Real World in the Virtual World

Finding a location in a city was never easy as it is today. Without stopping at a paan shop or a kiosk on a high way, you can reach your destination. You have to access an Internet-enabled laptop or smart phone. Hundreds of applications in the virtual world can show you the routes to your destination.

 You can see city maps, road routes, mountain ranges, oceans, rivers, etc. Google Earth is one of the most famous websites. Many versions of this application are available such as desktop, mobile and online versions. Many applications of this kind facilitate 3D images too.

Suppose you are looking for an ATM in a particular area, say Rasulgarh. You can access websites such as mapmyindia.com and click on ‘Places’ tab. Type ATM into the dialogue box on the left and write the name of the area (Rasulgarh) in the box on the right. Press Enter. The result will provide you with a list of ATMs in Rasulgarh area. Similarly you can find restaurants, petrol pumps, temples, spas, etc. The website also provide GPS (Global Positioning System) devices for locating places and getting directions. Such applications can be used on smart phones or GPS devices. 

Apart from this, there are a few website where you can type in the names of your destination and starting point and the site will show you the shortest route. It will also provide you bus and train details available for the trip. Routeguru.com is a website that provides you detailed information such as landmarks along the route and bus and train details to reach that particular place.

 An autowala cannot cheat you because the website will tell you the approximate fare. The website was started in 2008 by an IIT Mumbai graduate Avinash Agarwal and a few others. At present, the site is down for technical reasons. The service was available only in Delhi and the NCR.

A similar website mapmyquest.com provides live traffic images and is updated every five minutes. It will tell you if any route is blocked or some construction work is going there. The websites picks up images from cameras installed at roadsides. Some features of the site are accessible only in developed countries like the USA and in Europe.

 It provides route details for your trip. Other website you can visit to get information on directions, maps and routes and other geographical information are Ask City, Google Map and Microsoft Live Search. Besides these sites, there are many applications available on the Internet that allow you to upload the map of a particular area on your site or blog.