The Ultimate Guide To Google Maps

Sold to
faraon.aknaton@ymail.com
The Ultimate Guide to Google Mpas
Copyright © 2015 Guiding Tech
All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the
publisher.
This book is not affiliated with any firm or company mentioned in the book, and
all trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This book expresses the author’s views and opinions. The information contained
in this book is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties. The
author of this book or Guiding Tech or the resellers or distributors of this book
will not be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused either
directly or indirectly by this book.
1 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

Contents
The Basics: Google Maps on the Web ..................................................................... 3
iOS and Android Apps ............................................................................................ 14
Be Your Own Map Maker: Create Your Own Maps and Give Back to the
Community ............................................................................................................. 28
6 Awesome Things You Didn’t Know Google Maps Could Do ............................38

The Basics:
Google Maps on the Web

Getting to Know the Web UI
If you’ve not updated to the modern Maps on the web, make sure you do. When
you arrive on the website, it will look something like this:
Most of the screen will be taken up by the map itself. If the website can access
your location, it will show the map for your location.
On the top-left corner you’ll see the search bar. This is where you’ll look for
directions, search for places, read reviews and more.
To pan around in the map, left-click your mouse button and drag it around.
To zoom in and out of the map use your mouse’s scroll wheel or the trackpad.
Double-clicking for zoom works as well.
GOOGLE MAPS TRIVIA
Street View cars have now driven more than 7 million miles, including 99 percent
of the public roads in the U.S. – Source

How to Get Directions on iOS and Android
In the iOS and Android app, there’s a big search bar at the top of the Maps app’s
homescreen. Tap on it and start searching for the place you want to go.
The app will bring up the search results. All the available places will be marked
with a red drop pin. The most obvious one, the one that Google thinks is what
you’re looking for will be pre-selected and you’ll see its details in the bottom bar.
There things like the place’s name, the distance and a button for navigation will
show up.

If this is not the place you’re looking for, pan and zoom on the map and tap on the
right place. You can also slide left/right on the bottom bar to bring up the
next/previous search result.
The button for navigation here will either be a car/bus/man icon. It will depend
on the last mode of transport you used.
Tapping on that button will bring up a detailed view for directions. Here you can
select the starting point (it will be your current location by default) and browse
through different routes Google has selected for you. Tap the one that you want
to choose. Google is great at mapping and its great at search. But if you don’t live
in a highly populated area, one where Google doesn’t have enough data for, it can
really screw up directions. I suggest you browse through all the route options
before selecting.
PRO TIP
Press and hold the car icon in the search view to just directly to the navigation
view. This will let Google Maps decided the best route.
Once selected, tap the Start Navigation button.
If you’re navigating to a place you’ve been before or if it’s a well know place, you
can do this faster. In the Google Maps app for iOS and Android version 5 and
above, you’ll see a blue Directions button below the location button.
Tapping it will take you straight to the directions screen where you specify for
destination, look at the routes and press the Start Navigation button to get going.
Mapping Directions with Multiple Destinations on the Web

The Maps website can be visited from any browser but it’s best used on a
desktop. Map’s web view comes in really handy when you’re planning a trip as
opposed to when you’re actually travelling.
The website has the familiar search bar in the top-left corner. Write the
destination here, select the right option and a drop-down menu with more
information will show up.
Click the Directions button and the write in the starting point.
Now, let’s talk about adding more than one destination. After adding the start
and end points, you’ll see a row appear at the bottom. Click the + button and
enter the place name. You can change the order of places you want to visit by
clicking the pointers on the left of the destination name.
The reordered route will now show up in the map.

Changing Routes on the Fly
Maps website shows alternate routes. The main route will be shown in a blue
color and the alternate route will be in black. The great thing about the web view
is that you can change the route on the fly. It’s as easy as clicking on the blue line
and dragging it around. The route will snap to the roads as you move it around.
Clicking the Route options button will let you select the distance units. Here you
can also specify if you want to avoid highways, toll booths or ferries.
GOOGLE MAPS TRIVIA
Street View camera setup uses 15 mounted lenses and can produce images of
upto 65 megapixels. These images are then overlapped and stitched together to
create a seamless, panoramic feel. It’s similar to how Google’s Photosphere works
but on a much larger scale.

