showing Streetside's view on Tower Bridge
Bing Maps Streetside car with cameras on the roof
Streetside provides 360-degree imagery of street-level scenes taken from special cameras mounted on moving vehicles. Launched in December 2009[4] it contains imagery for selected metro areas in the United States as well as selected areas in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia associated with the 2010 Winter Olympic Games (example: Richmond Olympic Oval). Selected cities in Europe were also made available in May 2012.[5] Before this, German customers were allowed to appeal against integration of their house or flat in Bing Streetside between August and September 2011.[6] According to some officials, the number of appeals was significantly lower than with Google Street View.[7] Only 40,000 requests were sent to Microsoft.

Venue maps

Venue maps provides a way of seeing the layout of the venue. Currently, Bing Maps provides maps & level wise layouts of over 5300 venues across the world.[8]
The categories are: Airports, Amusement Parks, Buildings, Convention Centers, Hospitals, Malls, Museums, Parks, Racecourses, Racetracks, Resorts, Shopping Centers, Shopping Districts, Stadiums, Universities and Zoos.

3D maps

The 3D maps feature allows users to see the environment (e.g. buildings) in 3D, with the added ability to rotate and tilt the angle in addition to panning and zooming. To attempt to achieve near-photorealism, all 3D buildings are textured using composites of aerial photography. To view the 3D maps, users must install a plugin, then enable the "3D" option on "Bing Maps". In addition to exploring the maps using a mouse and keyboard, it is possible to navigate the 3D environment using an Xbox 360 controller or another game controller in Windows 7 , Windows Vista or Windows XP.
More than 60 cities worldwide could be viewed in 3D, including most of the major cities in the United States and a few cities in Canada, the United Kingdom, and France.[9] Some additional cities have had a select few important landmarks modelled in 3D, such as the Colosseum in Rome. Terrain data is available for the entire world. It is also possible to use a 3D modelling program called 3DVIA Shape for Maps to add one's own models to the 3D map. Since 2014, new 3D imagery has been introduced to a number of new cities.[10][11]

Driving, walking, and transit directions

Users can get directions between two or more locations. In September 2010, Bing Maps added public transit directions (bus, subway, and local rail) to its available direction options.[12] Currently transit directions are only available in 11 cities: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newark Metro Area, New York Metro Area, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver BC, and Washington DC.

Map apps

Bing Map Apps is a collection of 1st and 3rd party applications that add additional functionality and content to Bing Maps. Examples of map apps include a parking finder, a taxi fare calculator, an app that maps out Facebook friends, and an app which lets users explore the day's newspaper front pages from around the world. These apps are only accessible through Bing Maps Silverlight. A source code is available on Microsoft Developer Network to explain integration of Maps in Web Applications. A sample ongoing project on locating Blood Donors on Maps is available here.[13]

Traffic information and ClearFlow

Bing Maps shows users current traffic information for major highways and roads. The feature users 4 color codes (black, red, yellow, green) to indicate traffic volume, from heaviest traffic to lightest traffic. Microsoft announced in March 2008 that it will release its latest software technology called "ClearFlow". It is a Web-based service for traffic-based driving directions available on Bing.com in 72 cities across the U.S.[14] The tool took five years for Microsoft’s Artificial Intelligence team to develop. ClearFlow provides real-time traffic data to help drivers avoid traffic congestion. ClearFlow gives information for alternative routes and supplies traffic conditions on city streets adjacent to highways.[15] Clearflow anticipates traffic patterns, while taking into account sporting/arena events, time of day and weather conditions, and then reflects the back ups and their consequential spill over onto city streets. Often, ClearFlow found it may be faster to stay on the highway instead of seeking alternative side street routes, which involve traffic lights and congestion as well.[16]

Sharing and embedding maps

Bing Maps allows users to share maps and embed maps into their websites. By clicking the e-mail icon in the bottom-left corner of Bing Maps, a window will open that displays a shareable URL so others can access the map currently being viewed. This window also provides HTML code to embed a small version of the map onto any web page.

