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Today, via the Internet, Windows Live Local is offering up a limited Technical Preview of street-side' a new feature that Microsoft is building for its Windows Live Local consumer local search and mapping site.

Street-side provides three new street-level vantage points for Windows Live Local users wanting a sneak preview of desired destinations, and surrounding visual cues on how to get there. I just spent some time driving around Seattle and San Francisco using the technology. The 3 different viewer perspectives are quite cool, similar in concept to what you see at A9 if you've ever walked the streets using their fine mapping app. I wasn't too big on the Race Car concept, although I'm sure some will find it quite cool!

Walking the streets to get a feel for an area is very interesting and the imagery definitely make it simple and fun. you can see more from my tour at http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/8274/28/ or try the technology for yourself at http://preview.local.live.com. Of note, those interesting in hacking the service to create a mashup can forget about it... that's not a supported feature at this time!

Anything Geospatial: Tracking developments affecting GIS, geospatial technologies, location-based services, mapping, google earth and google maps. Published by the creator and editor of GISuser.com & LBSzone.com