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Google Maps going backwards?

soransoran Posts: 1,646
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in General Discussion #1
I see that Google Maps have updated some of the aerial imagery, but why is the quality so crap?
Have a look at this section:
https://goo.gl/maps/CbrTV

Top half is around 3 to 4 years old, and bottom half is the new data. I have seen better quality from WW2 aerial maps!
Anyone else seen anything similar in their area?

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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 19
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    #2
    How do you know how old the maps are?
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    HypnodiscHypnodisc Posts: 22,728
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    #3
    I don't understand why they recently changed Google Maps to their new 'dynamic' design.

    I'm sure it's wonderful if you have good tech but it seems to take quadruple the amount of time to work now :(
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    soransoran Posts: 1,646
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    #4
    MoldoIon wrote: »
    How do you know how old the maps are?

    If you look at the A354 Weymouth Relief Road in my link(scroll slightly right), you can see that it is still under construction in the top half, but complete in the bottom half, hence how I can tell the age of the map data..
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    AndrueAndrue Posts: 23,366
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    #5
    Hypnodisc wrote: »
    I don't understand why they recently changed Google Maps to their new 'dynamic' design.

    I'm sure it's wonderful if you have good tech but it seems to take quadruple the amount of time to work now :(
    Yeah, it's bad. On a laptop there's the additional pain of not having a mouse wheel. Double click to zoom still works but has a tendency to be taken as 'show me this place'. And I hate the way the menus obscure the left side of the map. It would be far better if that left side was permanently reserved for the controls like it used to be. Oh and Street View is harder to get to know. Quite often dropping the 'man' does nothing. The cursor keys have changed function as well which is annoying.
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    John259John259 Posts: 28,483
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    #6
    Hypnodisc wrote: »
    I don't understand why they recently changed Google Maps to their new 'dynamic' design.

    I'm sure it's wonderful if you have good tech but it seems to take quadruple the amount of time to work now :(
    Agreed, the new format of Google Maps is dreadful. Such a shame, because the old version is so useful and well-designed.

    However, the good news is that you can force it back to the old format. Click the leftmost button in the group of buttons near bottom right, then there's an option in there. After switching, there's an option to remember the setting - that works on one of my computers but not the other one, don't know why. Then finally there's an option to tell them what's wrong with the new version if you want to.
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    deans6571deans6571 Posts: 6,137
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    #7
    I actually prefer the new version a lot better.....!!!

    Not sure if this was possible before but I have just zoomed all the way out, as far as you can go, and you can zoom out into space with just the Earth globe in the centre of the screen. You can then pan around the earth and you can see the position of the sun shining on the Earth - half of it lit up (daylight) and the other half in darkness (nighttime).

    How cool is that.....!! :cool:
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    barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    #8
    Just out of interest, why does anybody use Google Maps, when Google Earth seems so much more versatile and sophisticated?
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    deans6571deans6571 Posts: 6,137
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    #9
    barbeler wrote: »
    Just out of interest, why does anybody use Google Maps, when Google Earth seems so much more versatile and sophisticated?

    Google earth takes too long to load up on my pc plus the fact its a separate app. Far quicker to use Maps instead.....!
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    Finny SkeletaFinny Skeleta Posts: 2,638
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    #10
    deans6571 wrote: »
    I actually prefer the new version a lot better.....!!!

    Not sure if this was possible before but I have just zoomed all the way out, as far as you can go, and you can zoom out into space with just the Earth globe in the centre of the screen. You can then pan around the earth and you can see the position of the sun shining on the Earth - half of it lit up (daylight) and the other half in darkness (nighttime).

    How cool is that.....!! :cool:

    Not much use if you're trying to find your way from Carmarthen to Ystradgynlais avoiding the A40 though.
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    c4rvc4rv Posts: 29,627
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    #11
    The maps for my area have been updated. Judging by the cars in my street, less then 6 months old and TBH better quality then the old sat images.

    You can report inaccuracies if you think anything is wrong.

    BTW, they are also updating street views of the UK
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    welwynrosewelwynrose Posts: 33,666
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    #12
    Their street view images also seem to be well out of date
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 25,366
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    #13
    I'd imagining photographing every square inch of the planet must be rather time-consuming and tricky, so I for one still think whatever images Google can muster is still pretty amazing.
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    burton07burton07 Posts: 10,871
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    #14
    I have gone back to the 'old' or 'classic' version of Google maps because the new version is pants. I gave them feedback ages ago when it first came out but it is still pants.
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    late8late8 Posts: 7,175
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    #15
    Dont like how the My Maps feature has gone - esp on mobile.

    was handy once to plot a path to follow on google earth and use on google maps on the phone or laptop. Now its a pain.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,396
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    #16
    Hate the new Maps...
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