The Internet-hosted map, which integrates satellite imagery and street maps, can be used to examine homes for sale in specific neighbourhoods of interest and to learn more about a home simply by clicking its icon on the map. Public services can also be overlaid on the map, providing buyers with information on nearby amenities which may be important to them such as schools, post offices, and fire halls. New in this update are overlays for:

• Recreational facilities
• Public beach accesses
• Locations for which 360-degree panoramic photos are available
• Historic sites

This update has also been tuned to improve performance significantly, particularly when the map is viewed with older Web browsers. Other new features include:

• Brochures for a property can be created.

• Side-by-side feature sheets can be created, making it easy to compare multiple properties.

• Driving directions to a property can be created.

• Markers on the map are now colour-coded to property type and also to reflect whether the property has recently been added to the map.

• Several new search criteria have been added to allow a search based on property features, namely Waterfront, View, Fireplace, Hot Tub, Pool, Security System, and Workshop.

• It is now very easy to zoom to a particular area of the map; the user simply drags a rectangle over the area of interest. (This feature was designed to be used with any Google-based map. It was co-programmed by Gary Little and has been freely licensed to map programmers worldwide.)

• Favourite searches can be saved and repeated at any time by selecting the search name from a list.

The interactive property map of the Sunshine Coast may be used free of charge and can be viewed at http://map.GaryLittle.ca/. The map is updated frequently from data obtained, in part, from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

The mapping software was developed by Gary Little using the mapping infrastructure provided by Google Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. The map can be viewed with most modern Web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Chrome.

Gary Little is a real estate agent in the offices of Royal LePage Sunshine Coast in Sechelt, BC. He is well known for his many articles on the history of the Sunshine Coast as well as his interactive maps of the area: a real-estate-for-sale map (map.GaryLittle.ca), a waterfall map (www.GaryLittle.ca/waterfalls/), and a map showing George Vancouver's travels in southwestern BC in June 1792 (www.GaryLittle.ca/van250.html).

CONTACT INFORMATION

Gary Little, realtor®
Royal LePage Sussex
5485 Wharf Ave., P.O. Box 65
Sechelt, BC V0N 3A0
Cell: 604-741-5347
Office: 604-885-0299
Fax: 604-885-0298
gary@garylittle.ca
www.garylittle.ca

This news release is located online at: http://www.GaryLittle.ca/pr-20090130.html