<s>
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
(	O
previously	O
Live	B-Application
Search	I-Application
Maps	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Maps	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Local	I-Application
,	O
and	O
MSN	B-Application
Virtual	I-Application
Earth	I-Application
)	O
is	O
a	O
web	O
mapping	O
service	O
provided	O
as	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Bing	B-Application
suite	O
of	O
search	O
engines	O
and	O
powered	O
by	O
the	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
Platform	I-Application
framework	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
was	O
originally	O
launched	O
as	O
MSN	B-Application
Virtual	I-Application
Earth	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
beta	B-Language
testing	O
on	O
July	O
24	O
,	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
continuation	O
of	O
previous	O
Microsoft	O
technologies	O
such	O
as	O
Microsoft	B-Application
MapPoint	I-Application
and	O
TerraServer	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2005	O
,	O
Virtual	B-Application
Earth	I-Application
was	O
replaced	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Local	I-Application
,	O
featuring	O
improvements	O
,	O
technologies	O
from	O
Pictometry	O
International	O
,	O
and	O
integrated	O
with	O
the	O
Local	O
Search	O
index	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
Live	I-Application
Search	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
6	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
added	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
view	O
the	O
maps	O
in	O
3D	O
using	O
a	O
.NET	O
managed	O
control	O
and	O
managed	O
interfaces	O
to	O
Direct3D	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
subsequently	O
referred	O
to	O
this	O
product	O
officially	O
as	O
"	O
Live	B-Application
Search	I-Application
Maps	I-Application
"	O
,	O
integrating	O
it	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
Live	B-Application
Search	I-Application
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
3	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
officially	O
rebranded	O
Live	B-Application
Search	I-Application
Maps	I-Application
as	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Earth	I-Application
platform	O
as	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
for	I-Application
Enterprise	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
added	O
an	O
OpenStreetMap	O
layer	O
to	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
2012	O
,	O
Nokia	O
(	O
formerly	O
Navteq	O
)	O
powered	O
many	O
aspects	O
of	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
as	O
an	O
extension	O
to	O
its	O
Windows	O
Phone	O
7	O
partnership	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
including	O
mapping	O
data	O
,	O
geocoding	O
,	O
traffic	O
data	O
and	O
navigation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
1	O
,	O
2020	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
the	O
base	O
map	O
data	O
of	O
the	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
Platform	I-Application
would	O
now	O
be	O
sourced	O
from	O
TomTom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bing	B-Application
maps	I-Application
frequently	O
update	O
and	O
expand	O
the	O
geographic	O
areas	O
covered	O
by	O
their	O
imagery	O
,	O
with	O
new	O
updates	O
being	O
released	O
on	O
roughly	O
a	O
monthly	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Five	O
street	O
map	O
views	O
are	O
available	O
:	O
Road	O
View	O
,	O
Aerial	B-Application
View	I-Application
,	O
Bird	B-Application
's	I-Application
Eye	I-Application
View	I-Application
,	O
Street	O
Side	O
View	O
,	O
and	O
3D	O
View	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
app	O
is	O
available	O
that	O
will	O
display	O
road	O
data	O
from	O
OpenStreetMap	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aerial	B-Application
view	I-Application
overlays	O
satellite	O
imagery	O
onto	O
the	O
map	O
and	O
highlights	O
roads	O
and	O
major	O
landmarks	O
for	O
easy	O
identification	O
amongst	O
the	O
satellite	O
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
end	O
of	O
November	O
2010	O
,	O
OpenStreetMap	O
mappers	O
have	O
been	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
imagery	O
of	O
Bing	B-Application
Aerial	O
as	O
a	O
map	O
background	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
January	O
2012	O
,	O
both	O
Bing	B-Application
Aerial	O
and	O
Birds	B-Application
Eye	I-Application
View	I-Application
imagery	O
at	O
military	O
bases	O
in	O
Germany	O
became	O
