Swiss map:
Map.search.ch is a project launched
in November 2004, way before all the Google maps&MSN virtual earth
bubble. As you can see if you visit the website, the level of detail is
absolutelly amazing, and from a usability point of view, I think that
it outclasses by far google maps or any similar project.
Try mouse clicking. Try right-clicking. Try scrolling the map; it's pre-fetched and extremelly fast. The quality of the satellite photos is far better compared to other similar maps around. The map integrates street names and local addresses. Nice URLs as well; in short usability at its best.
The developer behind it, Bernhard Seefeld used what these days we call AJAX to create this great tool. As you can see in the launch technical description on his blog, at that point he already solved concerns that these days AJAX raises (like the back-button compatibility): http://www.bernhardseefeld.ch/archives/000099.html ("Sorry to repeat myself, but the back button works! We're a bunch of web geek and it bothered us to write an application that breaks basic web principles, so we're especially glad, that we managed to build that in.").
Too bad it's only Swiss. I just hope this level of technology will get noticed by bigger companies and with proper investment, more European maps will come up.
Try mouse clicking. Try right-clicking. Try scrolling the map; it's pre-fetched and extremelly fast. The quality of the satellite photos is far better compared to other similar maps around. The map integrates street names and local addresses. Nice URLs as well; in short usability at its best.
The developer behind it, Bernhard Seefeld used what these days we call AJAX to create this great tool. As you can see in the launch technical description on his blog, at that point he already solved concerns that these days AJAX raises (like the back-button compatibility): http://www.bernhardseefeld.ch/archives/000099.html ("Sorry to repeat myself, but the back button works! We're a bunch of web geek and it bothered us to write an application that breaks basic web principles, so we're especially glad, that we managed to build that in.").
Too bad it's only Swiss. I just hope this level of technology will get noticed by bigger companies and with proper investment, more European maps will come up.
