Know the traffic to speed up your trips in new cities with Google Maps

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We may not be able to eliminate the bottlenecks that plague rush hours worldwide, but since launching our live traffic feature in 2008 we’ve been working to make the traffic information in Google Maps even more comprehensive and accurate to help you speed up your trips. Today, we’re expanding this coverage for the first time to more than 130 smaller cities across the United States as well as the capitals of Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Now the streets of Bogotá, San José, and Panama City and the arterial roads in Kalamazoo (Michigan), Portland (Maine), Tuscaloosa (Alabama) and many more cities will include real-time current traffic conditions as well as estimated travel times. Whether you’re online on your home computer ensuring no unexpected snarls await your drive to the airport or you’ve been stuck behind a line of cars for a few minutes and can ask your friend in the passenger seat to check whether it’ll clear up just around the bend, we hope these updates save you time and stress when getting to your destination.



San Jose, Panama City, Bogota traffic conditions on Google Maps for Android
In addition we’ve improved and expanded our coverage in parts of Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. For an overview of cities with traffic data you can go here.

See traffic conditions in your city and cities around the world
To check traffic conditions on either your Android device or through your web browser, here’s a quick tutorial:


Remember, you can help your fellow drivers and improve traffic data by using Google Navigation or Google Maps for Mobile while traveling. Drive safely!

Posted by Raphaël Marinier, Software Engineer, Google Maps

Floods in the Philippines: Google Person Finder, landing page with emergency information

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A devastating Southwest Monsoon hit the Island of Luzon, Philippines, yesterday, triggering major flooding. The Crisis Response team has collected resources on to a new page to help in the aftermath of the floods, with information in both Filipino and English. The site features emergency contact information and links, a new instance of Google Person Finder, a map of shelter locations and flood information, and the latest news, powered by Google News and YouTube.


Person Finder helps people submit or search for information about loved ones who may have been affected. The tool’s been translated into Filipino and can easily be embedded on any site:



We’re also able to share a map showing the locations of shelters and the extent of the flood, with real-time information from Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards): 
View in a larger size. This map will continue to be updated with additional information.
We hope that those affected find the tools and information useful. Check back, as we’ll be updating the landing page and maps with more information as it becomes available.

Posted by Aileen Apolo, on behalf of Google APAC and the Google Crisis Response team

Add your knowledge to the Poland and Ukraine maps

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Digital maps reflect our real world. As the places around us evolve and change, so should our maps. With Google Map Maker - a product that enables people to add to and update the map for locations around the world - you can help ensure the accuracy of the places you care about most as seen by millions on Google Maps. Today, Google Map Maker has become available in Ukraine and Poland. They join the 200 countries and regions already available, and bring us two steps closer to building the most comprehensive world map possible.


From the peaks of Ukraine’s Hoverla mountains to Poland’s cheerful Baltic coastline, you can now contribute your local knowledge to help create a more complete and accurate map of Europe. Whether you want to add a place, provide details for a driving route, outline a building footprint, or make corrections based on recent changes, you can make sure your community is up to date on Google Maps.

Begin in your neighborhood by updating the cycling paths through your local park, or adding recreational sites along the way. Try mapping the local soccer stadium or add details to the architectural or historic destinations throughout your city. Once approved, your contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile within minutes. You can also join with other local mappers to share your regional expertise and review one another’s contributions to the map.

The area around the Olympic Stadium in Wroclaw comes to life in Google Maps.
We welcome both residents and folks who are familiar with Poland and Ukraine to the team of citizen cartographers across the globe who are continuing to build the map of the world. To learn more, subscribe to the Map Maker YouTube Channel or watch others map in real-time for ideas on the types of details and additions you can make to the map. Happy mapping!

Posted by Anand Srinivasan, Tech Lead, Google Map Maker

Fly through Seattle and Denver with new 3D imagery on Google Earth for mobile

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Less than two months ago, we announced a new way to fly through full metropolitan areas in 3D with Google Earth as a step in our quest to build the most comprehensive and accurate maps. We’ve recently expanded this new imagery to the latest iPads and iPhones, and today we’ve released new 3D imagery of Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington to help you better explore and tour both cities via your iOS and Android devices.