List All Steps to Print It Out
Click the List all steps and Google Maps will bring up a view straight out of 2006.
Here all the directions will be written in detail. How far till you need to take a
turn, which turn it is, etc. You can either save this to a text file or print it if you’re
going somewhere without your phone.

Traffic
Couple of years back Google bought Waze, the crowd sourced app for traffic
updates. And ever since Google’s data for Traffic updates has gotten really good.
Not only will Google tell you the current traffic conditions for an area and let you
change the route dependently but it can actually predict the traffic for a lot of
places.
So for instance if you search for “Traffic in Manhattan” you’ll see two tabs, Live
traffic and Typical traffic. The Live traffic view shows you the current traffic
condition.
The Typical traffic tab shows predicted traffic for any given time. In fact, you’ll see
options for selecting days of the week and the time right there. Playing around
with the slider and watching the traffic lines change on the fly is really cool.
Speaking of traffic lines, the intensity of traffic in Google Maps is depicted by

color. So green is fast traffic, yellow is medium, red means the traffic is slow and
dark red means you’re screwed.

Using Google Maps for Public Transport
If you live in a big enough city that you need to rely on public transport to get out
and about, chances are Google Maps has all the data you need. It will list busses
as well as your version of local train network (the metro, the underground, the
subway, what have you).
When you’re searching for a destination, choose the Transit tab. This tab will list
all the suitable routes. The Android and iOS apps will even tell you how long you
need to walk till the metro station, how long it will take, the frequency of
busses/trains and if the data is available, it will also show the estimate time the
next bus/train will be arriving.

Street View
When you search for a place, a Street view tab will show up.
You can also drag the Pegman from the bottom-right corner to any blue line on
the map to view the available street view image. Photospheres are denoted by
blue sphears.
MORE ON STREET VIEW
Check out the 10 breathtaking experiences you can have on Street View,
Panoramio, the community based photo sharing site built on Google Maps data
and learn how you can use Street View to travel back through time.

iOS and Android Apps

Getting to Know the iOS and Android Apps
Google has done a remarkable job of keeping both iOS and Android apps similar in
looks and functionality. The recent update to the Maps app, version 5.0 gave the
app a Material Design treatment. Which means that the iOS app looks more like
an Android app rather than another iOS app.
When you launch the app, this is what you see.

The Maps app on iOS on the left, the Android app on the right. Like two peas in a
pod.
The now dominant and persistent search bar at the top, including a menu button
on the left and a mic on the right. On the bottom right corner are two buttons,
one to corner in to your location and another to take you directly to the
Directions screen where you can type in the destination and start navigation.
The recently updated Google Maps with the unified design language added
features like lane guidance,
On first look, the Maps UI is clean. But a lot stuff is hidden, most of it is
contextual. Many different kinds of screens show up when you start searching for
stuff or when you select a location.
Let’s start with the menu button first. Tapping it will bring up a sidebar. Here you
can choose to add layers to the map. By default, the map is the boring old white
grid. Tapping relevant button from the menu bar will let you layer in stuff like
images from satellite, traffic markers, terrain, bicycle paths etc. And yes, you can
add multiple layers.

Let’s go through a mock drill to know how you’ll be using the app most of the
time.
You’re trying to find a place, so tap the search bar and type in the place. Maps will
now bring up all the results for the place, with the most likely candidate
highlighted. Other options are also marked on the app.

You can tap on the markers to know more about them. Or swipe left/right on the
cards below to get to the next place. When you find the place you’re looking for,
swipe up for more information. Here you can read reviews, call the place or save
it.

Tap the Vehicle icon to start navigation. You’ll be prompted to select a route.
Choose the one you like and select Start Navigation.
Follow the steps and once you reach the destination, tap Exit Navigation and
you’re done.

Of course, there’s a lot more to using the Maps app that the process above (which
is why you should continue reading the guide), but this is the basics, a blueprint if
you will.
Navigation
We talked about looking for directions, selecting routes and choosing different
modes of transport in the section above. Now comes the next part, navigation.
On iOS and Android, navigation is built right into the Maps app. The turn-by-turn
navigation is clearly denoted by a different icon.

