Bing Maps

Bing Maps (previously under the names of Windows Live Maps, Windows Live Local, and Live Search Maps ) is an Internet mapping service from Microsoft, look through the spatial data and can use various space-related services. It is a further development of the MSN Virtual Earth and is part of the search engine Bing.

The data and services are provided by the Bing Maps for Enterprise platform. The free internet offer of maps includes satellite images and aerial photographs.

Description

In Bing Maps can be free maps, aerial photographs and satellite images to view. A distinctive feature compared to other Internet mapping services like Yahoo Maps are oblique aerial images from a bird's perspective, but are usually only available from urban areas. In addition, 3D models are available, which can be viewed after installation of a plugin in the browser in 3D for different cities. In addition to the data provided can use various services, including for local search and route planning.

Development and History

Since 8 November 2006 Microsoft has released a 3D version. The buildings are textured for selected cities in the U.S., as well as the competitor Google Earth.

Since February 2007 high-resolution aerial images from the bird's eye view of 58 German cities are available, these were recorded in summer 2006 by small airplanes. Since 25 May 2007, for Germany image material available, its resolution can detect objects in the size of about 1 m.

Using Virtual Earth was unmasked in September 2007, the hitherto secret quiet drive the submarines of the Ohio class of the U.S. Navy. Microsoft had a picture of a U- boat, which was without the cover of the drive in dry dock, and has thus unmasked the previously secret drive technology.

On June 1, 2009, Microsoft introduced the Internet service Bing and named in the episode the previous map service Live Search Maps Bing Maps in order. Basis of the service is to be the virtual earth engine.

Since early 2012, Bing goes gradually to obscure any of the available in the aerial photographs military areas and airports ( Stuttgart) by pixelation.

Bing Streetside

Bing Streetside is itself currently exploiting Knitting offline counterpart to Google Street View, which was released during the Christmas season 2011 in several German cities. For the fact that the images are no longer available since 2012 in early May, Bing does not provide reasons. By May 2012, the cities of Munich, Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Pforzheim, Heidelberg, Mannheim, Darmstadt were (recording period November / December 2011), Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden and Mainz, Dusseldorf, Duisburg and Essen as well as their immediate vicinity, Berlin only partially visible. The recordings for this purpose began on May 23, 2011. Previously already existed versions in the United States and Canada. With the launch in Germany, the cities of Manchester, Liverpool and The Hague were added to Bing Streetside of the European cities London and Paris. As previously allowed Google and Microsoft contradictions before the pictures were published.