Thing #25: See the world and be seen using Google Maps

When you hear the name Google Maps you may just think it’s simply a tool to provide you with directions from point A to point B but it’s much more than that. Thing #25 will highlight some of the great features available in Google Maps. As you work through Thing #25 think about how your library could use each of the features.

I’m going to be presenting the assignments a bit differently in this part of the lesson. Instead of putting the questions all at the end of the assignment they will be spread throughout the post and included at the end. You can decide if you want to answer the questions as you go through the lesson or wait and do them at the end.

Let’s get started with the basics.

The Basics

Google Maps is located at: http://maps.google.com/

Navigation - Using the Navigation Controls
On the top left side of the map you will see the Navigation Controls. The circle contains 4 arrows that will move your current view to the north, south, east or west. For now we will skip over Pegman (the little stick figure) that appears below the circle and move to the zoom slider. There are three ways to control the zoom slider. You can click on the + or – signs located at the top and bottom of the bar, or just click on a spot on the bar or drag lever up and down the bar.

Navigation – Using your mouse
Another way to navigate the map is to use your mouse. When your mouse is on the map it will appear as a hand. If you left click and hold your mouse button down you can now move the map around. When you are done moving the map let go of the mouse button. If you have a mouse with a wheel on it you can use it to zoom in and out.

Views

As you explore Google Maps you’ll see that there are different Views available. The first five options can be found on the upper right corner of the map. Clicking on them will toggle the view on or off.

• Map – Traditional map view that shows towns, roads, rivers, bodies of water and more.

• Satellite – Shows aerial images. How far you can zoom in while in this view varies. The satellite images are approximately one to three years old.


• Terrain - Shows the physical elevations of the land.


• Traffic - Traffic information is not available for all locations. The Traffic button will only be displayed when traffic information is available.


• More – The More option provides four choices of additional information to view. Each of the options will appear as thumbnails on the map. Clicking on the thumbnails for these items on the map will provide more information.
  


• Photos – The photos are from Panoramio. Panoramio is a site where anyone can upload and share their photos. The owner of the photo must have mapped the photo’s location in order for it to show on the Google Maps.

• Videos - The videos come from YouTube. The owner of the video must have mapped the video’s location in order for it to show on the Google Maps.


• Wikipedia – Wikipedia articles will show up as a white box with a black W in it.


• Webcams - Webcams information comes from Webcams.travel.


• Transit – Information about public transportation is available for 262 locations worldwide. The Transit button will only show up when Transit information is available.


• Street View – Is available for some locations in the United States, Australia, Europe, New Zealand and Japan. Street view basically gives you the same view you would have if you were driving down a street. Watch this short video (2:02) to learn how to use Street View. *Update: On June 3rd Google introduced a new way to navigate while in Street View. You can read about it on the Google Lat Long Blog.*
  

After we talk about Searching and Driving Directions you’ll have a chance to explore all of these views.

Searching
You have many options when it comes to searching. In most cases if you know the zip code of the area or address you are searching you can use that and not include the city and state information.

Your search results will be displayed in the left hand column and on the map. A marker with a letter inside it links the map location with the information on the left. Clicking on the marker in the left hand column will display the corresponding information box on the map. Clicking on a marker on the map will display the corresponding information box and highlight the corresponding information in the left bar.

Here are just a few examples of what you can search for.

• 1200 N St 68508
  
• Moscow Russia
  
• Iceland
  
• Smith Falls NE
  
• motels Wayne NE
  
• libraries Nebraska
  

Explore This Area

Explore This Area may appear in the left hand column after you do a search for a specific place such as Washington, DC. It shows you photos, videos, and user-created maps. Explore is not available for every location. Watch this short video (1:21) to see it in action.

Get Directions

At the top of the left hand column is a link for Get Directions. By default you are provided two boxes to enter your starting point and your destination. If you have more than one destination click on the Add Destination link to another box. Just like with searching, you do not need to have an exact address. After clicking Get Directions your route will be displayed on the map. Driving directions will appear in the left hand column. Watch this short video (1:46) to learn more about getting driving directions.

Click on the image to the right to see a screen shot highlighting a number of the features in Google Maps.

If you need more help getting started check out Google’s Maps User Guide.

