| 词条 | 美国几个常见地图服务的比较(翻译稿) |
| 释义 | 在线地图在过去的一年取得了长足的发展，Google Maps 进入了该领域，通过把卫星图像并入地图，使其成为该领域新星，挑战了长期以来多彩的地图服务商Mapquest。Google Maps API使得开发人员可以创建新的应用程序和混合应用，通过该方法将google Map品牌推到主流观众面前。Microsoft, Yahoo和其他的公司也快速跟进。 Online mapping has come a long way in the last year. Google Maps entered the field and added satellite imagery to spring itself into the spotlight – challenging the colorful cartoon-like map images of longtime mapping frontrunner Mapquest. The Google Maps API enabled developers to create new applications and mashups, thereby pushing the Google Maps brand to mainstream audiences. Microsoft, Yahoo and others quickly followed. 美国几个常见地图服务的比较(翻译稿) 尽管Google非常流行，他还不是使用量最大的地图服务。他和 Yahoo Maps (以及新的Yahoo Maps ，请参看此处评论 we reviewed here)不分伯仲. Comscore说 说 Google Maps在3月份 有1.91千万独立用户，而 Yahoo 有2千万. 二者如果和Mapquest比起来就有点小巫见大巫了。Mapquest在3月份有巨大的4千6百4十万用户，超过二者的总和。 As popular as Google is, it is not the most well trafficked map service. It is virtually tied with Yahoo Maps (and the new Yahoo Maps beta product which we reviewed here). Comscore says that Google Maps had 19.1 million unique visitors in March, whereas Yahoo had 20 million. Both were dwarfed by Mapquest, with a whopping 46.4 million unique visitors in March, more than Yahoo and Google combined. 除了Google Maps，Yahoo Maps和Mapquest， 其他的两个Ask Maps 和 Microsoft Windows Live Local, 也都有他们独特的特点。 In addition to Google Maps, Yahoo Maps and Mapquest, two others, Ask Maps and Microsoft Windows Live Local, also have compelling offerings. 我们看了这5个地图服务并且检查了他们的特点和性能，下图是一个功能特点的比较表。 We looked at all five of the current map services and examined their features and performance. Below is a feature by feature comparison. 那家是最好的呢？Yahoo Maps, 有许多原因，请看下文。 The best? Yahoo Maps, for many reasons. More below. 查看方式 Views 除了Mapquest以外，所有主要的地图站点都提供2种或更多不同的察查看方式，包括卫星图片查看。所有其他的地图站点都有将地图信息叠加到卫星图像的混合查看方式。Google，Ask和Yahoo还提供一个单纯的卫星图像。Windows Live Local推出一种非常有意思的“Bird's eye”视角查看方式的功能，该功能为地图图像添加了3维效果，尽管该功能花哨多于实用。 All the major map sites offer two or more different viewing options, including a satellite view, except Mapquest. All the other sites have hybrid views overlaying map information onto a satellite image. Google, Ask and Yahoo also offer a pure satellite image. Windows Live Local boasts one of the more interesting views called bird’s eye view, which adds a 3D dimension to the map image — a sexy feature, though its value lies more in dazzle factor than usability: § Zoom Champion The zoom feature is a recognizable characteristic in most mapping services. Ask, Google and Windows Live Local all tied for the title of “Zoom Champion.” To determine the champ we performed a zoom test which focused on a single landmark and zoomed in as much as the application would allow. We then compared the five zoom levels to see which application allowed us to zoom in the most. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, check out our results below. § User Interface & Features 用户界面和功能 Yahoo Maps提供了最好的驾驶路线产品。它的Flash界面中提供了“多点查询”和“实时交通拥堵信息”。想把路线信息发送到手机上吗？点击按钮，输入手机号就可了。Yahoo的界面响应非常快和方便。考虑到所有这些因素，对于个人使用来说它是最好的。 Yahoo Maps has the best product for obtaining basic driving directions. Its Flash interface offers both multi-point directions and live traffic information. Want the directions sent to your cell phone? Click a button, enter the number and you have them. Yahoo also has a very responsive interface. Taking into account all of these factors, it’s the best for personal use. Ask Maps允许多点查询，Mapquest可以将路线信息发送到手机，当时没有公司同时提供这两种服务，并且Yahoo还同时提供了实时交通拥堵信息。 Ask Maps allows multipoint directions, and Mapquest will send directions to your phone, but no other service offers both. And Yahoo alone offers live traffic information. Ask Maps在加载的时候似乎比Yahoo和google的慢。Ask.com确实提供了一个被称为Auto-Drive的交通路线动画。 Ask Maps appeared to load a little slower than Yahoo and Google. Ask.com does offer a notable directions feature called Auto-Drive which animates the entire route. Unfortunately, Ask.com was the only service that provided inaccurate directions in our driving directions test. With Window Live Local the route from point-to-point is not marked with a line like its competitors. This made it difficult to see the actual route. Contrastingly, the service introduces a pushpin feature enabling viewer-determined points on a map. This feature also is a social twist as pushpin points of interest can be saved and shared with others via another feature called a scratch pad. § API Offering an API has become an invaluable marketing resource. The resulting mashup applications offer free marketing and buzz around a web 2.0 product. Mashups aside, mapping solutions in commercial use can have the same affect. Google sports the most popular map API and is used in a number of applications such as Ning, CommunityWalk and others. Google’s API isn’t the best, but it is by far the most used service for mashups. Expect that to change somewhat over time. Yahoo offers the widest selection of map development APIs (both Flash and Ajax). And recently, Zillow , with its fuzzy number Zestimates, incorporated the relatively new bird’s eye view offered by Windows Live Local via the Virtual Earth API. Mapquest also has recently featured an open API and even prodded developers to take action by creating a developers challenge contest. Amazon’s A9 Map Beta is a notable Mapquest implementation since it associates street level images with streets on a map to produce a unique mapping experience. Yahoo is the only service with mapping on web-enabled mobile devices without a download. Google Local Mobile Beta is a free downloadable mapping application, but it does not work on every mobile device or carrier. Mapquest Mobile is a subscription model which starts at $3.99 per month, but access to this service is also contingent on your mobile carrier and device. § Summary Mapquest is the most popular mapping service but lags on features and usability. Google is the most notable and has a ubiquitous API. Windows Live Local dazzles with its creative views and features but falls short of the others in direction functionality. Mapquest offers a number of features but still is missing satellite imagery, which makes it trail the competitors in core functionality. Ask Maps is a worthy competitor but had the highest error rate of the group. Overall, Yahoo Maps was by far the best application tested. Its fast Flash interface, multipoint directions, live traffic information, and easy send-to-mobile feature make it the hands down winner. It also features the most robust API options. Ask Maps, Google Maps, Live Local, Mapquest, Yahoo MapsTags: flash, ajax, maps, mapping, api, mashups, techcrunch, web2.0, web_2.0 Categories: Company & Product Profiles | Bookmark this post with del.icio.us Trackback: http://tb.donews.net/TrackBack.aspx?PostId=841542 |
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