We are all used to thinking that Internet search is Google, and maps are necessarily Google Maps. Yes, this is true in many ways, but it is impossible not to take into account other web services, which sometimes demonstrate very interesting ideas and achievements. Today we will talk, as you already understood from the name, about the Bing Maps cartographic service, or rather about additions to this service that bring very interesting and useful features to the standard functionality.
To get started with Bing Maps add-ons, follow this link and then click on the Map Apps icon in the lower left corner, as shown in the screenshot. To work, you need to have Silverlight.
After that, a pop-up window will open with icons of available applications. Let's take a look at the most interesting ones.
Shows on the map all tweeter updates near you. It is possible to search by location, keywords or specific people. Updated in real time.
This add-on shows the location of all your friends on the social network Facebook* on the map. A great way to see once again how small the world has become.
Streetside Photos downloads photos from Flickr and allows you to view them in different cities in relation to the terrain. It works similarly to Google Street View, only additionally shows the shooting location and angle. You can view the photos by yourself or turn on the map to see the exact location of the streets.
This supplement shows the front pages of the largest newspapers in the world. Of course, in relation to the city where it comes out.
You are already undoubtedly familiar with the mobile geolocation service Foursquare. Thanks to the corresponding add-on for Bing Maps, you can view interesting places and tips in different cities.
And finally, a fun addition that allows you to display the map in a hand-drawn form. To make it clearer what we are talking about, take a look at the screenshot. Unfortunately, this only works for US cities so far.
The rest of the additions, of which there are about 50 pieces, I leave you to explore on your own. Make interesting geographical discoveries and share them in the comments. Good luck!
Instagram Facebook and social networks owned by Meta Platforms Inc. are prohibited from operating in the territory of the Russian Federation.*Activity of Meta Platforms Inc. and its social networks Facebook and Instagram is prohibited in the territory of the Russian Federation.
