Tag: Maps

Google found my backyard

So, Google Maps still hasn’t updated my street on their site. Not sure why, perhaps the developers haven’t officially turned the roads over to the city yet. Who knows – but you can at least see our backyard now thanks to Google Street view (which covers most of the US now!! WOW!).


View Larger Map

UPDATE :: and here’s the house I grew up in…


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There used to be an amazing Cottonwood tree in the front (where all the grass is gone.) and the house used to be painted red and white.

and here’s the house my mom and her sister grew up in ::


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all the brick work is new and the front door used to be between the two windows. the trees over to the right of the house is where me and my friends used to build forts and such.

Google releases Street View Dallas

Google released Street View for Dallas today.
Awesome. I now have another way to completely waste my time.
For those of you outside the Dallas area (or even inside Dallas) here are some interesting sites for you.

Dealey Plaza
where President John F. Kennedy was shot (the school book depository is to the right)
view

DCCCD Admin building
my new office
view

Reunion Tower
the famous Dallas ball
view

I’ll post some more as I get a chance to search for them.

Govt. officials hope to block access to maps

As someone who works with GIS in my job, this story in particular caught my attention this morning.
It seems that some local and state entities around the country are trying to block the publics access to GIS maps, siting security reasons.
From NPR:

With Google Earth and GPS, people have grown accustomed to online maps of whatever they’re searching for. But the boom in digital mapping has run into an obstacle. Some government officials are refusing to release electronic maps of what they call “critical infrastructure,” such as water mains and fire hydrants.

There’s so much great information out there to help the general user/member of the public yet there are those in power who are doing all they can to hold on to that information and squash the open sharing of knowledge. Frustrating to say the least.
If I could only get my GIS information to convert to the correct file formats for my GPS unit we’d really be in business – but that may still be a ways off.
Listen to the full story online

Mapping my childhood

Microsoft has updated their Live Local site.

It’s super cool.

Depending on the area you can get good arial photos of areas.

I’ve mapped out some of the memories of my childhood if you click the link. I’ll have to do numerous more to get everything, but this is a fun start.

Lots of fun.

What would you map out? Give it a try.

UPDATE: local.live.com must not have been that great — it’s gone — that or merged into Bing.com Maps.