Assignment Part 1

For part 1 of the assignment explore the features in Google Maps that we’ve talked about and blog about your experience. Here are some questions to get you started.

Search for 1445 K St. 68509.

• What is located at this address?
  
• Select the Satellite view option. Can you zoom in close enough to see the color of the cars parked around it?
  

Use the Get Directions options to find directions to a location of your choice. What type of navigator are you? Do you prefer looking at the Map view or do you like to look at the Satellite or Street View so you can visually see buildings and landmarks?

Let’s leave Nebraska and explore a few more exotic places. Use Street View to “drive” around a few of these places. What do you think of Street View?

• Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
  
• Random street in Japan
  
• Kangaroos in Australia

Beyond the Basics

Now that you’ve had a chance to explore some of the basics lets dive in a bit deeper. As we work through these next features I’ll be asking you questions about your library. If you don’t work at a library pick your favorite library to use.

Edit the Map

Sometimes when searching Google Maps for a place or business name you’ll run across a marker that might not be in the exact correct location. To see an example of this do a search for Carhenge. You don’t need to enter any other information. The results I see show three markers on the map. Marker A is located pretty close to the correct spot but markers B and C are down the road a bit. Looking at the map you may be wondering how I know which marker is in the correct location. I know this because I’m looking at the Satellite view of the map. On the Satellite view I can clearly see the location of Carhenge. If you haven’t done so, view the Satellite image of Carhenge and look at the placement of the Markers.

One of the great things about Google Maps is that they allow you to edit the map and move it to the correct location or you can even add a location. (That said please don’t fix the Carhenge markers, at least not until everyone is done with this Thing!) You can also update detailed information included address, phone, and website URL. In order to edit or add a place you will need to logon to your Google Account. If you are using Blogger you should be able to use your same logon information to logon to Google Maps.

These short videos explain how you can edit a location or add a place.

• Edit Map (0:41)
• Add a Place (0:43)

Additional instructions can be found in Map Help area.

Assignment Part 2

Now that you know how to edit and add, it’s time to search for your library and start working on your assignment.

1. Start off doing a very basic search for your library’s name. If you get too many hits try adding NE, Nebraska or your zip code to the search. If that doesn’t work then try doing an address search. Did you find your library? What search worked?


2. Try zooming in and using the Satellite view to make sure the marker is placed correctly. Is the marker correct? If not login to Google Maps and move the marker to the correct location.


3. Next read the information that’s provided about your library in the information window. If you don’t see the information window, click on the marker that corresponds to your library to display it. Is it correct? If the library has a website is the URL listed? Remember this is the information everyone in the world can see about your library. If it’s wrong take a few minutes and update it.
   

Bonus Information

For those of you who would like to do a bit more, you can take the next step and claim your business or in our case claim your library. This is optional and not required for Thing #25. If you work at a library with more than one staff member make sure you check with any other staff members that may also be participating is Nebraska Learns 2.0. I’d hate to have multiple folks trying to claim the same library!

Google offers businesses the opportunity to claim the listing on Google Maps. In order to do this you will need to have a Google account. Search for your library and display the info window associated with your library. Click on Edit in the info window. At the bottom of the info window will be a link to Claim Your Business. If a business has already been claimed it will tell you. As part of the claiming process Google will either call or send you a postcard that contains a PIN. They do this in order to verify that you truly do have the right to update the listing.

Claiming your business or in our case claiming your library offers a few benefits. First of all it lets you control the listing. After a business has been claimed nobody else can update the listing. It also allows you to add additional information such as hours of operation, photos, and videos. Google also allows businesses to add coupons to their listing for free. Check out the post on The ‘M’ Word – Marking Libraries blog for suggestion on the types of coupons a library could post.

• Blog post from The Official Google blog: The Local Business Center dashboard opens its doors
• The Local Business Center is located at: https://www.google.com/local/add/ but there’s really not much to see or do until after you have claimed your business.
  

My Maps

Another great feature is the ability to create your own custom maps. With My Maps you can keep track of places, driving directions, highlighted paths and areas, and add photos and video. In order to use this feature you will need to be logged on to your Google Account.
Watch this short video to learn how you can create your own map (1:48).

Here are a few examples of user created maps.

