Microsoft Hotmap for Virtual Earth

Posted on Thursday, July 19 2007 @ 0:27 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Microsoft released a new service called Hotmap, this shows you where people have looked at when using Virtual Earth, the engine that powers Live Search Maps.

The darker a point appears on the map, the more times it has been viewed.
Each square represents one unit of imagery, called a "tile". When the program starts, it shows tiles at zoom level 11, which has tiles at a resolution of 74 meters-per-pixel. At the closest in, Virtual Earth has tiles at zoom level 19, 0.3 meters-per-pixel. You can look at higher- or lower-resolution points with the "select data level" indicator at the top.

A sample of imagery and a relative sense of what was in a given spot is available at each scale by right-clicking on the map. The "locator map" shows imagery at the specific point clicked.

This data is based on a sample of tile logs on servers from January through July of 2006; it is not live. It combines server hits from road, aerial, and hybrid imagery in one view.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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