Category Archives: Google LatLong Blog

News and notes by the Google Earth and Maps team

Know before you go, with Google

‘Tis the season for gift-giving, delicious dinners, and spending time with family and friends. That also means it's the season of crowded holiday shopping, travel planning and entertaining the in-laws. Never fear, Google is here to help you navigate some seasonal stress.

First up: crowd control. Since introducing the Popular Times feature in Google Search and Maps last year, you’ve been able to check how busy a place typically is at different times of the week. Just in time for the Black Friday swarms, we're adding a real-time look at how crowded a place is right now, to help you decide where and when to go. Whether you’re rushing to pick up a last minute gift or seeking a lively bar for some festive spirit, check Popular Times for a sneak preview of what to expect when you arrive.

livedata

Next up: time management. If you’re playing host for the day, you can also check and see how long people typically stay at a given location. That way you can plan your itinerary to the minute. After all, you want to be sure you leave enough time to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate at your local sweets shop before heading to your dinner reservations.  

Finally: department and service hours. Stores, businesses and restaurants can sometimes have multiple hours for different departments and special services. Now on Google, you have access to these various hours, so you’ll know what time to pop by the pharmacy at your local drugstore or supermarket, when food delivery begins at a nearby restaurant (for those not looking to cook!), and what the service hours are at the auto dealership to get your brakes checked before hitting the road to see family.

service hours

All these tips are just a tap away in Google Search and Maps. So shop, eat and be merry!

Source: Google LatLong


Know before you go, with Google

‘Tis the season for gift-giving, delicious dinners, and spending time with family and friends. That also means it's the season of crowded holiday shopping, travel planning and entertaining the in-laws. Never fear, Google is here to help you navigate some seasonal stress.

First up: crowd control. Since introducing the Popular Times feature in Google Search and Maps last year, you’ve been able to check how busy a place typically is at different times of the week. Just in time for the Black Friday swarms, we're adding a real-time look at how crowded a place is right now, to help you decide where and when to go. Whether you’re rushing to pick up a last minute gift or seeking a lively bar for some festive spirit, check Popular Times for a sneak preview of what to expect when you arrive.

Live-PTInDevice-SF_HlGrnY7_A.gif

Next up: time management. If you’re playing host for the day, you can also check and see how long people typically stay at a given location. That way you can plan your itinerary to the minute. After all, you want to be sure you leave enough time to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate at your local sweets shop before heading to your dinner reservations.  

Finally: department and service hours. Stores, businesses and restaurants can sometimes have multiple hours for different departments and special services. Now on Google, you have access to these various hours, so you’ll know what time to pop by the pharmacy at your local drugstore or supermarket, when food delivery begins at a nearby restaurant (for those not looking to cook!), and what the service hours are at the auto dealership to get your brakes checked before hitting the road to see family.

service hours

All these tips are just a tap away in Google Search and Maps. So shop, eat and be merry!

Source: Google LatLong


Thanksgiving turkey and traffic tips from Google Trends and Maps

Next week tens of millions of Americans will hit the road to spend Thanksgiving with loved ones near and far. So now’s the time to start planning your Thanksgiving celebration of food, family and football. From figuring out the best time to leave for grandma’s house to searching for the tastiest pumpkin pie recipe to wow your guests – Google’s your guide to a successful (and gluttonous) turkey day. Here’s a look at some of the top Thanksgiving searches on Google along with some handy holiday traffic tips and destination trends from Google Maps. For more, check out Google Trends.

Getting to the feast

To enjoy the Thanksgiving festivities, first you have to get where you’re going. We looked at historical Google Maps traffic data to help you hit the road and avoid Thanksgiving traffic gridlock. 

                                     thanksgivingtrends2.jpg

If you’re flying this Thanksgiving or just dropping off or picking up loved ones, get ready for the airport traffic. In cities with busy airports, airport traffic can be up to 60 percent worse than a normal workday. Here’s a cheat sheet on the best and worst traffic times around the top five busiest airports in the country.