• Nebraska Regional Library Systems
  
• ESU Offices in NE created by Chris Pultz
  
• Lincoln Public Schools by Chris Pultz
  
• Lincoln Recycling Centers by Andi Davis
  
• Nebraska Disc Golf Courses By BigChiz
  

Sharing a Map

Google Maps provides users with a number of ways to share a map. In the top right hand corner of the map you will see the options to Print, Send or Link to a map. The print and send options are self-explanatory. The Link option gives users two options. The first option listed is a simple (and sometime long) link that you can email or use to create a link to a map. The other option provides you with HTML code that you can embed in your website. This code will then display the Google Map on your website. The Customize option allows users to select the map size.

You can choose to share any of the types of maps discussed in this Thing. It may be a simple map that just shows the state or your town. You can also do a search for your library and display the location of your library on your website.

Google Maps and Your Library

Throughout this lesson you’ve learned about a lot of different types of maps and features that are available through Google Maps. Now it’s time to think about how you can use Google Maps in your library.

Read about how Mikael Jacobsen from the Franklin Park Public Library has used Google Maps in this article from Library Journal.

Google Maps: You Are Here From: Library Journal 10/15/08

Mikael also created a short Google My Maps Tutorial (3:52) video.

Here are some other ideas to get you started.

• Learn Google Maps so you can better help your patrons find directions or create their own maps.


• Put a map that shows your library’s location on your library’s website.


• Claim your library and add additional information such as pictures, videos, hours, URLs, and coupons. If your library houses a local historical or genealogy collection it would also be useful to include that information.
  


• Create a map of the locations where the bookmobile stops.


• Create a map of your service area.


• Show patrons the Street View option. Wouldn’t it be cool if they were studying or planning a trip to another country to be able to “drive” through the streets?


• Do you have visitors stopping by asking for directions to a local attraction? Try creating a custom map that you can point them to, then you can print it out or link to it from your website.


• If you work with local businesses, show them how they can claim and update their own business listing.


• Create a map that shows local historical and/or tourist hotspots.


• Add photos of your library and community to PanOramio. PanOramio photos that are mapped and selected will appear on Google Maps.

Assignments Part 3

Wrap up your blog post by summarizing your thoughts about Google Maps. Here are some questions to get you started.

• What feature did you like the best?
  
• Did you claim your library?
  
• Did you create a customized map or have a good idea for one?
  
• Did you embed a map on your library’s website?
  
• How else can your library use Google Maps?
  

Assignments (due by 6/30 for credit)

As I mentioned at the beginning of this Thing the assignments have been spread throughout the lesson. If you have not already done so you will need to complete all 3 parts of the assignment by 6/30 to receive CE credit. For your convenience I have listed the three parts of the assignment below.

Assignment Part 1

For part 1 of the assignment explore the features in Google Maps that we’ve talked about and blog about your experience. Here are some questions to get you started.

Search for 1445 K St. 68509.

• What is located at this address?
  
• Select the Satellite view option. Can you zoom in close enough to see the color of the cars parked around it?

Use the Get Directions options to find directions to a location of your choice. What type of navigator are you? Do you prefer looking at the Map view or do you like to look at the Satellite or Street View so you can visually see buildings and landmarks?

Let’s leave Nebraska and explore a few more exotic places. Use Street View to “drive” around a few of these places. What do you think of Street View?

• Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
  
• Random street in Japan
  
• Kangaroos in Australia

Assignment Part 2

Now that you know how to edit and add, it’s time to search for your library and start working on your assignment.

1. Start off doing a very basic search for your library’s name. If you get too many hits try adding NE, Nebraska or your zip code to the search. If that doesn’t work then try doing an address search. Did you find your library? What search worked?


2. Try zooming in and using the Satellite view to make sure the marker is placed correctly. Is the marker correct? If not login to Google Maps and move the marker to the correct location.
   


3. Next read the information that’s provided about your library in the information window. If you don’t see the information window, click on the marker that corresponds to your library to display it. Is it correct? If the library has a website is the URL listed? Remember this is the information everyone in the world can see about your library. If it’s wrong take a few minutes and update it.
   

Assignments Part 3

Wrap up your blog post by summarizing your thoughts about Google Maps. Here are some questions to get you started.

• What feature did you like the best?
  
• Did you create a customized map or have a good idea for one?
  
• Did you embed a map on your library’s website?
  
• How else can your library use Google Maps?