More specifically to access the satellite view that iOS 6 maps uses. Where a I live theres lots (and lots and lots) of open cast work. Planning new routes using ordinance survey maps can be a pain as they either leave the open cast areas blank or the mapping pre-dates the newer mines.

The satellite views on google maps for this area are 10 – 15 years old so they’re of limited use to as mines could have been opened, worked and re-instated in that time.

Looking on iOS6 though their aerial images here are much much newer – to the extent that I can see a filmset I was building in my yard this time last year. Ace. But is there a way of accessing that data from my laptop rather than just on my phone?

Bing maps?

Bing maps?

for here at least Bing seems to be the same satellite data – at least a decade old

wheresthepath is a good website for matching OS paths to what’s on the ground. Aerial images seem to be in a constant state of update so you’ll see different dates as you scroll around.

Again there its the same older imagery there too

<ahem> bump </ahem>

I thought the iOS6 data was sourced from Tomtom?

I think their mapping data broadly is but not sure about the satellite images are from tomtom (the app credits data from ‘Tomtom and others” that clicks through to screeds and screeds of credits). As far as I can tell Tomtoms maps can’t be browsed online.

I thought the iOS6 data was sourced from Tomtom?

the data for the guided driving is TomTom, street level is OpenStreetMap, but I don’t know who the source is for the satellite view. The area around Chippenham was very poor, lust low resolution blurring, but it’s just been upgraded to high resolution, and I can now see my current car out front, rather than the Puma I sold six or seven years ago. In fact, looking at Cherhill White Horse, you can see a green crop formation, where the main crop has been harvested leaving a grass version behind, and that one was made in August last year, so the satellite data is very new.

I don’t think you’ll find the Apple images browseable online regardless of where they come from.
If it is Tomtom, I would expect that GlobeXplorer provide the sat imagery

Try different zoom levels. Google, Bing and Apple all use a variety of imagery and some zooms may be more recent than others.

This site will tell you the age of Bing imagery at different zooms: http://mvexel.dev.openstreetmap.org/bing/

It may be coming soon: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-maps-desktop-2012-7

the data for the guided driving is TomTom, street level is OpenStreetMap

No it’s not.

OSM is considerably more accurate than Apple Maps. They list a LOT of data sources of which OSM is just one.

Don’t go thinking that the crapness of Apple Maps is in anyway due to OSM data (they also list Ordnance Survey and NASA).

No it’s not.

OSM is considerably more accurate than Apple Maps. They list a LOT of data sources of which OSM is just one.

Don’t go thinking that the crapness of Apple Maps is in anyway due to OSM data (they also list Ordnance Survey and NASA).
Um, you’ve just stated that OSM is, in fact, one of the sources that Apple use. Most of the ‘crapness’, as you call it, are relatively small issues blown up by a media that uses FUD to affect Apple share prices, which happens regularly. Remember just how crap Google Maps was in 2007? Even now Google can’t show me the location of a postal address in South Devon, whereas Apple Maps dropped a pin right by their driveway!
Google is just as flawed.
Tell me why it is that Apple can put out a mapping app with satellite imagery that’s as recent as June this year, and Google can’t manage better than a decade ago?
Look for Kemble airfield between Malmesbury and Cirencester, by the main road you can clearly see two MK Airlines 747’s; they were moved there in June for the UK launch of the Isuzu D-Max, you can also see the trade stands next to the planes.
Both systems have flaws, but how to trust mapping when the satellite data is so far out of date, as is the case with Google…

but how to trust mapping when the satellite data is so far out of date, as is the case with Google…

to be fair the maps and the images are separate entities – the maps are generally up to date and aren’t derived from the images, one just gets overlaid over the other.

According to the Maps app, Digitalglobe provides the satellite imagery.

Um, you’ve just stated that OSM is, in fact, one of the sources that Apple use.

Yes, it is one of the sources, that’s quite different from saying “street level is OpenStreetMap”.

OSM Foundation themselves say that Apple is “mostly using other sources”.

I doubt you’ll find any OSM data being used in the UK for example. Which is a shame as it would probably greatly improve things.

And please, i know you love the Apple Count, but please don’t apologise for Maps. They are bad.
Yes i agree some of the press coverage has been over the top. But they are genuinely bad.

Google is just as flawed

No. Google has some flaws. But it is waaaaaay ahead of Apple in terms of accuracy at the moment.
So is Bing. Christ even Yahoo Maps probably do a better job.

The Apple concept is good. But it is badly let down by poor data.