Google Maps - In Text!

More than a decade ago, when the world wide web was young, and still the plaything (or research tool, actually) of computer scientists and geeks in general, graphic-oriented browsers were not as popular. Text-based browsers, such as Lynx, were still the norm, and you could browse websites without even using a mouse. True, hypertext usually entails your having to click on links to go to linked sites. But Lynx let users browse using the keyboard, through the cursor keys and tab, and select using the spacebar or return key.

Text is making a comeback these days. And it’s not because computers are limited, and connections are slow. Text-based navigation is becoming important today because of the popularity of web browsing in mobile phones, and because of accessibility.

Wireless technology has evolved so fast, that you can now browse for information using your cellphone. While most mobile phones support graphics, the interfaces of these are still usually limited to the keypad, and cursor-based input can become difficult, especially with the size of the devices (and because these are mostly used while on-the-go). Hence, the importance of text-based input.

Accessibility, meanwhile, entails information being available to everyone, including the visually-impaired (or otherwise unable to browse sites as non-impaired persons can). So for instance, sites that are heavy on images and animations are difficult for those with visual problems to read. And these are especially difficult for text-readers (software that converts the text onscreen to audio). So in this case, sometimes text-browsers like Lynx are still used to test whether machines can easily read the content of sites.

Google understands the need to make information available and accessible to everyone. The Google Maps interface is usually more graphics-oriented, especially since maps are, after all, made of images. However, the location and search capabilities of Google Maps are recognized to be useful not only for finding places visually, but also for finding the contact information of establishments, or directions for driving.

To access google maps in text version, simply key in this URL on your browser

http://maps.google.com/?output=html

You may choose to search for establishments in certain areas, and to do this, you click on “find businesses.”

Enter your desired type or name of establishment on the left box, and the general location on the right box, and you will get a list of establishments with contact information and addresses.

If you wish to get directions from one point to another (as long as the addresses are within Google maps’ database), you click the “get directions” link, and input the “From” and To” addresses.

Google will then output directions, with approximate distances and travel times.

In some results, the actual map and satellite imagery will still be presented.