If you were to do some research on a particular location you were going to visit, you will likely look it up on either Google or Bing to get an idea of what the location looks like. I personally will look up a spot on Bing Maps to get an idea of what my vacation spot will look like. Now Bing has become even better than before. Microsoft is taking the fight to Google with brand new streetside and high-resolution aerial imagery.
Streetside, for those that did not know, is Microsoft’s answer to Google’s street view. Microsoft has added new Streetside imagery for 64 new cities and 3D maps for 29 new cities. Streetside now surpasses 100 cities and the count of close-up views of your favorite places keeps on growing.
“Streetside provides a true-to-life view you can explore to get a feel for a place and plan your activities. Travel along streets, view storefronts and parks, and navigate to destinations without an address (or even street names) by using landmarks and familiar spots as visual cues. It’s easy to see where you want to be, so you’ll never be lost again! To provide this immersive 360-degree experience for even more areas, mobile Bing teams may soon be using a car-mounted camera to map public roads in your country, city, or community,” Microsoft explained.
You can view over 125 highly detailed 3D cities viewable through the Bing Maps Preview app available exclusively on Windows 8.1. On top of that, Microsoft has announced new high-resolution aerial imagery, which is Microsoft’s answer to Google’s satellite view. Microsoft has added new high-resolution images on Bing Maps for over 150 countries on every continent in the world. “Using a variety of sources from aircraft-mounted UltraCam Osprey cameras to satellite imagery from our partner Digital Globe, Bing Maps brings you high-resolution views of your favorite vacation spots,” Microsoft added.
Don’t worry about privacy either. Microsoft has deployed an “industry-leading image processing software” that automatically blurs faces and vehicle plates. On top of that, anyone can flag an image they feel is inappropriate or sensitive. Microsoft will then review and remove that flagged image if deemed sensitive or inappropriate.
While new high-resolution imagery is always welcome, Bing still has a ways to go to overshadow Google. Google’s Street View currently has imagery for more than 3,000 cities across 50 countries. You can head over to the VIA link below to check out the full list of cities that feature the new imagery.
