Baidu Maps Explained

Baidu Maps
Native Name:百度地图
Commercial:Yes
Type:Web mapping
Language:Chinese
Registration:None
Owner:Baidu
Current Status:Active

Baidu Maps is a desktop and mobile web mapping service application and technology provided by Baidu, offering satellite imagery, street maps, street view (which is called "Panorama" –) and indoor view perspectives,[1] as well as functions such as a route planner for traveling by foot, car, or with public transport. Android and iOS applications are available.

Baidu Maps is available only in the Chinese language and, before 2016, it offered only maps of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, with the rest of the world appearing unexplored.[2] Currently, Baidu Maps also offers maps of various other countries. It was reported that more than 150 countries would be supported by the end of 2016.[3] Baidu uses map data supplied by NavInfo, MapKing, Here, LocalKing and OpenStreetMap.[4]

In 2016, it was reported that Baidu Maps had over 348 million monthly active users.[5]

Countries and territories supported

Within Mainland China

Outside Mainland China

History

On September 30, 2005, Baidu Maps was released.[6]

In 2010, Baidu added a detailed three-dimensional view for select cities, which has been described as being SimCity-like.[7] The feature is licensed from the digital mapping service Edushi.[8] Cities covered include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. In November 2011, Baidu launched satellite imagery for the Greater China region with better resolution than Google Maps.[9] City-level only includes Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macao and other major cities.

On September 3, 2012, at its annual Baidu World event, Baidu revealed 360-degree digital imagery for select buildings.

On August 21, 2013, Baidu Maps launched the Baidu Panoramic Map and announced the upgrade of its location-based services business. According to Silicon Valley Power, Shen Li, head of Baidu’s LBS business unit, states that Baidu Maps' users have exceeded 200 million.[10]

Coordinate system

Baidu Maps uses a variant of web Mercator projection for slicing map data into tiles, with distances expressed in degrees. It is associated with an underlying latitude-longitude reference. The reference uses the BD-09 coordinate system, which adds further obfuscation to the already obscure national standard in China, GCJ-02[11] (which in turn is defined in terms of the de facto standard around the world, WGS 84). Baidu alleges that adopting BD-09 "protects users' privacy".[12]

The Baidu Maps API documentation specifies that "real" (WGS 84) GPS coordinates must be converted via a coordinate conversion interface.[13] An HTTP interface, JavaScript API, Android SDK, and iOS SDK are available.

The JavaScript coordinate conversion API is demonstrated online by Baidu, but without any reverse (to GCJ-02) conversion capabilities.[14] Open source implementations in R[15] and various other languages[16] exist, implemented in a manner much like the reverse GCJ-02 algorithm.

BD-09's latitude-longitude coordinates are derived by scrambling a polar version of GCJ-02 coordinates and adding a fixed offset:[15] from cmath import polar, rectfrom math import sin, cos, pi

  1. Represent coordinates with complex numbers for simplicity

coords = complex

  1. baidu assumes x/real: lon; y/imag: lat here.

def gcj_bd(gcj: coords) -> coords: r, θ = polar(gcj) r += 2e-5 * sin(gcj.imag * pi * 3000 / 180) θ += 3e-6 * cos(gcj.real * pi * 3000 / 180) return rect(r, θ) + (0.0065 + 0.006j)

Street view service

The street view service of Baidu Maps was first launched on August 21, 2013.[17] This is a list of cities supported as of March 11, 2015:

Provincial level divisionCity
BeijingBeijing
ShanghaiShanghai
TianjinTianjin
ChongqingChongqing
LiaoningShenyang, Liaoyang, Dalian, Fushun, Panjin, Jinzhou, Chaoyang, Dandong, Yingkou
JilinChangchun, Jilin City, Tonghua, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Songyuan, Baicheng
HeilongjiangHarbin, Daqing, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, Jiamusi
ShanxiTaiyuan, Jinzhong, Shuozhou, Xinzhou, Lüliang, Yangquan, Linfen, Changzhi, Yuncheng
ShandongJinan, Qingdao, Tai'an, Weifang, Rizhao, Weihai, Jining, Yantai, Dongying, Binzhou, Liaocheng
AnhuiHefei, Wuhu, Huangshan City, Lu'an
JiangsuNanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Yangzhou, Changzhou, Xuzhou, Lianyungang, Yancheng, Huai'an, Nantong, Zhenjiang, Suqian
ZhejiangHangzhou, Jiaxing, Ningbo, Huzhou, Shaoxing, Zhoushan, Lishui, Taizhou, Quzhou
HebeiShijiazhuang, Baoding, Langfang, Qinhuangdao, Chengde, Tangshan, Zhangjiakou
HenanZhengzhou, Kaifeng, Anyang, Xinxiang, Luoyang, Shangqiu, Xuchang, Pingdingshan, Zhoukou, Zhumadian, Xinyang, Jiaozuo
HubeiXiangyang, Jingmen, Jingzhou, Shiyan, Suizhou, Huangshi
HunanChangsha, Zhangjiajie, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture
JiangxiNanchang, Jiujiang, Jingdezhen, Ji'an, Shangrao
FujianFuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Putian, Zhangzhou, Nanping
GuangdongGuangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Qingyuan, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Zhanjiang, Foshan, Shantou, Shanwei, Jieyang
GuangxiLiuzhou, Guilin, Beihai, Qinzhou, Fangchenggang, Yulin, Guangxi, Guigang, Chongzuo, Baise
HainanHaikou, Sanya, Danzhou, Wenchang, Tunchang County, Qionghai, Wanning, Lingshui Li Autonomous County, Wuzhishan City, Dongfang, Hainan, Ding'an County,Chengmai County, Lingao County, Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Ledong Li Autonomous County, Qiongzhong Li and Miao Autonomous County, Baoting Li and Miao Autonomous County
Inner MongoliaHohhot, Hulunbuir, Ordos City, Baotou, Hinggan League, Chifeng, Tongliao
NingxiaYinchuan, Wuzhong, Zhongwei
GansuLanzhou, Jiuquan, Zhangye, Jiayuguan City, Qingyang, Pingliang, Tianshui, Wuwei
QinghaiXining, Golmud, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
ShaanxiXi'an, Yulin, Baoji, Yan'an, Xianyang, Hanzhong
YunnanKunming
Tibet Autonomous RegionLhasa (prefecture-level city), Shigatse, Nagqu Prefecture, Lhoka (Shannan) Prefecture
XinjiangAksu, Kashgar, Turpan, Hotan Prefecture
Hong KongHong Kong
MacauMacau

