My Location in Google Maps

When getting directions on Google Maps, we suggest an origin or destination after you type the first few characters. But, we want to save you even more time by eliminating the need to type your current address each time. Today you can start using ‘My Location’ as a starting or ending point for your directions using the familiar ‘blue dot’ found in Google Maps for mobile.

Directions with ‘My Location’ enabled
Now when you get directions on Google Maps, you’ll see “My Location” in the starting location field. All that is left for you is to fill in the destination and hit “Get Directions”.

 

The first time you use “My Location,” your browser will ask you to allow Google Maps to get your approximate physical location. If you accept, the dot next to “My Location” will turn from grey to blue, indicating Google Maps has retrieved your current location.

Depending on your browser, you can choose to have Google Maps ask you every time you use the “My Location” feature, or to remember your setting for Google Maps. You can also always opt-out by revoking the permission in your browser’s settings.

This feature is possible thanks to modern browsers supporting the GeoLocation API. If you are using one of the supporting browsers–Firefox V3.5+, Google Chrome, Opera 10.6+, Internet Explorer 9.0+, and Safari 5–Google Maps can use this technology to approximate your current location and use it as an origin or destination point.

To help you manage your privacy, Google Maps does not save your location when you enable this feature. You can also easily turn off the “My Location” feature and control your browser’s ability to provide your location to Google Maps through the browser’s settings.

With “My Location”, a second or two saved every time you get directions on Google Maps can add up!

“Find My Friends” – The New iPhone App for Location Sharing

 

One of announcements from today’s Apple event was an interesting new app called Find My Friends.

The app lets you track the location of other users, but unlike Google’s Latitude, which is meant to be used with a wide circle of people you know, Apple’s app seems designed for use with a close circle of friends and family.

Apple’s examples of how the app can be used includes checking out if your son made it to school today.

Of course, not everyone wants to be tracked all the time, so Apple has included some privacy options, such as temporary location sharing. (For example, you can set up the app to share your location up until 7 p.m. each day.)

We can imagine a lot of parents will like the app, but a great deal of kids will probably hate it, or think of ways to circumvent this type of surveillance.

 

Sweden is hiding “secrets” visible from space

 

• Some of their “military secrets” are visible on Google Earth, but not on their local mapping sites (Hitta.se and Eniro.se).

• Google uses imagery from Lantmäteriet to cover parts of the country, and Lantmäteriet sensors some sensitive areas.
• There are two main underground control centers for Sweden’s air force; one is visible in Google Earth, the other isn’t.
• The one that is visible is because Google is using imagery from DigitalGlobe for that part of the country, and they’re not censoring it.

Stefan goes on to point out something even more interesting — historical imagery of the obscured area from a few years ago clearly reveals the facility, and the imagery was also from Lantmäteriet; they just weren’t obscuring it yet!

The bigger problem is the method of how the imagery is being obscured. In many cases, such as the Netherlands and the French nuclear plant we mentioned above, imagery is simply blurred to hide details of the buildings.

 

netherlands.jpg 

In the case of Sweden, the modify the imagery to look like fields and forests. While this could potentially help hide their secrets more effectively, it also puts into question the accuracy of all of their imagery.

Stefan shows the example of the village of Hästveda, seen below before and after the photoshopping that removed it from their imagery.

 

sweden.jpg