A new mapping site on MSN will combine detailed street maps, satellite and aerial photographs, search functionality, and user annotations. Available in beta in summer 2005, MSN Virtual Earth will be a major improvement over MSN's current mapping site, and it will place competitive pressure on mapping sites such as MapQuest and Google Maps. However, the existence of a free service with so much functionality could reduce demand for Streets and Trips, Microsoft's desktop mapping application for consumers.

Satellite and Aerial Photos

MSN Virtual Earth will eventually replace the current MSN Maps site and will include the following improvements over that site:

Photographic images. Virtual Earth will offer satellite photographs from Microsoft's TerraServer, a project that Microsoft Research created in 1998 to show how SQL Server can store large amounts of visual and geographic data. Virtual Earth users can also view a street map superimposed on the satellite map. In contrast, Google Maps, which added satellite photographs in spring 2005 based on its Oct. 2004 acquisition of Keyhole, forces users to toggle back and forth between images.

In fall 2005, Virtual Earth will add close-range aerial photographs from Pictometry. (Microsoft has entered a five-year licensing agreement with the company.) Unlike the satellite shots, these photographs are taken at 45-degree angles, making it easier to identify landmarks. Users will be able to view the same locale from several different angles and zoom in on the photographs to the point where four average-sized houses will appear on the screen. Microsoft says it will use dithering technology developed by Microsoft Research to obscure images that could compromise privacy, such as faces or car license plates. Currently, Pictometry has photographs covering 10 major urban areas in the United States.

Search. Virtual Earth users will be able to conduct searches on business names or keywords (such as "gas stations") and see relevant locations pinpointed on the map; search data will come from the Near Me function on MSN Search. Although Google Maps offers a similar feature, Virtual Worlds will have a more flexible interface and will offer more functions. For example, users will be able to conduct multiple searches and store the results in a separate pane, then toggle between the results on the map, send them to an e-mail address, or post them on an MSN Spaces Weblog ("blog").

Street map interface. Like the current MSN Maps site, Virtual Earth will offer detailed street maps based on information in Microsoft's MapPoint Web Service, which is continually updated with basic geographic data from Geographic Data Technology (GDT) and Navigation Technologies (NAVTECH), and business listings and points of interest from these companies plus Acxiom and Woodalls. However, the actual maps on the new site are being redesigned—for instance, street names will appear in different font sizes depending on the scale of the map. Also, instead of having to use arrows on the edge of the pane to change the location of the map, users will be able to "drag" the map with the mouse (a feature that Google Maps offers), move the scroll wheel on their mouse, or use a controller on the map itself.

Annotations. Although not available at launch, Virtual Worlds will eventually allow users to post notes about locations. Users will be able to control which annotations they see based on subject matter, popularity, and the reliability rating of the user who posted the note (voted on by other users).

90-day updates. According to Virtual Earth Lead Product Manager Mark Law, the company is planning a "major release" of Virtual Earth every 90 days, as opposed to annually like most MSN Web sites.

The idea for Virtual Earth came from the MapPoint product team and has been germinating for more than a year, but the company approved the site for development in Feb. 2005—right around the time Google Maps launched. In general, MSN has tried to match Google feature-for-feature over the last couple of years, building its own search engine (instead of relying on third parties) and launching news aggregation and blogging sites, among other examples. Based on early demonstrations, Virtual Earth will place Microsoft at the forefront of free online mapping services, although competitors will almost certainly respond with their own upgrades.

Microsoft may eventually incorporate features from the service into its other mapping products but has given no timeline to complete this work. For example, Microsoft's MapPoint Web Service, which lets developers include location-based information in corporate applications and Web sites, could eventually allow developers to incorporate photographs from TerraServer and Pictometry and user annotations from Virtual Earth.

MSN Maps is at www.mappoint.com and will remain live for some time after Virtual Earth launches.

TerraServer is at terraserver.microsoft.com.

Pictometry is at pictometry.com.