Design

In August 2010, Bing Maps launched an overhauled design for its default view. The new colors create a more visually appealing backdrop for information delivery that helps content ‘pop’ on the map. The backdrop provides clear differentiation for pushpins, labels and red, yellow and green traffic overlays. These design principles also works well in black and white and creates differentiation for those with the most common forms of color blindness. Also, larger fonts correspond to larger roads to help customers more easily identify main roads in cities. More readable labels eliminate the need for bolding and less-attractive glows. The inclusion of neighborhood labels allows users to quickly find or convey locations in a commonly used and highly relevant format.

Other features

People, business, and location search

The search box at the top of Bing Maps can be used to locate places, businesses and landmarks, and people. Search results appear both on a left-side rail and as pushpins on the map (linked together by numbers). Search results often include addresses, contact information, and reviews for businesses and landmarks. For relevant searches, the user will also see a description of the landmark or place (powered by Wikipedia) if a Wikipedia article exists. The search process can also be guided using local directories for numerous categories (restaurants, hotels, tourist attractions, retail stores, etc.).

User contributions

Bing Maps users can also view and add "user contributed" entries to the map. These user-contributions must be toggled on by users. Such items can include businesses, landmarks, buildings, locations, as well as Microsoft Photosynths. Users can browse user-contributions by tags and subscribe to RSS feeds to receive updates of new user-contributions to a specific area.

Dynamic labels

In August 2010, Bing Maps added dynamic labels to its Silverlight experience (bing.com/maps/explore). Turn on the dynamic labels beta from the map style selector on bing.com/maps/explore and the labels become clickable. This allows users to quickly zoom down to a region or location anywhere on the map with just a few clicks. Zooming back out in a single click is also possible by using the ‘breadcrumb’ trail at the top left of the map.

AJAX and Silverlight versions

Bing Maps has two separate versions for users: an AJAX version (located at Bing.com/Maps) and an opt-in Silverlight version (located at Bing.com/Maps/Explore—not available anymore) that requires Microsoft Silverlight to be installed. The Silverlight version is positioned to offer richer, more dynamic features and a smoother experience. In November 2010, the AJAX and Silverlight versions were combined into a semi-hybrid site where Silverlight features such as Map Apps and Streetside could be enabled through the Bing.com/Maps site - these features still required Silverlight to be installed, but does not require use of a separate Bing Maps site.

The AJAX and Silverlight site share the following features: Road View, Aerial View, Bird’s-Eye View, Sharing Maps, People/Business/Location Search, Building Footprints, Driving Directions, Walking Directions.

Silverlight users exclusively can use Map Apps, StreetSide View, Photosynths, and Dynamic Labels.

Map apps

Access

Bing Map Apps are accessed either through the "Map Apps" button in the Bing Maps Explore Bar or through direct perma-links. The Map Apps button is only viewable if the user is in the Bing Maps Silverlight experience or in Windows 8.

Bing map apps

There are a number of map apps that are developed/published by Bing, as indicated by the publisher above the map app’s name in the app gallery. The following are a list of 1st party apps:

2010 Tour de France: Shows Tour de France segments and results Bing Health Maps: Displays various health statistic heat maps for the US Bing Maps World Tour – Explore new imagery for Bing Maps
Businesses by Category: Displays businesses by various categories (Shopping, Food, Travel, etc.) Coin Search: A game to find hidden coins in StreetSide imagery Current Traffic: See traffic levels for major highways and roads
Distance Calculator: Calculate the distance between 2 points in Miles or Kilometers Education Map: See local opportunities to volunteer and mentor kids Food Cart Finder: Find the best food carts to eat at in Portland, OR
foursquare Everysquare: Integrates foursquare checkins and badges to Bing Maps Haiti Earthquake: View before and after photos of Haiti Home Turf Finder: Find places to watch the World Cup based on country
Hotel Finder: Find and learn about hotels Local Events: Learn about local upcoming events Local Lens: Keep up to date with hyperlocal information
StreetSide Photos: Explore cities and landmarks at the StreetSide level using geo-tagged Flickr images Teach Here: Search for local teaching job opportunities Twitter Maps: See real-time updates from geo-tagged tweets
What’s Nearby: See what’s in the neighborhood (restaurants, bars, movie theatres, shopping, etc.) World Cup: Check the latest information on the World Cup WorldWide Telescope: Explore the skies and universe
My Friends: Map out Facebook friends OpenStreetMap: Change the base map to OpenStreetMap