blurred	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bird's-eye	B-Application
view	I-Application
displays	O
aerial	O
imagery	O
captured	O
from	O
low-flying	O
aircraft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
top-down	O
aerial	B-Application
view	I-Application
captured	O
by	O
satellite	O
,	O
Bird's-eye	O
images	O
are	O
taken	O
at	O
an	O
oblique	O
45-degree	O
angle	O
,	O
showing	O
the	O
sides	O
and	O
roofs	O
of	O
buildings	O
giving	O
better	O
depth	O
perception	O
for	O
geography	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Bird	B-Application
's	I-Application
Eye	I-Application
views	I-Application
,	O
many	O
details	O
such	O
as	O
signs	O
,	O
advertisements	O
and	O
pedestrians	O
are	O
clearly	O
visible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
has	O
occasionally	O
removed	O
Bird	B-Application
's	I-Application
Eye	I-Application
view	I-Application
from	O
areas	O
where	O
it	O
was	O
previously	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
August	O
and	O
September	O
2011	O
,	O
German	O
customers	O
were	O
allowed	O
to	O
appeal	O
against	O
integration	O
of	O
their	O
house	O
or	O
flat	O
in	O
Bing	B-Application
Streetside	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
some	O
officials	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
appeals	O
was	O
significantly	O
lower	O
than	O
with	O
Google	B-Application
Street	I-Application
View	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Currently	O
,	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
provides	O
maps	O
&	O
level	O
wise	O
layouts	O
of	O
over	O
5300	O
venues	O
across	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
view	O
the	O
3D	O
maps	O
,	O
users	O
must	O
install	O
a	O
plugin	B-Application
,	O
then	O
enable	O
the	O
"	O
3D	O
"	O
option	O
on	O
"	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
exploring	O
the	O
maps	O
using	O
a	O
mouse	O
and	O
keyboard	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
navigate	O
the	O
3D	O
environment	O
using	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Device
360	I-Device
controller	I-Device
or	O
another	O
game	B-Device
controller	I-Device
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
or	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2010	O
,	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
added	O
public	O
transit	O
directions	O
(	O
bus	O
,	O
subway	O
,	O
and	O
local	O
rail	O
)	O
to	O
its	O
available	O
direction	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bing	B-Application
Map	O
Apps	O
is	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
1st	O
and	O
3rd	O
party	O
applications	O
that	O
add	O
additional	O
functionality	O
and	O
content	O
to	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
apps	O
are	O
only	O
accessible	O
through	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
Silverlight	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
shows	O
users	O
current	O
traffic	O
information	O
for	O
major	O
highways	O
and	O
roads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
Web-based	O
service	O
for	O
traffic-based	O
driving	O
directions	O
available	O
on	O
Bing.com	B-Application
in	O
72	O
cities	O
across	O
the	O
U.S.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
tool	O
took	O
five	O
years	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Artificial	B-Application
Intelligence	I-Application
team	O
to	O
develop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
allows	O
users	O
to	O
share	O
maps	O
and	O
embed	O
maps	O
into	O
their	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
clicking	O
the	O
e-mail	O
icon	O
in	O
the	O
bottom-left	O
corner	O
of	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
,	O
a	O
window	O
will	O
open	O
that	O
displays	O
a	O
shareable	O
URL	O
so	O
others	O
can	O
access	O
the	O
map	O
currently	O
being	O
viewed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2010	O
,	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
launched	O
an	O
overhauled	O
design	O
for	O
its	O
default	O
view	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
search	O
box	O
at	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
locate	O
places	O
,	O
businesses	O
and	O
landmarks	O
,	O
and	O
people	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
users	O
can	O
also	O
view	O
and	O
add	O
"	O
user	O
contributed	O
"	O
entries	O
to	O
the	O
map	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2010	O
,	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
added	O
dynamic	O
labels	O
to	O
its	O
Silverlight	B-Application
experience	O
(	O
bing.com/maps/explore	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Turn	O