Blocking

India

In June 2020, the Indian Government blocked Baidu Maps as well as 58 other Chinese apps, citing national security concerns[18] [19] during the clashes between the People's Liberation Army Ground Force and the Indian Army in the Galwan Valley.[20]

References

  1. Web site: Indoor view of Chinese restaurant. Baidu Maps. 5 April 2015.
  2. Web site: Why do Baidu and Tencent QQ Map(s) only show China, and blank for the rest of the world?. 5 April 2015.
  3. Web site: 百度地图宣布国际化战略 年底覆盖150个国家 . 百度 . 2016-04-22 . 2016-06-26 . 2016-08-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160812181813/http://home.baidu.com/2016-05-09/1467556573.html . dead .
  4. Web site: Lee. Mark. Apple Shares Google China Map Partner in Win for AutoNavi: Tech. Bloomberg. 6 July 2012.
  5. Web site: Smith. Craig. Baidu Statistics, User Counts and Facts (2021). June 2, 2021. December 4, 2021.
  6. Web site: Jing . Sun . September 30, 2005 . Jian . Chen . 百度地图搜索欲上线对战Google 争抢巨大市场 . 7 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060112074646/http://it.people.com.cn/GB/42891/42894/3739806.html . 2006-01-12 .
  7. Web site: Baidu beats Google when it comes to mapping. 5 April 2015. 23 November 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20181108064155/http://visualjournalism.com/baidu-beats-google-when-it-comes-to-mapping/2010/11/23/. 8 November 2018. dead.
  8. Web site: Millward. Steven. Baidu Maps Gets 8-Bit 3D Views, Makes Real Life Feel Like Sim City [Updated]]. TechInAsia. 5 April 2015. 3 September 2012.
  9. Web site: Custer . Charlie . Baidu Maps Launches Satellite View . TechInAsia . 5 April 2015 . 6 November 2011.
  10. Web site: August 23, 2013 . 百度地图LBS业务战略再升级 . April 7, 2024 . tech.sina.com.cn.
  11. Web site: Frequently Asked Questions. developer.baidu.com/map. Baidu. zh. 2015-04-08. 2016-11-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20161130112134/http://developer.baidu.com/map/question.htm#qa0022. dead.
  12. Web site: Baidu LBS Open Platform FAQ . Baidu Developer . 2016-12-19 . 2016-11-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161130112134/http://developer.baidu.com/map/question.htm#qa0023 . dead .
  13. Web site: Coordinate Conversion API. developer.baidu.com/map. Baidu. zh. 2015-04-08. 2017-03-28. https://archive.today/20170328095201/http://developer.baidu.com/map/changeposition.htm. dead.
  14. Web site: Conversion from GCJ-02 coordinates used by Google Maps in China to BD-09. Baidu Map JavaScript demos. zh.
  15. Web site: A package for geocoding, reverse geocoding and coordinate transformations between WGS-84, GCJ-02 and BD-09 coordinate systems. . 15 February 2014.
  16. Web site: Lee, Googol. Transform coordinates between Earth (WGS-84) and Mars in China (GCJ-02). .
  17. Web site: 百度全景：真实世界 百度地图触手可及.
  18. Web site: 2020-06-30. Tiktok pulled from India stores in ban on 59 Chinese apps · TechNode. 2020-08-16. TechNode. en-US.
  19. Web site: June 29, 2020. Rahul. Shrivastava. Govt bans 59 Chinese apps including TikTok as border tensions simmer in Ladakh. 2020-06-29. India Today. en.
  20. News: 2020-06-29. India bans 59 mostly Chinese apps amid border crisis. en. Reuters. 2020-08-16.

External links

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