Third-party apps

Bing Map Apps also allows third parties to create and submit map apps. The following are a list of 3rd party map apps:

Destination Maps: Create a custom map to a party or place Everyscape Eats!: Explore 360 degree views of restaurants Gas Prices: See gas prices for nearby gas stations
GeoSalesTax: View a heat map of sales tax rates in the US Global Action Atlas: View ongoing global efforts to help people in need and help the environment DonorsChoose.org: See micro-donation opportunities to help classrooms in need
Oodle Rentals: Find places to rent housing ParkingFinder: Find parking and get parking rates in major cities Random Location: Jump to a random location on the map
Ricky’s Data Viewer: Import shape files and GSS files to view on Bing Maps Roadside Sculptures: See sculptures found on US highways Roadside Attractions: Learn about attractions found along US highways
Seattle Issues: Shows SeeClickFix civil issues in the Seattle area Signs & Billboards: Unique and noteworthy signs and billboards Taxi Fare Calculator: Estimate taxi care costs
Today’s Front Pages: View the front pages of newspapers from around the globe TrafficLand: See traffic cameras across the US Travel Webcams: View webcam feeds at global attractions
Urban Graffiti: Images of graffiti from cities Urban Murals Wall paintings from urban corridors Wcities Events: Find local events
WCities Places Nearby: Find nearby hotels, attractions, venues, and restaurants Weather: See weather conditions and forecasts Wiki Explorer: Explore the 50 most recent entries to Wiki Places
World of Football: See scores of top European soccer teams

Map coverage

Global Ortho Program

In July 2010, Microsoft and DigitalGlobe, a leading global content provider of high-resolution earth imagery solutions, announced the collection of the first imagery from the company's Advanced Ortho Aerial Program. Through a special agreement with Microsoft, the Advanced Ortho Aerial Program will provide wall-to-wall 30 cm aerial coverage of the contiguous United States and Western Europe that DigitalGlobe has the exclusive rights to distribute beyond Bing Maps. The program's first orthophoto mosaics are of Augusta, GA, San Diego, CA and Tampa, FL, and can be viewed on DigitalGlobe's website.

Americas

Country Navteq Coverage Bird’s Eye Map POIs
United States Full Yes Yes
Bahamas Full No Yes
Canada Full Yes Yes
Cayman Islands Full No Yes
Mexico Full No Yes
Puerto Rico Full No Yes
Virgin Islands Full No Yes
Argentina Full No Yes
Brazil Full No Yes
Chile Full No Yes
Colombia Full No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
French Guiana Full No No
Guadeloupe Full No No
Martinique Full No No
Saint Barthelemy Full No No
Venezuela Full No Yes
Anguilla Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Antigua and Barbuda Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Aruba Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Barbados Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Belize Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Bermuda Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Bolivia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Costa Rica Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Cuba Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Dominica Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Dominican Republic Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Ecuador Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
El Salvador Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Greenland Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Grenada Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Guatemala Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Guyana Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Haiti Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Honduras Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Jamaica Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Montserrat Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Netherlands Antilles Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Nicaragua Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Panama Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Paraguay Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Peru Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Saint Kitts and Nevis Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Saint Lucia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
St. Pierre and Miquelon Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Suriname Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Trinidad and Tobago Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Turks and Caicos Islands Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Uruguay Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs

