In 1996, the world’s global positioning system (GPS) became fully operational. The system was developed by the United States Department of Defense for military use but was ultimately opened up to public use. While civilians had access to a rudimentary version of GPS since the 1980s, it didn’t really take off until the internet began to come of age.
Then, in the mid-2000s, internet navigation went through a series of improvements. First, MapQuest and similar services allowed users to plug in their starting point and their destination and get turn-by-turn directions which could be printed out and taken with you. Suddenly, people had access to reliable maps which were up-to-date and specific to the trip they were planning to take. Then standalone GPS devices and integration with smartphones made looking up directions in advance a thing of the past.
Google was among the players who jumped into the digital map space with Google Maps which, as the name suggests, gives users access to up-to-date maps of pretty much any place on Earth. A few months after its release, Google launched Google Earth, which gathers satellite data to give users a bird’s eye view of the entire planet, save for a few underexplored or secret locations.
In addition to the free version, Google offered a business-oriented Pro version with some additional features, as a subscription option. As of 2017, that version became the standard, which everyone has access to for free.
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