Microsoft > Microsoft: Live Search Local
Also known as Virtual Earth, Live Search Local offers maps, "birds eye" aerial views, 3D renderings of cities and business listings.
Apr. 11, 2008 at 9:35am by Greg Sterling
New Microsoft Live Maps Roll Out With A Boatload Of Upgrades
A new version of Microsoft's Live Search Maps has rolled out (after yesterday's major traffic and routing upgrade). There's an enormous range of feature and functionality upgrades, which are explained in some detail on the Virtual Earth blog. There's also a discussion at CNET. At a crude level, what it...
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Apr. 10, 2008 at 7:30am by Greg Sterling
Four Year Effort Culiminates In "ClearFlow" Traffic On Microsoft Live Search Maps
Today in 72 US cities, Microsoft is introducing what it calls "ClearFlow" on Live Search Maps. It's an improved traffic and routing service that relies on machine learning and predictive modeling to offer better traffic and routing information to consumers across the US. Microsoft employee and artificial intelligence expert Eric...
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Feb. 7, 2008 at 10:25am by Greg Sterling
Microsoft Acquires 3-D Modeling Software Company Caligari
Adding to its already impressive portfolio of mapping tools and capabilities, Microsoft has acquired 3-D modeling software company Caligari. The group will be a part of the Virtual Earth team, apparently, but the software is equally used for gaming and game development. Microsoft already had powerful 3-D modeling capabilities and...
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Feb. 4, 2008 at 8:17am by Greg Sterling
A Local Look At Microsoft's Bid For Yahoo
Last Friday, shortly after the Microsoft bid for Yahoo was made public, Danny and I had an opportunity to discuss the proposed acquisition with Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for Microsoft. Our questions to Mehdi often returned to post-acquisition "integration" issues. I brought up local, maps,...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only, Microsoft & Yahoo Merger, Microsoft: Business Issues, Microsoft: Live Search Local, Microsoft: Tellme, Yahoo: Business Issues, Yahoo: Maps & Local
Jan. 10, 2008 at 8:03am by Greg Sterling
Google Maps Gaining On Market Leader Mapquest
Mapquest arguably "owns" the mapping brand online. It has been the dominant mapping site for years by a wide margin. But that dominance may now be slipping under pressure from Google. Hitwise reports that "traffic to Mapquest has remained flat year on year and is down 20% in the past...
See Related Stories In: AOL: MapQuest, Google: Business Issues, Google: Critics, Google: Maps & Local, Google: OneBox, Plus Box & Direct Answers, Google: Universal Search, Microsoft: Live Search Local, Stats: Size, Yahoo: Maps & Local
Jan. 9, 2008 at 9:28am by Greg Sterling
Microsoft Provides Local Search Content To Garmin Personal Navigation Devices
LiveSide reports on a deal that provides access to Live Search Maps/Local content via MSN Direct to the Garmin nüvi 780 personal navigation device (PND). Users can get maps, news, weather, local events, and other content. One can also plan trips on Windows Live Local and then "send to...
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Dec. 13, 2007 at 9:15am by Greg Sterling
Live Search Maps Go To China
According to the Windows Live Blog, Live Search Maps have launched in China. It's probably more accurate to say "in Chinese," because you can search the entire world rather than just China. (Screenshots below.) LiveSide has more....
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Dec. 12, 2007 at 10:19am by Greg Sterling
Microsoft Acquires UK-Based MultiMap Mapping Provider
Microsoft announced this morning that it has acquired UK-based mapping platform and consumer destination MultiMap. Deal terms weren't disclosed. MultiMap will reportedly operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft but within the Virtual Earth and search teams. According to the press statement issued, MultiMap brings "new location and mapping...
See Related Stories In: Microsoft: Business Issues, Microsoft: Live Search Local, Microsoft: Outside US, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Nov. 12, 2007 at 9:56am by Danny Sullivan
San Francisco Oil Spill Maps & Wishing For Better Community Map Search Tools
Trying to figure out the impact of last week's oil spill in San Francisco Bay, which happened after the container ship Cosco Busan hit the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge? There are maps to the rescue! Links to them below, along with some observations on the difficulty in finding community-built maps...
See Related Stories In: Google: Maps & Local, Microsoft: Live Search Local, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Oct. 15, 2007 at 9:00pm by Greg Sterling
Microsoft Releases Upgrades For Maps, Local, And Mobile
Late last month, at its "Searchification" event, Microsoft introduced a wide range of search enhancements and improvements. The company also said there would be additional updates to follow. Those are now rolling out and include feature and content enhancements for maps, local, and mobile services. The biggest news is the...
