Google Maps Russia

Google Maps Russia, Moscow screenshot A Russian version of Google Maps was launched yesterday. Major cities — like Moscow, obviously — get building outlines and subway stations: the full, mature Google map treatment. Other cities — I tried Ufa, a city of one million in the Urals — only have major highways. The Moscow Times reports that a recent government directive lifting restrictions on precise geographical data enabled the site to be launched — or at least made its legal situation less tenuous. If the FSB shows up in Mountain View, we’ll know. Via Ogle Earth.

Posted on Friday, July 6, 2007 at 4:06 PM
Categories: Online Maps

« Previous Entry | July 2007 | Next Entry »

Comments

Interesting. It’s not clear why some cities get a proper grid map with street names, while others get just a satellite photo. For example, google maps gives you Moscow-style street maps for Samara and Kazan, which are comparable in size and status to Ufa, but not for the much larger city of Novosibirsk. My guess is that there was some obscure administrative impediment. That’s usually a safe guess in Russia. Ufa used to be a closed city - maybe it’s connected to that. You can, of course, buy a street map in Ufa for a few bucks.

[TypeKey Profile Page] DC | 07/11/2007 at 8:09 PM | #

This entry is more than 30 days old and is closed to new comments.

Comments on all entries are available via RSS.