Africa

Country Navteq Coverage Bird’s Eye Map POIs
Algeria Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Angola Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Botswana Full No Yes
Benin Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Burkina Faso Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Burundi Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Cameroon Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Cape Verde Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Central African Republic Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Chad Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Comoros Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Congo Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Côte d'Ivoire Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Djibouti Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Equatorial Guinea Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Eritrea Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Ethiopia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Gabon Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Gambia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Ghana Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Morocco Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Guinea-Bissau Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Kenya Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Liberia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Lesotho Full No Yes
Namibia Full No Yes
Madagascar Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Malawi Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Mali Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Mauritania Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Mauritius Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Mayotte Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Mozambique Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Niger Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Nigeria Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Rwanda Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
São Tomé and Príncipe Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Senegal Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Seychelles Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Sierra Leone Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Somalia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
South Africa Full No Yes
St. Helena Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Sudan Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Swaziland Full No Yes
Tanzania, United Republic of Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Togo Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Tunisia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Uganda Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Western Sahara Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Zambia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Zimbabwe Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs

Europe

Country Navteq Coverage Bird’s Eye Map POIs
Andorra Full No Yes
Austria Full Yes Yes
Belgium Full Yes Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Croatia Full No Yes
Czech Republic Full No Yes
Denmark Full Yes Yes
Estonia Full Yes Yes
Finland Full Yes Yes
France Full Yes Yes
Germany Full Yes Yes
Gibraltar Full No Yes
Greece Full Yes Yes
Guernsey Full No Yes
Hungary Full No Yes
Ireland Full Yes Yes
Isle of Man Full No Yes
Italy Full Yes Yes
Jersey Full No Yes
Latvia Full Yes Yes
Liechtenstein Full No Yes
Lithuania Full Yes Yes
Luxembourg Full Yes Yes
Monaco Full Yes Yes
Netherlands Full Yes Yes
Norway Full Yes Yes
Poland Full Yes Yes
Portugal Full Yes Yes
Russian Federation Full No Yes
San Marino Full Yes Yes
Slovakia Full No Yes
Slovenia Full No Yes
Spain Full Yes Yes
Sweden Full Yes Yes
Switzerland Full Yes Yes
Turkey Full No Yes
United Kingdom Full Yes Yes
Vatican City State Full Yes Yes
Albania Full No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Belarus Full No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Bosnia and Herzegowina Full No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Bulgaria Full No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Iceland Full No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Macedonia Full No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Moldova, Republic of Full No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Montenegro Full No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Romania Full Yes Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Serbia Full Yes Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Azerbaijan Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Faroe Islands Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Georgia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Armenia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Cyprus Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Malta Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Ukraine Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs

Asia / Oceania

Country Navteq Coverage Bird’s Eye Map POIs
Brunei Full No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Japan Full Yes Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Afghanistan Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
American Samoa Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Bangladesh Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Bhutan Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Cambodia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
China Limited No No
Cook Islands Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Fiji Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
French Polynesia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Guam Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Kiribati Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Kyrgyzstan Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Lao People's Democratic Republic Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Maldives Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Marshall Islands Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Micronesia, Federated States of Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Mongolia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Myanmar Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Nauru Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Nepal Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
New Caledonia Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Niue Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Norfolk Island Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
North Korea Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Northern Mariana Islands Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Pakistan Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Palau Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Papua New Guinea Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Philippines Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Solomon Islands Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
South Korea Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Sri Lanka Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Tajikistan Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Timor-Leste Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Tonga Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Turkmenistan Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Tuvalu Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Uzbekistan Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Vanuatu Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Vietnam Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Wallis and Futuna Islands Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Australia Full Yes Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Hong Kong Limited No Yes
India Full Yes Yes
Indonesia Limited No Yes
Macau Limited No Yes
Malaysia Limited No Yes
New Zealand Limited No Yes
Singapore Limited No Yes
Taiwan Limited No Yes
Thailand Limited No Yes

Middle East

Country Navteq Coverage Bird’s Eye Map POIs
Bahrain Full No Yes
Kuwait Full No Yes
Oman Full No Yes
Qatar Full No Yes
Saudi Arabia Full No Yes
United Arab Emirates Full No Yes
Iran Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Iraq Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Israel Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Lebanon Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Syria Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Yemen Limited No Named Places & Transportation Hubs
Jordan Full No No
Reunion Full No No
Egypt Limited No No