on	O
the	O
dynamic	O
labels	O
beta	B-Language
from	O
the	O
map	O
style	O
selector	O
on	O
bing.com/maps/explore	O
and	O
the	O
labels	O
become	O
clickable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
has	O
two	O
separate	O
versions	O
for	O
users	O
:	O
an	O
AJAX	B-General_Concept
version	O
(	O
located	O
at	O
Bing.com/Maps	O
)	O
and	O
an	O
opt-in	O
Silverlight	B-Application
version	O
(	O
located	O
at	O
Bing.com/Maps/Explore—not	O
available	O
anymore	O
)	O
that	O
requires	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Silverlight	I-Application
to	O
be	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Silverlight	B-Application
version	O
is	O
positioned	O
to	O
offer	O
richer	O
,	O
more	O
dynamic	O
features	O
and	O
a	O
smoother	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2010	O
,	O
the	O
AJAX	B-General_Concept
and	O
Silverlight	B-Application
versions	O
were	O
combined	O
into	O
a	O
semi-hybrid	O
site	O
where	O
Silverlight	B-Application
features	O
such	O
as	O
Map	O
Apps	O
and	O
Streetside	O
could	O
be	O
enabled	O
through	O
the	O
Bing.com/Maps	O
site	O
-	O
these	O
features	O
still	O
required	O
Silverlight	B-Application
to	O
be	O
installed	O
,	O
but	O
does	O
not	O
require	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
separate	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AJAX	B-General_Concept
and	O
Silverlight	B-Application
site	O
share	O
the	O
following	O
features	O
:	O
Road	O
View	O
,	O
Aerial	B-Application
View	I-Application
,	O
Bird's-Eye	B-Application
View	I-Application
,	O
Sharing	O
Maps	O
,	O
People/Business/Location	O
Search	O
,	O
Building	O
Footprints	O
,	O
Driving	O
Directions	O
,	O
Walking	O
Directions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Silverlight	B-Application
users	O
exclusively	O
can	O
use	O
Map	O
Apps	O
,	O
StreetSide	O
View	O
,	O
Photosynths	O
,	O
and	O
Dynamic	O
Labels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bing	B-Application
Map	O
Apps	O
are	O
accessed	O
either	O
through	O
the	O
"	O
Map	O
Apps	O
"	O
button	O
in	O
the	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
Explore	O
Bar	O
or	O
through	O
direct	O
perma-links	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Map	O
Apps	O
button	O
is	O
only	O
viewable	O
if	O
the	O
user	O
is	O
in	O
the	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
Silverlight	B-Application
experience	O
or	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bing	B-Application
Map	O
Apps	O
also	O
allows	O
third	O
parties	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
submit	O
map	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
a	O
special	O
agreement	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
the	O
Advanced	O
Ortho	O
Aerial	O
Program	O
will	O
provide	O
wall-to-wall	O
30cm	O
aerial	O
coverage	O
of	O
the	O
contiguous	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
Western	O
Europe	O
that	O
DigitalGlobe	O
has	O
the	O
exclusive	O
rights	O
to	O
distribute	O
beyond	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
program	O
's	O
first	O
orthophoto	B-General_Concept
mosaics	O
are	O
of	O
Augusta	O
,	O
GA	O
,	O
San	O
Diego	O
,	O
CA	O
and	O
Tampa	O
,	O
FL	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
viewed	O
on	O
DigitalGlobe	O
's	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
states	O
that	O
Bing	B-Application
Maps	I-Application
needs	O
the	O
following	O
environment	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Compatible	O
browsers	B-Application
include	O
Windows	O
Internet	O
Explorer	O
6	O
or	O
later	O
,	O
Mozilla	O
Firefox	O
3.0	O
or	O
later	O
,	O
or	O
Safari	O
3.1	O
or	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Opera	B-Application
is	I-Application
stated	O
to	O
be	O
usable	O
"	O
with	O
some	O
functionality	O
limitations	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
of	O
browsers	B-Application
that	O
are	O
not	O
considered	O
compatible	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
users	O
of	O
versions	O
of	O
compatible	O
browsers	B-Application
that	O
are	O
not	O
supported	O
,	O
will	O
be	O
directed	O
away	O
from	O
viewing	O
the	O
map	O
without	O
an	O
error	O
message	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
3D	O
Maps	O
viewer	O
plug-in	B-Application
requires	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
XP	I-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
2	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
or	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
with	O
Internet	O
Explorer	O
6/7/8	O
or	O
Firefox	O
1.5/2.0/3.0	O
.	O
</s>