                                     thanksgivingtrends1.jpg

Once you’re there, it’s all about the food (and drink)

Search interest in Thanksgiving-related terms has tripled since October, and within the next week, we expect it to more than double again. For a foodie holiday like Thanksgiving, we looked at the top trending recipes searches in the US and by state. If top searches are any indication of what you’ll find at your Thanksgiving dinner this year, get ready for roasted turkey with dressing, green bean casserole (love it or hate it), mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

                                             

                                              

                                              

But there's more to a meal than just the food. A great drink pairing can elevate any meal – a culinary secret that people using Google Maps know well. On the day before Thanksgiving, wine shops and liquor stores are the most queried  food and drink shopping locations on Google Maps.

                                       

Whether you’re hosting a friendsgiving, flying across the country, or just driving across town. Whether you’d rather bite into a pecan pie than a pumpkin pie. And whether you’re roasting a turkey, cooking a ham, or going meatless with a tofurkey. Happy Thanksgiving from Google.

Source: Google LatLong


Thanksgiving turkey and traffic tips from Google Trends and Maps

Next week tens of millions of Americans will hit the road to spend Thanksgiving with loved ones near and far. So now’s the time to start planning your Thanksgiving celebration of food, family and football. From figuring out the best time to leave for grandma’s house to searching for the tastiest pumpkin pie recipe to wow your guests – Google’s your guide to a successful (and gluttonous) turkey day. Here’s a look at some of the top Thanksgiving searches on Google along with some handy holiday traffic tips and destination trends from Google Maps. For more, check out Google Trends.

Getting to the feast

To enjoy the Thanksgiving festivities, first you have to get where you’re going. We looked at historical Google Maps traffic data to help you hit the road and avoid Thanksgiving traffic gridlock. 

                                     thanksgivingtrends2.jpg

If you’re flying this Thanksgiving or just dropping off or picking up loved ones, get ready for the airport traffic. In cities with busy airports, airport traffic can be up to 60 percent worse than a normal workday. Here’s a cheat sheet on the best and worst traffic times around the top five busiest airports in the country.

                                     thanksgivingtrends1.jpg

Once you’re there, it’s all about the food (and drink)

Search interest in Thanksgiving-related terms has tripled since October, and within the next week, we expect it to more than double again. For a foodie holiday like Thanksgiving, we looked at the top trending recipes searches in the US and by state. If top searches are any indication of what you’ll find at your Thanksgiving dinner this year, get ready for roasted turkey with dressing, green bean casserole (love it or hate it), mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

                                             

                                              

                                              

But there's more to a meal than just the food. A great drink pairing can elevate any meal – a culinary secret that people using Google Maps know well. On the day before Thanksgiving, wine shops and liquor stores are the most queried  food and drink shopping locations on Google Maps.

                                       

Whether you’re hosting a friendsgiving, flying across the country, or just driving across town. Whether you’d rather bite into a pecan pie than a pumpkin pie. And whether you’re roasting a turkey, cooking a ham, or going meatless with a tofurkey. Happy Thanksgiving from Google.

Source: Google LatLong


Project Sunroof New Data Explorer Tool

Google has always been a proponent of  clean energy, and solar power has been a central part of our vision. Over the past year, Project Sunroof has been helping homeowners explore whether they should go solar - offering solar estimates for over 43 million houses across 42 states. Solar installations today are growing rapidly, but there remains tremendous untapped potential as only a half a percent of US electricity comes from solar power.

Today we’re excited to be taking Project Sunroof a step further by launching a new data explorer tool to enable solar estimates for entire communities, in addition to individual homes, by leveraging 3D rooftop geometry from Google Earth to estimate the solar potential for millions of rooftops in America.  The tool helps communities, cities and municipalities easily visualize how many rooftops are suitable to install solar, how much power they could collectively generate, as well as how much carbon could be displaced by deploying rooftop solar at scale. Sunroof’s solar potential reports can also be easily shared amongst community members, researchers and policymakers directly from the the tool itself. Anyone can use this tool for free, by simply entering in a state, county, city, or zip code to receive a custom analysis.
Sunroof Image 1
Sunroof Image 2
Sunroof Image 3

Click here to see the solar potential of your community


Rooftop solar is a viable option for many cities today. Sunroof’s data explorer found that in more than 90% of communities that the tool covers within 42 states nationwide, well over half the rooftops are viable for solar. Today, cities like Denver and organizations like League of Cities see great value in using the data explorer tool to evaluate whether solar can drive economic savings and growth, as well as help transition energy consumption to lower carbon sources for their communities. Here’s what they have to say;