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Oct. 10, 2007 at 6:35am by Greg Sterling
Google Earth And 3D Warehouse Opened Up To 'Game Developers'
On the cusp of the Virtual World Conference, starting today in California, a company called Multiverse Nework has announced a partnership with Google that opens up Google's 3D Warehouse -- terrain and metadata from Google Earth -- to third party use. According to CNet, Multiverse Nework offers a platform for...
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Sep. 17, 2007 at 11:59pm by Greg Sterling
Sprint And Microsoft Extend Mobile Partnership, Offer New Services
Microsoft has been powering the search box on Sprint for awhile now, and the companies have had a public, strategic relationship since last November. But this evening they announced some new enhancements and mobile services. There are essentially two things being introduced: location-aware mobile search and a rich client download...
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Sep. 14, 2007 at 10:24am by Greg Sterling
U.S. EPA Selects Virtual Earth For Geospatial Maps
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has selected Microsoft's Virtual Earth Platform for its geospatial mapping applications. The combination of diverse capabilities and imagery appears to be what appealed to the agency....
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Sep. 5, 2007 at 8:31am by Greg Sterling
Microsoft To Use Inrix Traffic Prediction Data Across Network
Microsoft, which helped develop the technology behind traffic data provider Inrix and then spun it out, has now adopted the company's services to provide traffic data and predictions across a range of Microsoft online and mobile properties including Virtual Earth and Live Local. Live Local had been using data from...
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Aug. 30, 2007 at 9:49am by Greg Sterling
Virtual Earth Adds More 'Bird's Eye,' Satellite And 3-D Imagery
Gary Price points to a Microsoft Virtual Earth blog posting that reflects enhancements of low level orthogonal "Bird's Eye" photography within the U.S., as well as satellite mapping for a range of countries and locations outside the U.S. In addition there's also now more 3-D imagery and more 3-D cities...
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Aug. 29, 2007 at 9:37am by Barry Schwartz
Flash Earth Puts Google Earth, Virtual Earth & Others On Web
FlashEarth Mashup with Google Earth 4.2 from the Google Earth Blog reports on a site named Flash Earth that provides mapping services from several providers in a desktop like experience, using Flash technologies. Flash Earth gives you mapping data from Google Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth, Yahoo Maps, OpenLayers and NASA...
See Related Stories In: Ask: Maps, Google: Earth, Microsoft: Live Search Local, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines, Yahoo: Maps & Local
Aug. 6, 2007 at 6:16am by Greg Sterling
Microsoft Teams With NASA For 3-D Space Shuttle Images
Microsoft announced a partnership with NASA to use its Photosynth 3-D application to provide users with interactive images of the upcoming Space Shuttle Endeavor launch. There's also a related Photosynth tour of the Kennedy Space Center....
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Jul. 30, 2007 at 9:57am by Greg Sterling
Microsoft vs. Google: Street Photography Rigs Compared
Gizmodo, in something of a tongue-in-cheek post, compares the cars and cameras Google is using to capture its StreetView imagery with those being used by Microsoft for what has been known as StreetSide. StreetSide is a Live Local product that predated Google's StreetView but has been limited to San Francisco...
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Jul. 27, 2007 at 10:07am by Greg Sterling
NY Times Covers Mashups And User-Generated Content
The New York Times has a long article on mashups, the state of online mapping and user-generated content more generally. It's an overview piece, but does a good job of capturing the fact that online mapping in particular is one of the important trends online: visualizing all sorts of data...
See Related Stories In: Google: Maps & Local, Microsoft: Live Search Local, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Jul. 23, 2007 at 9:13am by Greg Sterling
Google Buys ImageAmerica, Mapping Feature War Continues
On Friday, the Google LatLong Blog announced the company had acquired ImageAmerica, "a company that builds high resolution cameras for the collection of aerial imagery." Google plans to use the capabilities in Google Maps and Earth. ImageAmerica provided some of the high-resolution post-Hurricane Katrina images (no longer available) in Google...
See Related Stories In: Google: Acquisitions, Google: Earth, Google: Maps & Local, Microsoft: Live Search Local, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Jun. 19, 2007 at 9:50am by Greg Sterling
Microsoft Virtual Earth Enhances UK 3-D; EveryScape Seeks To Make 3-D Better, Cheaper
Microsoft announced that it's enhancing Virtual Earth in the UK with improved 3-D elevation data from Intermap Technologies. These improvements will make their way throughout Western Europe and to the U.S. The idea is to use better terrain and elevation data to provide a more photorealistic 3-D experience overall. Meanwhile...
