Going Places?

In terms of making life a little bit easier for people, MapQuest is probably at the top of the list of inventions. Before things like MapQuest and even more recently Portable GPS Systems, people relied on an address and a sense of direction. I personally could not have survived, I still have difficult times even with the advances that MapQuest and such have been able to provide. The detailed directions and specific road/street labeling on the directions make it so that it is almost"idiot proof." MapQuest the company was founded in 1967 as Cartographic Services and in 1999 the company was renamed to MapQuest to leverage the popularity of it's online brand. In 2000 MapQuest was acquired by America Online, Inc. (11).

Many of you reading this are well aware of the basic functions of MapQuest and probably have used it plenty of times. For those of you who haven't, here is what MapQuest is designed to do. MapQuest is an online service that provides you with Maps, Directions, Yellow Pages, Local, or Gas Prices (10). When on the initial MapQuest Screen, you are given three options to choose from: Maps, Directions, and What's New. All three of these options are self explanatory. Maps requires you to type in an address or a business name and then provides you with a map of the surrounding area. Directions requires you to type a starting and ending location by providing the website with again either a business name or address. What's New is a 360 view that provides panoramic views (360° horizontally and 160° vertically) of any given image within the 360 View coverage area. After typing in the desired location and depending on which of the three options you choose, an answer to your problem will be provided. If you desired directions, the next screen will provide you with step by step driving directions and exactly how far (distance and time wise) the trip will take you. It also shows an eagle eye view of the area you are traveling to.

As mentioned in an earlier post, there are several applications Smartphones can have. Mapquest is another one of those helpful applications, designed to make your life and traveling easier!

Below are two of the different screen shots that MapQuest provides the user with in order to make life easier...




















peace, love & go noles!


WORD COUNT: 372

SOURCES:

(10) http://www.mapquest.com/

(11) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapquest

PICTURES:

http://www.digitalearthblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/mapquest-beta.jpeg

http://www.oreillynet.com/users/files/5477/mapquest.jpg