Tapping this button takes you to a completely different UI. Instead of the white
and bright UI in Maps, everything here is black and green. And for a good reason.
The Navigation UI is designed so it’s easy for you to make out information like
where you are and where you need to go without staring too long at the screen.
Which is why the default interface is always relative to where you are. You can
tap the location button to get a birds-eye view.
Talking about the actual navigation, your next vantage point will show up at the
top. You can swipe right to view the one after that and the map will move along
with it. Pan and zoom works here as well.
Google’s turn-by-turn navigation is pretty smart. It knows when you took a wrong
turn and will ask you to make a U turn. If you keep going on the path, the app will
adjust the route accordingly. You can also change the route mid navigation by
tapping the diverging roads icon in the bottom row.
Navigation in the Maps app is voice guided. So when the navigation starts, a lady
with a rather sweet robotic voice will tell you when to make which turns. You can
expect commands like in 500 meters, turn left or take the 3rd exit on Peter’s
Square.
GOOGLE MAPS TRIVIA
Smarty Pins is a fun little Trivia game from Google where you need to answer
place based trivia questions, generally out of pop culture. You get points (kilo
meters) for ever right answer and you lose points (how far you were from the
right location) for a wrong answer.
These instructions also show up as notifications. If you’re using an iPhone or

Android device running 5.0 Lollipop, they will be right on the lockscreen. And the
neat thing is that they are updating as well. So when you make a turn, the
notification will be replaced by the next action.
Voice guidance and directions in notifications means that you can follow the
directions even when you’re using another app or when your phone is locked and
charging.
If you’re in a supported region (think the US), you get lane guidance as well. This
is useful when and being in a particular lane is very important when it comes to
making turns.

Use Voice Commands with Maps and Google Now
If you’re using an Android phone, you must know about Google Now. One of the
things you can do is say Ok Google, Navigate to X. You can do this from anywhere
Google Now will accept voice commands.
And I need to stress here just how good this is. Especially when we’re talking
about places you already have saved. The best use case for this is the classic
Navigate to Home. If you’ve traveled to an unfamiliar territory, starting navigation
back home is literally just going to take a swipe up to Google now and one voice
command.

And yes, you can use voice commands inside the app as well. On the right edge of
the search bar you’ll see a mic icon.
Zoom
If you’re using your phone one handed, pinching and zooming is not possible.
Which is why the Maps app has a special gesture for it. Tap the screen twice with
one finger but don’t release the finger after the second tap, keep it pressed on
the screen. Now glide your finger up or down to zoom in and out of the page.
Caching Offline
You can’t have access to offline maps of cities or countries in Google Maps (learn
about the apps that do), but you can cache your local area or what’s displayed on
your screen.

Tap the Search bar at the top and scroll all the way down. You’ll see Save map to
use offline button. Tap on it and using pan and zoom, cover the screen with the
area you want to access offline and tap Save. Alternatively, just typing Ok Maps in
the search bar also works.
PRO TIP
If you’ve cached a part of a map, you can use Google Maps even without a data
connection. The GPS will still work. The next time you’re heading towards the
wild, or a highly populated square in the city, remember this tip. While you’re at
it, also check out 4 alternative applications dedicated to offline maps.

Dropping Pins and Saving Places
In the app, just press and hold anywhere on the map to drop a pin. This pin itself
isn’t that meaningful. But tap it and you get a menu. The Save button here is the
useful thing. Saving a location like this saves it to your Google account. It will be
accessible from anywhere.
The best way to use this feature is to mark a place you visit frequently or a place
you need to remember. Because saved places will show up in the map as stars,
even when you’re not searching for them.
All in all, Saving a location is just like bookmarking a web page.

More Tips
Looking for opening hours of restaurants: When you look up a restaurant, their
opening hours for the day will show up in the card. Tapping it will show opening
hours for all days of the week.
The know it all: Go to the Search box, type in an asterisk and press enter. This will
bring up everything Google has for the area on the screen. And I mean everything,
landmarks, hotels etc.
Call an Uber. If you’re in a supported area and have the Uber app installed on
your phone, Google Maps will show an Uber option at the bottom of the route
selection list. You’ll also see an estimated time of pickup right there.

Be Your Own Map Maker:
Create Your Own Maps
and Give Back to the
Community

Make Your Own Map
Yup, you can call yourself a Mapographer (is that a word?) now. My Maps lets you
create a clone of the world map as a base. You’re free to add your own places,
directions and other details to it.
Go to this URL and choose Create a new Map. Google My Maps, much like
Photoshop, takes a layered approach. Click the down-arrow beside Base map to
change the base map from stock to satellite image or terrain. Click Add layer to
add a new layer.

