Maps: search places, get directions and explore the world

Maps is a map of the whole world that you can search, get directions on and explore. Look up an address, a business or a city, find coffee or gas around you, plan a trip with several stops, or switch to satellite, terrain, 3D and live views such as weather radar and earthquakes.

Maps is available on 4Search and 4Conservative.

#The Maps screen

Open the Maps tab, or go to Maps directly. Every Maps page has the same parts.

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• The search box at the top looks for places, addresses and kinds of places. The diamond-shaped button at its right end opens Directions.
• The ribbon under the service tabs lists Explore (the Maps home), Directions, Saved, the types of map (Satellite, Terrain, Weather radar and the rest), Data centers and World. It scrolls sideways; use the arrows at its ends.
• The side panel shows whatever you are looking at: search results, a place, a route. The small arrow on its edge hides it to give the map the whole width, and shows it again.
• The map controls at the bottom right show your location, tilt the map, turn it back to north and zoom in and out.
• The Layers button at the bottom left changes the map type and turns layers on and off.

On a phone the panel becomes a sheet at the bottom of the screen that you drag up and down. See Map controls and gestures.

#What you can do

You can also ask for a map from the ordinary search box: a search such as boston map or directions from boston to worcester shows a Maps card above the results. See Find places and addresses.

Open Maps

#Where the information comes from

Maps is built from free and public sources, and each one is credited on the page that uses it.

• The map itself, its streets, buildings, businesses and opening hours, comes from OpenStreetMap, a world map drawn by volunteers. That is why you will see a Report a map error link: anyone can correct it there.
• Cities, towns, U.S. ZIP codes and country facts come from GeoNames, an open list of places.
• Short descriptions and photos of places come from Wikipedia.
• Satellite and aerial pictures come from NASA, the European Space Agency and national mapping agencies, such as the U.S. Geological Survey for the United States.
• Live maps come from U.S. government agencies: weather radar from NOAA, earthquakes from the U.S. Geological Survey, wildfires from the National Interagency Fire Center and air quality from AirNow.
• Directions are worked out by 4Search on OpenStreetMap's roads and paths. They assume normal traffic.

The full list, with each source's licence, is on About these maps, linked at the foot of every panel. See Map data and credits.