Microsoft has set its
sights on Google Maps, adding more than 165 terabytes of new satellite imagery to
Bing Maps. This is the biggest ever data release for Bing Maps, which had 129TB
of data at its disposal. Of course, Google isn’t standing pat; the company has added detailed 3D landmarks to
its service. Let’s take a head-to-head look at Google Maps and Bing Maps to see
which service provides a better view of various locations around the world.
Looking at the Hagia Spohia
museum in Istanbul, Google Maps’ satellite view has more vivid colors, but Bing
Maps has the upper hand when it comes to noticeable details, especially looking
at the intricacies of the roof. Winner:
Bing Maps
Schloss Moritzburg -- Germany
The Moritzburg castle in Germany
shines on Bing Maps, while Google Maps has washed out colors and lacks detail. Winner: Bing Maps
Durrat Al Bahrain -- Kingdom of
Bahrain
The stunning man-made islands in
Bahrain look good in both Bing and Google Maps, with a lot of visible detail,
though with a noticeable color reproduction difference. Winner: Tie
Fields near San Agustin
-- Andalusia, Spain
The fields near the Andalusian town of San Agustin are rich with
sharp details on Google Maps, but on Bing Maps the colors really pop out and
give it a more realistic feel. Winner:
Tie
Mendenhall Glacier -- Juneau, Alaska
The details, shadows and colors in Bing’s imagery of the
Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska are topping Google Maps, which has imagery on a
less sunny day it seems. Winner:
Bing Maps
Moroccan Mountains -- Assa, Morocco
Google and Bing have great imagery of the Moroccan mountains,
featuring the same level of details, but with noticeable color differences. Winner: Tie
Burj Khalifa -- Dubai, United Arab
Emirates
Strangely enough, Google Maps does not have very good satellite
imagery of the tallest building in the world. On Bing though, colors are vivid,
details are sharp and the buildings do not look slanted. Winner: Bing Maps
Taipei
101 -- Taiwan
Looking at another tall building, the Taipei 101, Google Maps has
better colors and more details, as Bing’s imagery looks like it caught some
haze on the lens. Winner:
Google Maps
Sarychevo Peak Volcano -- Sarychevo, Russia
Google Maps had a really bad day when snapping the Sarychevo Peak
Volcano in Russia. For some reason, the entire island is in a green hue, while
Bing showcases detailed color-accurate images of the volcano. Winner: Bing Maps
Oropeza -- Chuquisaca, Bolivia
The Oropeza Mountains in Bolivia look stunning in sharp imagery on
both Google Maps and Bing Maps. It looks like the images were taken at
different times of the year, yet both are very detailed. Winner: Tie
Bing Maps emerges on top, taking
five out of 10, with Google Maps getting one win to go with four ties.
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