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Google Maps is no longer a flat map

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Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#101

Post by modeless »

pseudonym2 wrote: post #41

So it's no longer a map application, because it's producing weird non-standard projections, tiles that can't be stitched/georeferenced properly etc. Will Google support and maintain an actual maps application? Or will they merge google earth and google maps together in an even less capable tool purely for consumers to wow at? Castrating Google Earth with the webgl version and locking it into Chrome was bad enough. I…

Perspective projection is not weird or non-standard. In some sense you could consider it the least weird projection, since it's what your eyes actually see when looking at a globe. But if you just can't get enough of Mercator, the option is still there in the hamburger menu (labeled "Globe").

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#103

Post by jcrawfordor »

puzzle wrote: post #96
jcrawfordor wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's worth replying to this to reinforce the point that the new mode has technical disadvantages compared to the old mode. Some of my projects involve a great deal of time spent looking at aerial imagery, sometimes for hours a day, and while Google Maps is not the panacea of aerial images it is one of the best single sources in terms of usability and quality of images. That said, prior to knowing this trick I…

It's not elevation data, it's reconstructed geometry.

My assumption had been that Google built these models using high-resolution LIDAR data, which is why I called it elevation... on a little more research though it looks like I was wrong and the models are perhaps constructed based on street view images and model data for other similar objects.

Honestly, I feel like this makes the situation even more indefensible, because I get that collecting high-quality DEM is very expensive and so trying to use it comes with a lot of compromises. But if they're just substituting in models of "similar trees" like one person on Quora suggests it seems almost embarrassing for them that they're making the user experience more frustrating in order to deliver a 3D street-level experience that's still so bad as to be useless.

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#104

Post by hcnews »

thadk wrote: post #63
phyzome wrote: post #36

By the way, for anyone who prefers Google Maps to load fast and show actual satellite/aerial imagery (rather than trying to render each tree as a weird crumpled blob) there's a flag you can set to get the old, fast 2D mode: https://maps.google.com/?force=canvas

The alternative to switch back is: https://maps.google.com/?force=webgl

Thanks a lot. I was afraid that I was going to be stuck on the canvas mode. Sometimes, my curiosity gets the best of me :(

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#105

Post by gefh »

dudus wrote: post #67
lantius wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can also just use the "Globe" button in the side panel to toggle flat satellite imagery, while still keeping the smooth zooming.

I particularly like the transition when zoomed out and toggling the Globe button.

Thanks, I delayed the release to squeeze that in :)

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#106

Post by gefh »

deathanatos wrote: post #91
Ajedi32 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google decided to go with "A Globe".

At low zoom levels. Given the behavior of the poles (they're not viewable; the south is also a black hole…), I suspect that there's a very smoothly done transition to web mercator for the higher zoom levels.

Correct. At high zooms, the trig required in the spherical math becomes inaccurate, so we fade back to simple web mercator.

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#107

Post by gefh »

brandonhorst wrote: post #30
bla2 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure if planning trips to the other side of the globe qualifies as "daily use" either :-) I think it's neat to see that the route is along a great circle -- that wasn't clear at all before this change.

Unfortunately, the line drawing doesn't make this as cool as it could be. The line representing the flight from BOS to PEK is drawn due west, as would look natural on a 2D map. The real flight (and shortest route) heads north and passes near the north pole. Hope they can update this, which would make international flights seem even more impressive than they already do.

Yeah the flights in particular need to be updated for this projection.

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#109

Post by adwi »

cma wrote: post #75
martijn_himself wrote: post #46

Google Maps must be one of the modern wonders of the world, it's still nothing short of breathtaking to zoom out of streetview in crowded London and then land somewhere on a country crossroads in remote Vietnam.

Google Earth VR is mindblowing.

Big picture I think it's truly one of the high water marks of human achievement

Re: Google Maps is no longer a flat map

#110

Post by gefh »

pmilla1606 wrote: post #6

Looks like this isn't rolled out to everyone. I'm not seeing the 3D version (logged in & incognito).

For rollouts like this, a small holdback experiment is typical, to assess long term trends. Or maybe your browser doesn't have hardware acceleration enabled? Or you could be in canvas mode? Try ?force=webgl on the end of the maps url in case it's the latter. Try shadertoy.com to see if webgl is available.
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