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What Driving Directions To Use? Google Maps Or Mapquest?
By Joshua Nestor
The younger you are, the easier it is to take technology for granted. Whether you are cynical or, like me, more easily entertained, I find mapping programs like G-Maps simply astounding. The people who have assembled these tools over the last 10 years are geniuses.
If you never used this excellent service, go to maps.google.com now. It doesn't matter where you are going... the shortest most up to date driving directions and road maps are seconds away.
I have been using G-Maps for a quite awhile. Their technology continually get better, and alongside with it, the detail of the maps has advanced considerably. There are other chief web properties that provide geo mapping with great success as well. The big 3 are Google, MapQuest and the granddaddy of them all, Rand McNally.
What follows are cursory reviews of G-Maps, MapQuest And Rand McNally, reading them should cut down your learning curve when you arrive at the websites.
I switched to G-Maps after using MapQuest for nearly eight years (more about MapQuest below). What killed my allegiance after all those years, was examining the directions at G-Maps. You know, when all else fails read the directions?
If Google keeps going like they have they will be in charge of the world in no time. Google has first-rate point-to-point mapping worldwide but their true strength comes in their satellite mapping.
To try and cover all of G-Maps in this review would fail, so let's look at the vital features of the site and you can discover the rest after you get there.
You can observe earth satellite images all over the world and superimpose streets on those satellite images, it's awesome. All the major map categories are available to view.
You can zoom into St. Peters Cathedral in Vatican and actually distinguish tourists walking around or see the traffic entering the on ramp of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Map overlays can be added for almost anywhere as well.
Perhaps the most unique tool of mapping is the users ability to change any route
the computer plots. If you need to drive another route all you have to do is drag and drop the route trail to another position. Time and again you want to go to alternate positions on your route... other sites will not let you do this, with Google it's a breeze.
Rand McNally has been publishing maps and road atlases for a very long time. Word has it that Fred Flintstone used their atlas. They still favor the printed map or atlas and sell lots of them. Next time you stop at a large fuel stop check by the register, I bet you'll find Rand McNally atlases for sale. Now, having said that, they have excellent e-maps and driving directions. I find them very useful for comparing routes with Google or MapQuest as a double check kind of thing.
MapQuest has been around since the good old days of the internet... 1996... so by e-standards, it's very mature if not antique. AOL purchased it in 2000 and still remains in charge.
I have used these guys thousands of times and they always deliver. They have great maps for the US, Canada and Europe but are weaker in the rest of the world in their quality and detail. US driving directions are totally detailed and usually very accurate. In some growth areas they can be a little behind, simply because of trying to stay current with new growth can be difficult.
MapQuest has a "Gas Prices" icon right on the top menu bar that will search for the best gas or diesel anywhere in the US. This is a real money saver and I check it before every fill up.
Hope this helps you never to get lost again, and safe travels to you always. Joshua Nestor is a writer for Fun and Safe Driving, website devoted to promotion of real life defensive driving. Among other things, site features encyclopedia, forums, videos, and mapquest driving directions .
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