Having grown up in Colorado and visited Seattle several times, this is particularly exciting for me. Now I can head on over to Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners, to revisit the diamond where I’ve watched games in the past.

Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington
Another great way to spend a day when visiting Seattle is walking along the shoreline, home of many iconic Seattle landmarks. Three of my favorite spots to visit are the Pike Place, the Seattle Public Library and of course, the Space Needle.

Downtown Seattle, Washington
A bit closer to home, it’s now possible to get a unique perspective on some local landmarks. For example, the amazing Denver Art Museum, with its seemingly impossible angles.

Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado
You can also head north to visit the Wells Fargo Center, which has inspired debate about what shape it presents. Is it a mailbox or a cash register? My vote is for mailbox.

Wells Fargo Center (left) in downtown Denver, Colorado
We hope you enjoy these new additions to Google Earth for mobile. Being able to provide you with this comprehensive 3D experience is possible because of advanced image processing and the use of 45-degree aerial imagery. If you don’t have the latest version of the Google Earth app for iOS or Android, be sure to update so you can check out this spectacular new 3D imagery!

Posted by Adam Hecht, Geo Program Manager

See Rebuilding in New Orleans Through Updated Street View Imagery

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New Orleans is a uniquely American city. It’s a place with indigenous culture, heart, and soul with our own music, cuisine, and architecture. You can really see and feel its originality and personality walking around our historic streets. In 2008, as Louisiana’s Lieutenant Governor, I had the pleasure of writing about Street View imagery becoming available for our state. Now, as mayor of New Orleans, I'm excited to announce an update of Street View imagery for our region that helps show the rest of the world that New Orleans, and all of Louisiana, are not just rebuilding what was, but we’re also preparing for our future by building back stronger and better than before.

Nearly 7 years after Hurricane Katrina and the federal levee failures in 2005, the resilient people of New Orleans are making remarkable progress. The Street View imagery in Google Maps, which has just been updated today, more accurately reflects the major construction and renewal that’s underway. It’s everywhere you look, from the nearly 2-mile long, 26-foot-high Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) Hurricane Protection Barrier to the major construction near downtown that will be the future site of two hospitals and a biomedical research corridor.

As reflected in the Street View imagery, you can also see the major investment being made to revitalize playgrounds, community centers, roads, and parks, like historic Congo Square in Armstrong Park -- the "birthplace of jazz".



View Larger Map
Louis Armstrong Park

Beyond the refreshed, more accurate Street View imagery you can see in Google Maps, you can also sense the incredible spirit of the people who have made our recovery possible. New Orleans is now a hub of entrepreneurship and innovation, and it was found to be the fastest-growing city in America by the U.S. Census. We are hard at work physically rebuilding schools, improving what happens inside the classroom to close the achievement gap for inner city youth, and making progress on education reform. New Orleans was named #1 in America’s Biggest Brain Magnets by Forbes, and Tulane University (which is a special collection in today’s release of Street View imagery) is ranked amongst the top schools in the U.S.



View Larger Map
Tulane University

Other important locations in New Orleans now visible directly in Google Maps include Woldenberg Park, Audubon Park, and Lafayette Square. Google has also updated imagery across the state of Louisiana including the cities of Baton Rouge and Lafayette.

New restaurants continue to open in New Orleans, we’re transforming city government, attracting major new corporations, and hosting international sporting events. Our city welcomed nearly 9 million tourists last year, and many more are on the way as we prepare for the 2013 Super Bowl at our newly-renovated Mercedes-Benz Superdome and dozens of other global events.



View Larger Map
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
We invite you to take a look at the updated Street View imagery of Louisiana to see, appreciate, and celebrate the progress in neighborhoods here in New Orleans and across the entire state. And I welcome you to come experience the sights, sounds, and soul of New Orleans for yourself once you’ve gotten a virtual preview to whet your appetite.

Posted by Mayor Mitch Landrieu, City of New Orleans