History

Bing Maps was based on existing Microsoft technologies such as Microsoft MapPoint, and TerraServer. The original version lacked many of its distinguishing features, including birds' eye view and 3D maps, and the Collections functionality was limited to a single "Scratchpad" of points of interest. Upon its release in December 2005, Windows Live Local became the public face of the Virtual Earth platform. On November 6, 2006, Microsoft added the ability to view the maps in 3D using a .NET managed control and managed interfaces to Direct3D. Microsoft subsequently referred to this product officially as "Live Search Maps", integrating it as part of its Live Search services. On June 3, 2009, Microsoft officially rebranded Live Search Maps as Bing Maps, and the Virtual Earth platform as Bing Maps for Enterprise.

Currently, Bing Maps uses HERE (formerly Navteq) for part of its mapping system

Updates

Imagery updates

Bing maps frequently update and expand the geographic areas covered by their imagery, with new updates being released on roughly a monthly basis. Each imagery release typically contains more than 10TB of imagery.

However, the necessary time-lapse before images are updated means that aerial and Bird's-Eye images for a particular location can sometimes be several years out-of-date. This is particularly noticeable in locations that have undergone rapid recent development or experienced other dramatic changes since the imagery was taken, such as areas affected by natural disasters.

Compatibility

Microsoft states that Bing Maps needs the following environment:[17]

Compatible browsers include Windows Internet Explorer 6 or later, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 or later, or Safari 3.1 or later.[18] Opera is stated to be usable "with some functionality limitations".[19] Users of browsers that are not considered compatible, as well as users of versions of compatible browsers that are not supported, will be directed away from viewing the map without an error message.

The 3D Maps viewer plug-in requires Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 with Internet Explorer 6/7/8 or Firefox 1.5/2.0/3.0.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bing.com
  2. ↑ Details for Microsoft imagery usage with OpenStreetMap on opengeodata.org
  3. ↑ Comparing blurred regions of Bing imagery with polygons of military landuses from OpenStreetMap-data plus some details at the OSM Wiki.
  4. ↑ Bing Maps Rolls Out Enhanced Aerial and Street-Level Views
  5. ↑ "New Bird’s Eye Imagery & Streetside Coverage on Bing Maps!". Bing Maps Blog. Microsoft. May 8, 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  6. ↑ Bing StreetSide: Appeal is possible until end of September, Netzwelt, retrieved September 12, 2011
  7. ↑ Only 40,000 Appeals for Bing Steetside, Netzwelt, August 28, 2011 (german)
  8. ↑ "Bing Maps Publishes Equivalent of 100,000 DVD’s of Bird’s Eye Imagery - Maps Blog". Bing.com. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  9. ↑ List of 3D cities
  10. ↑ http://searchengineland.com/bing-maps-shows-super-bowl-spirit-new-venue-map-streetside-hi-res-venue-imagery-213827
  11. ↑ http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/20/microsoft-goes-after-google-with-bing-maps-update-94-new-cities-get-street-view-3d-maps/
  12. ↑ Bing.com
  13. ↑ ASP.NET MVC 4 with Bing Maps in C# for Visual Studio 2010. Code.msdn.microsoft.com (2012-05-22). Retrieved on 2013-07-21.
  14. ↑ Bing Maps
  15. ↑ Markoff, John (2008-04-10). "Microsoft Introduces Tool for Avoiding Traffic Jams". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  16. ↑ Glazowski, Paul (2008-04-10). "Microsoft Implements 'Clearflow' Traffic Artificial Intelligence in Live Maps". Marshable Social Networking News. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  17. ↑ Onlinehelp.microsoft.com
  18. ↑ Virtual Earth / Live Maps: Safari and iPhone get the Birds Eye Treatment
  19. ↑ Microsoft.com
  20. ↑ System requirements for Virtual Earth 3D (Beta)

External links

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