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Glove compartment road maps are passé. Thanks to GPS navigational systems and Internet-ready handheld devices, reading a map requires a degree in engineering. How about a program that simply combines the mapping information a PHA needs in one place?

Several Web sites have created this type of mapping system. With NASA-esque visual maps and data-saving techniques, you can map out each PHA location. Enter an address into the search field and you will “fly” to the location. Using satellite images, you see a real picture of the locations. You can navigate around the location to view different angles or a 3-D image. Search several locations and each can be saved. You can even share these locations with other users. The best feature of all?  On most Web sites it’s free.

This may be a useful tool for housing authorities. We will provide a link in this article as well as on our Web site. Not sure what you could use it for? Here are five examples of how a PHA can use these Web sites:

1. View a satellite image of PHA locations – navigate, save, and share these locations.
2. Get driving directions from one location to another. View 3-D images of a location and its surroundings.
3. View a gallery of content published by other organizations to gain knowledge of a particular area.
4. Export data from your own spreadsheets onto the satellite image – i.e. general property information (only available with Google Earth Plus and Pro.)

The most commonly known Web site offering this new mapping system is Google Earth which has three versions – Basic Google Earth, Google Earth Plus, and Google Earth Pro. The basic version is free and can be downloaded. An annual subscription to the Plus and Pro versions must be purchased. Plus and Pro will give faster search time, better print and saving quality, and GPS and Excel data import. Pro can also measure an area and give traffic reports.

Google Earth Pro can map an area using information exported from an excel spreadsheet.

Microsoft offers a free version of this mapping tool called Live Search Maps which is similar to Google Earth. Live Search Maps allows the user to browse locations by category, save information about a location, and navigate around the location. With a mouse click, the user can update the view from road map to 3D, Aerial, or Bird’s Eye view. Nothing needs to be downloaded from their Web site. The user would create an account to save all data.

Live Search Maps can save information you enter in the Collections editor.

Housing Authority Insurance Group is dedicated to sharing these types of helpful resources. Click on the links to view: Google Earth or Live Search Maps.