Chris516

Has anyone tried to map out a new bike route with Google Maps 'street view' feature, only to find out that the 'street view' is out-of-date?

Would anyone know of a website where the 'street view' data is current?

To give you an idea of what I am referring to, near my locale is the 'intersection' of MD Rt. 355 and Watkins Mill Road. The present 'street view' is from two years ago, so it doesn't show the extension of Watkins Mill Rd. across MD Rt. 355. Since the road is being extended to eventually have a bridge that goes over the interstate, this is not the key to my question.

In preparing for a one-day round-trip bike ride north to the center of the next county, I noticed the same 'street view' problem. Some roads in my map presently don't show any shoulders. But since the pictures are two years old, I wondered if anyone had any ideas?

I don't use MapQuest because it doesn't presently have a bike tool, like Google Maps has.

Jamesw2

i use Ride with GPS https://ridewithgps.com/ Then I Google Earth the route then street view of places of concern. Usually I use my hybrid the first ride on a new route or a route check with the car.

sudo bike

Google is the best you're going to get. AFAIK, nobody else has taken the trouble to go and take pictures of every street in every city in America. Really, that alone is a major feat, and to expect one to be able to do that and keep it within a few years accuracy is a bit much to ask, especially for a free service.

You might get satellite imagery, but really, Google is about the best we've got, and it's pretty darned good compared to what we had only 10 years ago.

Chris516

I did a route on the website you provided. Thank you very much for the website. I will use Google Earth, once I re-install it. I only have my road bike. So unless the images of the roads are wrong, my tires should be fine.

shawmutt

Bing maps sometimes has more updated maps, but I don't think they have down to the street level.

Chris516

Hmmm.... Thank you for the input.

Chris516

Ok, I will give them a look. I did try Yahoo Maps. They were abysmal.

B. Carfree

My only problem with streetview is that it omits the best cycling roads, at least on the West Coast. I usually figure if it isn't shown, that's a good thing and I should ride on over and check it out for myself. Still, it would be nice if some of those very low/no traffic roads were included. It would only double their work.

Now, Google Maps is an entirely different matter. Where I live and ride it regularly shows roads that don't exist, which is rather annoying when you are assessing just how far on a high-speed shoulderless road frequented by barbarians one will have to ride. It does that one better by occasionally ignoring the existence of roads that do exist.

I guess they get a grade of 99.99%, which is pretty good for free.

Chris516

Are you referring to, it being despite turning on the feature for the traffic patterns in terms of high speed and low speed? Then again, that feature can be a little deceptive, as to what roads one is willing to ride on. Just as I had mentioned about Google Maps having pictures that were two years old. A 40mph road in a metropolitan area is no problem despite no shoulder. But a 40mph road in the country for several miles with no shoulder for an 'out', has me a little concerned. But, Like you, I am having to check it out myself.

sudo bike

I realized upon rereading that I may have come across as *****y, which wasn't my intention. Sorry if I was.

hagen2456

I agree 100%. Of course, it's a little annoying that it allready is slightly outdated in places, but most roads you're likely to use for biking will be in areas where things don't change much.

I've used it a lot for planning my biking in the Danish contryside. It's almost addictive to use...

Chris516

I should be the one to apologize. I know I didn't sound enthusiastic with your reply. It was because what you said is right, as far as picture data is concerned. Because all the others have seemed weak.

Chris516

That is very true. I find myself going back to Google every time. I even tried MapQuest. While they don't have a biking alternative in their transportation choices, they also don't have a lot of picture data.

LesterOfPuppets

I saw one of the Google Street View cars at the 7-11 by my place the other day. I should check the street views around here to see if they're fresh!

They also have at least one Street View ebike for covering MUPs.

Checked the local street view and Street View is pretty old around here. Satellite view is pretty fresh, though.

Bucko Mi

It takes awhile after they take the pictures to update their maps, a couple of months at least. I'm still waiting for my street to be updated, just started a bike ride when they went by back in the beginning of October,

JusticeZero

Maybe there is or will be some totalitarian dictatorship with an extremely technology savvy leader who cares about getting all the geographical information up to date on pain of death... No? Then be really happy that Google is as good as it is.

In the town my Dad lives in, he tried to use a GPS system. The official maps of the town he was in showed the highway as a power line, the power line as the highway, had the centerline of the road he lives on in his yard, and included the road that was made by the original surveyor when he was drunk off his sit bones at home surrounded by his partners Jack Daniels and Jimmy Bean on the clock claiming to be in the field. Someone actually built a road there, so that they could sell the properties off of the road online, but it is a rough gravel road that literally is at a 35-40 degree angle and can only be managed by a tracked vehicle or an ATV on a good day.

Those maps, in turn, had been taken directly from the munincipal (county) government, which was using them for taxes and planning and the like.

This isn't even an unusual thing. Google Maps is like, the best map data in the world in most cases.

Chris516

I looked at RWGPS again, and noticed the elevation tool!!(meant for pleasant surprise, not fear) It gives me a better idea of the elevation on the climbs along with the grade of the climb. I will also make use of Google Earth to check the route. Thanks again.

LesterOfPuppets

Yeah, I know. I'd reckon it takes a several months to process all the video (make sure it's linked to the satellite maps, blur out all the license plates, etc).

I wish I had saved the location I once came across where the Street Views car was shooting at night. I'd never seen that before!

matimeo

Do you have any idea how many resources are likely involved in taking pictures of every street in the United States- maybe outside too? Good heavens. Reminds me of what my daughters preschool teacher tells them. "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit." Its absolutely amazing to me that they can even do this at all. I think the up and coming generation just expects everything to be amazing and at their fingertips. Google maps is hands down the best out there.

Jamesw2

I also use the Terrain Map feature a fair amount of the time. When looking a the Tour de France routes Terrain maps has the pass names and i toggle between it and google earth

Chris516

Okeydokey

Seattle Forrest

Garmin sells BirdsEye satellite imagery for a song ... but you need a Garmin.

Chris516

Granted....WYSIWYG

At the same time, regardless of bike or motorized transportation, the accuracy(or lack thereof) of the 'street views' could potentially become a legal matter. Because, Google wants to promote the feature, they should have the accuracy to back it up. With the easy access(legal or not) to info courtesy of the Net, it shouldn't be too hard to keep the 'street views' current.

Take Nellis Air Force Base out in Nevada or Miranmar Marine Corps Base(Top Gun/Fighter Weapons School) in California. If one were to go by inaccurate 'street views', one could accidentally get directions with 'street views' of the respective fighter test ranges and/or stumble on to the test range itself.

Seattle Forrest

If you think it'd be easy to have accurate and up-to-date photography of everything that can be seen from the road system, it sounds like you've discovered a wonderful, under-tapped niche to compete with Google in.

Chris516

I checked Nellis Air Force Base and the pictures are current.