Here are the things you can do with My Maps.
Add Marker allows you to add a drop pin to any location that you get to define.
That means you get to add the title and description of the place. You can also add
photos.
The Draw a line is an interesting one. It lets you draw your own path over any
route. You can specify a path for driving, cycling or walking. After selecting the
option, just click at the start point and keep tracing the path, keep clicking at the
turns/milestones. The more data points you have, the better.

The Directions option is just like the Maps website. Search for locations, add
them as destinations (there can be more than 2) and the route shows up on the
map. You can drag it around to change the route.
The last one, Measure distances and area lets you draw a straight line between
two places and lets you measure the distance. While you can only drag a straight
line, you can click to add a milestone and then change the direction, effectively
creating a grid.

GOOGLE MAPS TRIVIA
Contrary to popular belief, not all Satellite images are shot from Satellites. They
are captured from low flying airplanes at 800 feet (240 m) to 1,500 feet (460 m).
That said, some of it genuinely is from Satellites. – Source
Once you are done making the Map, adding highlights, creating a custom route,
etc give it a name and save it. You can also share to with your friends.
Why Might You Want to Use My Maps?

My Maps can be useful for creating “your own little world”. You can use it to map
route for treks, or a trip that you’re planning to take, layer it will satellite images
or terrain details.
My Maps also makes it easy to share a map so you can collaborate on a map with
your friends, this I think is a really good feature.
Saving Directions
The whole point of having your own map is that you get to define things, not of
Google. To save custom directions, search for the destination, state the starting
point and you’ll see the familiar route map show up. Make any changes you want
here, drag the blue line to change the route.
Changes in My Maps are auto saved so you don’t need to click a button.

Viewing Your Own Map on Android
Used to be that you could access your custom maps directly in the Google Maps
app for Android. It was as simple as adding a layer. But now, the functionality has
been removed from the main app (it was never available in the iOS app).
To access custom maps, you’ll need to download My Maps app for Android. From
the sidebar you can choose which map to view.
While the app does have an option to create new maps, the feature set is
nowhere as good as the web site. I suggest you use the app to view your maps

and leave the map making to the web.
Contribute to Google Maps with Map Maker

Map Maker is a community based project where you can add landmarks, routes,
building co-ordinates and more. Your submissions need to be approved by other
community members before they can go live.
You can start contributing by going to this URL. You can either add a new place or
edit a place. I used this feature recently to update the address of a cafe I like.
They moved a while back but they owner didn’t bother updating the info.
So I went in, clicked Edit, specified that the place had moved and dragged the pin
to the new location. Then I filled the information like the specific address, phone
numbers, opening hours (things I got from their website), submitted the details
and in a couple of days, my edit was live, on Google Maps.

And I have to say, it felt really good. Sure, it was nothing like the Victorian
explorers mapping out the river Nile but I still contributed to something that was
going to help people. If you’re looking for that feeling, I suggest you look closely
on your local map. You’re bound to find undocumented streets, missing
landmarks and more.

ON RECORDING ROUTES AND SHARING LOCATION
Learn how you can trace and record your own path on Android using Google’s
own My Tracks app. RouteShoot on iOS makes a good alternative. Also check out
4 apps that let you share your location with friends and family in real time.
Embedding Maps
First, get the map you want to embed on the screen. Now, click the Settings icon
and select Share and embed map. From the popup, go to Embed map tab.

Here select the size of the embedded map and copy the HTML code. You’re now
free to paste it on your webpage.

6 Awesome Things You
Didn’t Know
Google Maps Could Do

1. Google Earth Integration
That’s right, Google Earth is integrated right inside Maps. Instead of going to a
different site or downloading an app, all you need to do is select an option. On
the web you’ll see an Earth thumbnail in the bottom-left corner. Clicking it will
switch to satellite view.
To do this on the iOS and Android apps, select Satellite from the sidebar.
GOOGLE MAPS TRIVIA
You can travel to some of the worlds best museums thanks to Google Street View.
Google Art Project also showcases still images from collections at more than 150
museums around the world.

2. Look up Coordinates
Google Maps lets you search for a location using longitude and latitude
coordinates. You can also look up a place’s coordinates. Right-click on the place
and select What’s here. This will bring up an info box stating the coordinates.

