MapQuest
Encyclopedia
MapQuest is an American free online web mapping
service owned by AOL
. The company was founded in 1967 as Cartographic Services, a division of R.R. Donnelley & Sons in Chicago
, Illinois, United States. It moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
in 1969. When it became an independent company in 1994, it was renamed GeoSystems Global Corporation. MapQuest was acquired in 2000 by America Online, Inc
. Company headquarters are in Lancaster and Denver, Colorado.
to create the MapQuest web service in 1996. In 1999 the company was renamed to MapQuest to leverage the popularity of its online brand.
MapQuest was acquired in 2000 by America Online, Inc
.
For a while, MapQuest included satellite images through a licensing deal with GlobeXplorer
, but later removed them due to the unorthodox business mechanics of the arrangement brokered by AOL. In September 2006, the website once again began serving satellite imagery in a new beta program.
In 2004, MapQuest, uLocate
, Research in Motion
and Nextel launched MapQuest Find Me, a buddy-finder service that works on GPS-enabled mobile phones. MapQuest Find Me lets users automatically find their location, access maps and directions and locate nearby points of interest including airports, hotels, restaurants, banks and ATMs. Users also have the ability to set up alerts to be notified when network members arrive or depart from a designated area. In 2005 the service became available on Sprint
and in 2006, Boost Mobile
.
In July 2006, MapQuest created a beta version of a new feature in which users could now "Build Your Route" by adding additional stops, reorder one's route (and the stops along the way), to avoid any turns or roads en route.
In April 2007, MapQuest announced a partnership with General Motors
' OnStar
that will allow OnStar subscribers to plan their driving routes on MapQuest.com and send their destination right to OnStar's turn-by-turn navigation
service. The OnStar Web Destination Entry pilot program began in the summer of 2007 with a select group of OnStar subscribers.
In July 2010, MapQuest announced plans to become the first major mapping site to embrace open-source mapping, launching a new site entirely using data from the OpenStreetMap
project.
A MapQuest-branded Yellow Pages
service is provided by AOL. Other services include a world atlas and MapQuest Mobile. MapQuest Mobile is a service providing maps and driving directions to any Web-enabled mobile phone
or personal digital assistant
.
MapQuest also features a customizable GasPrices page, where users can type their address and compare the gas prices of nearby public gas stations. Because it also features the dates that the prices were first posted, it allows users to find the cheapest prices for gas. However, this page is only available in the United States.
Web mapping
Web mapping is the process of designing, implementing, generating and delivering maps on the World Wide Web and its product. While web mapping primarily deals with technological issues, web cartography additionally studies theoretic aspects: the use of web maps, the evaluation and optimization of...
service owned by AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
. The company was founded in 1967 as Cartographic Services, a division of R.R. Donnelley & Sons in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois, United States. It moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
in 1969. When it became an independent company in 1994, it was renamed GeoSystems Global Corporation. MapQuest was acquired in 2000 by America Online, Inc
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
. Company headquarters are in Lancaster and Denver, Colorado.
History
Donnelley began making maps with computers in the mid-1980s to generate maps for customers. Much of that code was adapted for use on the InternetInternet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
to create the MapQuest web service in 1996. In 1999 the company was renamed to MapQuest to leverage the popularity of its online brand.
MapQuest was acquired in 2000 by America Online, Inc
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
.
For a while, MapQuest included satellite images through a licensing deal with GlobeXplorer
GlobeXplorer
GlobeXplorer was an online spatial data company that compiled and distributed aerial photos, satellite imagery, and map data from their online spatial archives...
, but later removed them due to the unorthodox business mechanics of the arrangement brokered by AOL. In September 2006, the website once again began serving satellite imagery in a new beta program.
In 2004, MapQuest, uLocate
Where.com
Where, Inc. is a location-based media company in North America. Their main product is the WHERE consumer application, with over 3 million active users. It helps users discover, save and share local places by putting high quality local information at users’ fingertips and integrating promotional and...
, Research in Motion
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
and Nextel launched MapQuest Find Me, a buddy-finder service that works on GPS-enabled mobile phones. MapQuest Find Me lets users automatically find their location, access maps and directions and locate nearby points of interest including airports, hotels, restaurants, banks and ATMs. Users also have the ability to set up alerts to be notified when network members arrive or depart from a designated area. In 2005 the service became available on Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
and in 2006, Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile is a brand of wireless prepay service run by Sprint Nextel, operating within the Sprint Prepaid Group along with Virgin Mobile USA, Assurance Wireless, and payLo by Virgin Mobile. Boost Mobile uses GSMand iDEN networks...
.
In July 2006, MapQuest created a beta version of a new feature in which users could now "Build Your Route" by adding additional stops, reorder one's route (and the stops along the way), to avoid any turns or roads en route.
In April 2007, MapQuest announced a partnership with General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
' OnStar
OnStar
OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors that provides subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security, hands free calling, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, Canada and China. A similar service is known as ChevyStar in Latin...
that will allow OnStar subscribers to plan their driving routes on MapQuest.com and send their destination right to OnStar's turn-by-turn navigation
Turn-by-turn navigation
Turn-by-turn navigation is a feature of some GPS navigation devices where directions for a selected route are continually presented to the user in the form of spoken and visual instructions. The system keeps the user up-to-date about the best route to the destination, and is often updated according...
service. The OnStar Web Destination Entry pilot program began in the summer of 2007 with a select group of OnStar subscribers.
In July 2010, MapQuest announced plans to become the first major mapping site to embrace open-source mapping, launching a new site entirely using data from the OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap is a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. Two major driving forces behind the establishment and growth of OSM have been restrictions on use or availability of map information across much of the world and the advent of inexpensive portable GPS devices.The...
project.
Services and programs
MapQuest provides some extent of street-level detail and/or driving directions for a variety of countries. You can see if they include your country from a pull down menu on their home page.A MapQuest-branded Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
service is provided by AOL. Other services include a world atlas and MapQuest Mobile. MapQuest Mobile is a service providing maps and driving directions to any Web-enabled mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
or personal digital assistant
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
.
MapQuest also features a customizable GasPrices page, where users can type their address and compare the gas prices of nearby public gas stations. Because it also features the dates that the prices were first posted, it allows users to find the cheapest prices for gas. However, this page is only available in the United States.