A Streetside View of Redmond

You can now see a street-level view of downtown Redmond using the new version of Bing Maps. While you might have used the bird's eye views in Bing Maps, the new beta version provides a ground-level, or Streetside, view. Here’s a Streetside view of the Redmond Library:

To access the Streetside feature in Bing Maps, click on the Blue Man icon at the lower part of the map screen. If the feature is available for the map area, you can drag the man to a location on the map, and the map converts to a street-level view of the location. Once in Streetside mode, you can explore the location around you by using your mouse and the Streetside controls to change your location and viewing perspective.

This new mapping technology is built on Microsoft's Silverlight, which provides smooth scrolling for panning, as well as zooming in and out of locations. You will be prompted to install Silverlight if it hasn’t already been installed.

A growing number of U.S. locations are gaining Streetside capability — international locations will be available in the future. Here’s a Streetside view of the Fremont Troll in Seattle:

Photosynths
Photosynth images are also a key feature of Bing Maps. In simple terms, the Photosynth Web application allows you to take a collection of photos of the same scene or object and automagically stitch them all together into one big interactive 3D viewing experience that you can share with anyone on the web.

Here’s a photosynth of the climbing structure in Redmond’s Marymoor Park.

You can find out more about photosynths, including creating ones yourself, at Photosynth.net. Here’s one of more popular photosynths — Isa Khan Niyazi's Tomb in Delhi, India:

Isa Khan Niyazi was an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of Sur dynasty, who fought against the Mughals. This tomb was built in 1547, during his own lifetime, and later served as the burial place for the entire family of Isa Khan.

Other Blog Postings on Maps
Here’s a list of other Redmond Library blog postings on maps:

Is Your House on Google Street View?

Maps for the City of Redmond

Redmond Town Center: A View from Virtual Earth 3D

Exploring the Skies with the WorldWide Telescope

A bird's eye view of Redmond High School