Feeling lost without streetdirectory.com?

[Ccssgm]

TIME to change your bookmark.

 

A slew of new online maps are now providing directions for users in Singapore - without putting them on the wrong side of any copyright law.

 

The new kid on the block is StreetDB.com, a joint venture between two local firms: Agis, a map solutions provider, and property portal SingaporeExpats.com. It was launched last month.

 

Maps on StreetDB.com are free for personal and non-commercial use. Companies, on the other hand, pay a fee - starting from $250 a year - to replicate its maps on their websites.

 

The timing was uncanny - in April, the once-popular Streetdirectory.com was taken down following a High Court order as its maps were found to have infringed Singapore Land Authority's copyrights.

 

Many users were initially left with poor alternatives. But no longer.

 

A worthy rival can be found in StreetDB.com, which maintained that its site is the culmination of a year's planning.

 

Like the previous maps at Streetdirectory.com, StreetDB.com allows users to search a location by postal code or building or street names.

 

Users can check - among other things - where a nearby bus stop is, the bus numbers in service and where the closest ATM machines and cinemas are.

 

Those looking for driving directions will also be pleased.

 

Once users enter the start and end points of their journey on StreetDB.com, they will get detailed instructions - in separate, thumbnail-sized maps - at every turn with distance estimates.

 

Last month, StreetDB.com clocked 96,800 visitors and 465,000 page views.

 

But the drawback of the portal is that users will not be able to see some commercial buildings and private estates.

 

For instance, a search for "The Hillside" at Upper Bukit Timah Road shows only a mark over where the condominium is located. There is no building or shape that denotes the condominium site.

 

A search for "210 Turf Club Road" also shows a scanty map of the area, which now houses rows of used-car showrooms.

 

Agis recognises the limitations of its product, but said this problem will go away in six months.

 

"We are in talks with the Singapore government on a licensing deal to plug information gaps in our maps," said Sunny Lim, director of Agis.

 

The eight-year-old firm currently supplies mapping solutions to mobile handset makers like Samsung, Asus and WMG, as well as global positioning system (GPS) device makers Packard Bell and Alpine Electronics.

 

Its maps are updated as often as once a week by a team of 10 people here, including those who rasterise graphics (convert an image into points on a grid). At the very least, every part of Singapore is surveyed once every six months.

 

Other online directories

 

Rednano.sg

 

Launched in mid-March, this online street directory features maps that allow users to zoom and pan. Its maps are licensed from V3 Teletech, a reseller of Singapore Land Authority's (SLA) data.

 

Search by postal code, building or street names.

 

Drivers looking for directions to get from point A to B can choose whether they want the quickest or the shortest routes.

 

The quickest route is calculated based on the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) traffic information - displayed on a left navigation panel on the map section of the Rednano.sg site. Traffic conditions are updated every 15 minutes.

 

The quickest route is probably the most expensive as it may involve going through several road toll gantries as speed is the main criteria of the search.

 

The shortest route search, by default, avoids road toll gantries as much as possible. This route is calculated based on distance and the number of traffic lights.

 

StreetMap@Singapore

 

This site is operated by the SLA (www.map.gov.sg/streetmap).

 

It is the most updated where buildings and roads are concerned. This is because SLA gets instant feedback from other government agencies like the Buildings and Construction Authority and the Land Transport Authority on new roads and buildings.

 

But the site is not intuitive. A search for "210 Turf Club Road" or "Turf Club Road" shows no results. But a search for "The Hillside" yields a comprehensive map of the area.

 

The site is also a tad slow.

 

[/color]Google Maps

 

Here, (maps.google.com) you will also find driving directions. Its plus points are ease of use and openness.

 

Unlike other online options, Google's application programming interfaces (APIs) are open. Because of that, anyone can add meaning to its maps by creating mash-ups that combine data from multiple sources. The result: a customised map product for users of similar interests.

 

A good example of a Google Maps mash-up is SinGeo (www.singeo.com.sg). Users can view even esoteric data like dengue hot spots, off-road bike trails and free Wi-Fi zones overlaid on the map of Singapore.

 

But most buildings are not reflected.

 

GPS Is Better

[Jeffang]

they have change to this!

 

http://www.streetdb.com/

[Yaloryalor]

I just tried it, good!

[Nullifi3d]

They still don't have the "Bus/MRT" directions yeah?

[Ccssgm]

That Great