Cooper Martin, Program Director of the Sustainable Cities Institute,  League of Cities

“Our Sustainable Cities Institute program aims to provide guidance and information for governments that want to pursue sustainability and ensuring that solar is easy, fast and cheap to install. Sunroof's Data Explorer tool can help inform city stakeholders about the opportunity of solar energy, and the work that is needed to support solar-friendly policies. ”
Sunroof Image 4

Thomas J. Herrod, Climate and Policy analyst, City of Denver

“As a City with a bold and ambitious goal of reducing 80% of Greenhouse Gas emissions by the year 2050,  Project Sunroof data is a key tool in our arsenal of potential strategies.  Rooftop solar is already a viable option within Denver, but this tool helps us refine our efforts to ensure equity in our outreach, efficiency in our efforts, and measurement in our management resources.  Of equal importance is the ability to identify where rooftop solar may not be an option – helping us identify areas where other renewable energy programs offered by our Utility can fill the gap.  We are thrilled to be able to utilize Project Sunroof in our Climate mitigation efforts and help inform our community about the bountiful resource that renewable energy can provide.”

Mark Trout, CIO, Vivint

“In previous analysis we've done, comparing Project Sunroof data estimates to actual systems performing in the field, we've found Google's information to be a highly accurate source for predicting the solar performance of a rooftop system. At Vivint Solar we are constantly focusing on how to better delight our customers and advance the solar industry through leading innovation. Project Sunroof is a prime example how technology can improve the consumer experience and accelerate solar deployment here in the US.”

The release of the data explorer tool marks another milestone across the Project Sunroof initiative where the use of Google’s high quality information has the potential to accelerate the growth of solar by capturing the public imagination, and helping communities make smarter decisions in their transition to cleaner power sources.

Source: Google LatLong


Project Sunroof New Data Explorer Tool

Google has always been a proponent of  clean energy, and solar power has been a central part of our vision. Over the past year, Project Sunroof has been helping homeowners explore whether they should go solar - offering solar estimates for over 43 million houses across 42 states. Solar installations today are growing rapidly, but there remains tremendous untapped potential as only a half a percent of US electricity comes from solar power.

Today we’re excited to be taking Project Sunroof a step further by launching a new data explorer tool to enable solar estimates for entire communities, in addition to individual homes, by leveraging 3D rooftop geometry from Google Earth to estimate the solar potential for millions of rooftops in America.  The tool helps communities, cities and municipalities easily visualize how many rooftops are suitable to install solar, how much power they could collectively generate, as well as how much carbon could be displaced by deploying rooftop solar at scale. Sunroof’s solar potential reports can also be easily shared amongst community members, researchers and policymakers directly from the the tool itself. Anyone can use this tool for free, by simply entering in a state, county, city, or zip code to receive a custom analysis.
Sunroof Image 1
Sunroof Image 2
Sunroof Image 3

Click here to see the solar potential of your community


Rooftop solar is a viable option for many cities today. Sunroof’s data explorer found that in more than 90% of communities that the tool covers within 42 states nationwide, well over half the rooftops are viable for solar. Today, cities like Denver and organizations like League of Cities see great value in using the data explorer tool to evaluate whether solar can drive economic savings and growth, as well as help transition energy consumption to lower carbon sources for their communities. Here’s what they have to say;

Cooper Martin, Program Director of the Sustainable Cities Institute,  League of Cities

“Our Sustainable Cities Institute program aims to provide guidance and information for governments that want to pursue sustainability and ensuring that solar is easy, fast and cheap to install. Sunroof's Data Explorer tool can help inform city stakeholders about the opportunity of solar energy, and the work that is needed to support solar-friendly policies. ”
Sunroof Image 4

Thomas J. Herrod, Climate and Policy analyst, City of Denver

“As a City with a bold and ambitious goal of reducing 80% of Greenhouse Gas emissions by the year 2050,  Project Sunroof data is a key tool in our arsenal of potential strategies.  Rooftop solar is already a viable option within Denver, but this tool helps us refine our efforts to ensure equity in our outreach, efficiency in our efforts, and measurement in our management resources.  Of equal importance is the ability to identify where rooftop solar may not be an option – helping us identify areas where other renewable energy programs offered by our Utility can fill the gap.  We are thrilled to be able to utilize Project Sunroof in our Climate mitigation efforts and help inform our community about the bountiful resource that renewable energy can provide.”