3. Measure Distance between Two Points
Google Maps on the web lets you measure distance between one point and
another. But it uses the scale to do this so all you can do is measure the straight
distance between two points. Unlike finding the directions, it won’t snap to the
roads.
But it can be pretty useful as long as the roads you’re taking are laid out in a grid.
Put your cursor on the starting point, right-click and choose Measure distance.
Now click along on the Map to drop points. The distance between the points and
the total distance will show up.

4. Intelligent Search
Maps has integrated natural language searching. So you can say things like
“Museums in Paris” or “Cafes nearby” and Maps will show you the results.
KEEPING YOUR DATA PRIVATE
Google Maps is an amazing service available for free. But of course you pay the
price by providing data, sometimes of personal nature. Learn how to clear
location history and disable it. To stay safe from hackers, make sure you enable 2-
factor authentication in your Google account.

5. Just Explore
On the mobile apps click the search field and scroll to find an Explore box. Here
you can easily search for cafes, pubs, restaurants and more.
Below which you’ll find more useful options for ATMs, hospitals, libraries, car
wash and more. When you’re in a new area, this one touch section can be really
helpful.

6. Save Home and Work Address
On the Android or iOS app, bring up the menu bar, go to Settings and tap Edit
Home and Work. Here, type in your home and work address. Now, Google knows
where you live and work. Relax, it probably did already.
The trade off for sharing this information is convenience. If you go to a new place
from where you have no idea how to get back, just search for Home in Google
Maps and get directions to it.

If you’re using Android, you can do this faster. Just pull up Google Now and say
“Take me Home” or “Navigate to Home”. This will take you directly to Navigation,
with your home address as a destination. The same can be done for your work
address as well.
RECOMMENDED READING FOR THE CURIOUS
Now that you’re a pro at using Google Maps, reading up it it won’t hurt. When
you peal away the consumer facing layer and start digging around the
underlying technologies that power the system, things start to get really
interesting. It’s fascinating how Google extracts information like street signs and
automatically blurs number plates and faces.
The features below give us a rare behind-the-scenes view at the operation.
– How Google Builds Its Maps—and What It Means for the Future of Everything
– Google Maps Is Changing the Way We See the World
– The Huge, Unseen Operation Behind the Accuracy of Google Maps
– Google’s Road Map to Global Domination

About Guiding Tech
Guiding Tech is a blog that publishes descriptive how-to articles, guides, lists and
tips that make the life of an everyday computer and mobile phone user easier and
fun.
Visit our about page to know more about what we do and the team behind GT.
Also go through our other eBooks.
About the author

Khamosh Pathak is a staff writer at Guiding Tech and has a
passion for all things tech. He loves keeping himself abreast
with the latest developments in the field of personal
technology and has fun writing about them.
He's also a podcast freak and a wine aficionado. When not

indulging in geeky stuff, he can be found reading a book on
his Kindle Paperwhite or biking around the city while listening to his favorite
podcasts.

The Ultimate Guide To Google Maps

Transféré par

Informations du document

Titre original

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

The Ultimate Guide To Google Maps

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Sold to

Copyright © 2015 Guiding Tech

1 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

2 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

3 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

GOOGLE MAPS TRIVIA

4 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

5 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

Once selected, tap the Start Navigation button.

Mapping Directions with Multiple Destinations on the Web

7 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

The reordered route will now show up in the map.

8 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

GOOGLE MAPS TRIVIA

9 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

10 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

Speaking of traffic lines, the intensity of traffic in Google Maps is depicted by

11 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

12 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

MORE ON STREET VIEW

13 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

14 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

When you launch the app, this is what you see.

15 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

16 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

17 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

18 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

19 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

20 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

GOOGLE MAPS TRIVIA

These instructions also show up as notifications. If you’re using an iPhone or

22 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

23 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

24 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

25 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

All in all, Saving a location is just like bookmarking a web page.

26 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

27 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

28 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

29 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

30 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

31 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

Why Might You Want to Use My Maps?

32 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

33 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

Contribute to Google Maps with Map Maker

34 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

35 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

36 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

37 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

38 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

GOOGLE MAPS TRIVIA

39 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

40 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

41 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

KEEPING YOUR DATA PRIVATE

42 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

43 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

44 | Guiding Tech eBooks GuidingTech.com

RECOMMENDED READING FOR THE CURIOUS

The features below give us a rare behind-the-scenes view at the operation.

– Google Maps Is Changing the Way We See the World

– The Huge, Unseen Operation Behind the Accuracy of Google Maps