Mark Trout, CIO, Vivint

“In previous analysis we've done, comparing Project Sunroof data estimates to actual systems performing in the field, we've found Google's information to be a highly accurate source for predicting the solar performance of a rooftop system. At Vivint Solar we are constantly focusing on how to better delight our customers and advance the solar industry through leading innovation. Project Sunroof is a prime example how technology can improve the consumer experience and accelerate solar deployment here in the US.”

The release of the data explorer tool marks another milestone across the Project Sunroof initiative where the use of Google’s high quality information has the potential to accelerate the growth of solar by capturing the public imagination, and helping communities make smarter decisions in their transition to cleaner power sources.

Source: Google LatLong


Ok Google, cast your spell

Now anyone can try their hand at magic with a little help from Google and the new Warner Bros. Pictures film set in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Taking place decades before Harry Potter first arrives at Hogwarts, “Fantastic Beasts” follows the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander in a whole new era of the wizarding world — New York in 1926.

If you want to try being a wizard, try casting spells on your Android phone: Just say “Ok Google” followed by “Lumos” or “Nox” to turn your flashlight on and off. Try “Silencio” to silence the ringer and notifications.

FantasticBeasts_Lights.gif

You can also explore the world of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” with Google Street View. Visit New York in 1926 as brought to life in the film, as well as the real locations today. Fans can visit MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA); Steen National Bank, where Newt first meets Jacob Kowalski; the underground speakeasy The Blind Pig; and the magical apartment of Tina and Queenie Goldstein, two of the film’s key characters.

FantasticBeasts_ApartmentSV.gif

Once you’ve mastered charms and found the lay of the land, help Newt find his escaped beasts before they come to harm in a city already on edge from dark forces. Using our new Daydream View virtual reality headset, you can wave a wand to explore the magic of Newt’s case, a treasure trove full of everything he needs to cast spells, solve puzzles and find his beasts. The experience will be available when Daydream View goes on sale in November.

FantasticBeasts_DaydreamDemo.gif

Don’t forget to share your adventures with your friends by downloading an exclusive “Fantastic Beasts” sticker pack (coming soon) in our messaging app, Google Allo. You can also watch content inspired by the wizarding world from your favorite YouTube creators starting November 1.

To start your journey and discover more magic with Newt and friends, visit g.co/fantasticbeasts. “Fantastic Beasts” is in cinemas in November.

Source: Google LatLong


Cast a spell with Google and Warner Bros. Pictures

Now anyone can try their hand at magic with a little help from Google and the new Warner Bros. Pictures film set in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Taking place decades before Harry Potter first arrives at Hogwarts, “Fantastic Beasts” follows the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander in a whole new era of the wizarding world — New York in 1926.

If you want to try being a wizard, try casting spells on your Android phone: Just say “Ok Google” followed by “Lumos” or “Nox” to turn your flashlight on and off. Try “Silencio” to silence the ringer and notifications.

FantasticBeasts_Lights.gif

You can also explore the world of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” with Google Street View. Visit New York in 1926 as brought to life in the film, as well as the real locations today. Fans can visit MACUSA (Magical Congress of the USA); Steen National Bank, where Newt first meets Jacob Kowalski; the underground speakeasy The Blind Pig; and the magical apartment of Tina and Queenie Goldstein, two of the film’s key characters.

FantasticBeasts_ApartmentSV.gif

Once you’ve mastered charms and found the lay of the land, help Newt find his escaped beasts before they come to harm in a city already on edge from dark forces. Using our new Daydream View virtual reality headset, you can wave a wand to explore the magic of Newt’s case, a treasure trove full of everything he needs to cast spells, solve puzzles and find his beasts. The experience will be available when Daydream View goes on sale in November.

FantasticBeasts_DaydreamDemo.gif

Don’t forget to share your adventures with your friends by downloading an exclusive “Fantastic Beasts” sticker pack (coming soon) in our messaging app, Google Allo. You can also watch content inspired by the wizarding world from your favorite YouTube creators starting November 1.

To start your journey and discover more magic with Newt and friends, visit g.co/fantasticbeasts. “Fantastic Beasts” is in cinemas in November.

Source: Google LatLong


Spooky Street View Treats

Whether you’re dressed like the divine or the spookiest kind, get ready for some of Street View’s most frightening and freakiest finds.

Few places have more horrors than the Amsterdam Dungeons in the Netherlands. Enter the Dungeon and descend into the vaults for an unworldly immersive experience where actors take you through some of Amsterdam’s most terrifying tales. Quick, get your ticket! It’s a grueling good time.
Amsterdam Dungeons

Amsterdam Dungeons, Netherlands

If you like to feel shivers up your spine from a ghost trailing not so far behind, head over to the Winchester Mystery House in California, for a real twisted time. Mrs. Sarah L. Winchester built this creepy estate to escape ghosts that haunted her after the death of her husband a child. This one of a kind mansion contains miles of twisting hallways, scattered with secret passageways hidden in the walls. It’s said that Mrs. Winchester traveled through the corridors in a roundabout fashion, to confuse any mischievous ghosts that might be following.

Winchester Mystery House, California USA

Winchester Mystery House, California USA

Haw Par Villa in Singapore is not your average theme park. Limbless rats, frogs riding ostriches, and the Ten Courts of Hell depicted by more than 1,000 statues and brightly painted dioramas, make up a gruesome recreation of the afterlife. A stroll through this disturbing park is an education in morality complete with morbid visuals, sure to to deter anyone from misbehaving.

Haw Par Villa, Singapore
Haw Par Villa, Singapore

No chilling tour is complete without a visit to the home of the deceased. The Cemetery of Dissidents is located on the Panteón hill, at one side of the old city jail, in Valparaíso, Chile. It was created in 1825 to hold the remains of those that differed from the official religion of the State. Take a stroll through the grounds and see tombstones that mince no words in revealing the adventurous lives and often dramatic deaths of its deceased residents.

Cementerio de Disidentes, Valparaiso Chile
Cementerio de Disidentes, Valparaiso Chile

You made it through the spookiest, the creepiest and the weepiest, so it’s now time to celebrate with some terrifying tunes! Wipe off that dusty cobweb covered boombox, throw your magic dancing shoes on, and join the monsters, the zombies and the vampires for a mashing good time. Happy Halloween!

Source: Google LatLong


Spooky Street View Treats

Whether you’re dressed like the divine or the spookiest kind, get ready for some of Street View’s most frightening and freakiest finds.

Few places have more horrors than the Amsterdam Dungeons in the Netherlands. Enter the Dungeon and descend into the vaults for an unworldly immersive experience where actors take you through some of Amsterdam’s most terrifying tales. Quick, get your ticket! It’s a grueling good time.

Amsterdam Dungeons

Amsterdam Dungeons, Netherlands

If you like to feel shivers up your spine from a ghost trailing not so far behind, head over to the Winchester Mystery House in California, for a real twisted time. Mrs. Sarah L. Winchester built this creepy estate to escape ghosts that haunted her after the death of her husband a child. This one of a kind mansion contains miles of winding hallways, scattered with secret passageways hidden in the walls. It’s said that Mrs. Winchester traveled through the corridors in a roundabout fashion, to confuse any mischievous ghosts that might be following.

Winchester Mystery House, California USA

Winchester Mystery House, California USA

Haw Par Villa in Singapore is not your average theme park. Limbless rats, frogs riding ostriches, and the Ten Courts of Hell depicted by more than 1,000 statues and brightly painted dioramas, make up a gruesome recreation of the afterlife. A stroll through this disturbing park is an education in morality complete with morbid visuals, sure to to deter anyone from misbehaving.

Haw Par Villa, Singapore
Haw Par Villa, Singapore

No chilling tour is complete without a visit to the home of the deceased. The Cemetery of Dissidents is located on the Panteón hill, at one side of the old city jail, in Valparaíso, Chile. It was created in 1825 to hold the remains of those that differed from the official religion of the State. Take a stroll through the grounds and see tombstones that mince no words in revealing the adventurous lives and often dramatic deaths of its deceased residents.

Cementerio de Disidentes, Valparaiso Chile
Cementerio de Disidentes, Valparaiso Chile

You made it through the spookiest, the creepiest and the weepiest, so it’s now time to celebrate with some terrifying tunes! Wipe off that dusty cobweb covered boombox, throw your magic dancing shoes on, and join the monsters, the zombies and the vampires for a mashing good time. Happy Halloween!

Source: Google LatLong