Baidu Maps


Baidu Maps is a desktop and mobile web mapping service application and technology provided by Baidu, offering satellite imagery, street maps, street view and indoor view perspectives, as well as functions such as a route planner for traveling by foot, car, or with public transportation. Android and iOS applications are available.
Baidu Maps is available only in the Chinese language and before 2016, it offered maps only of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the rest of the world appearing unexplored. 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. Baidu uses map data supplied by NavInfo, MapKing, Here, LocalKing and OpenStreetMap.
In 2016, it is reported that Baidu Maps has over 348 million monthly active users, and will "transform from a Chinese map provider to a world map provider and become the Chinese brand that provides global services for mobile travel applications", which also outlines Baidu's plans for global expansion.

Countries and territories supported

History

Baidu Map uses a variant of web Mercator projection for slicing map data into tiles, with distances expressed in degrees. It's associated with an underlying latitude-longitude reference. However, the reference uses the BD-09 coordinate system, which adds further obfuscation to the already obfuscated national standard in China, GCJ-02. Baidu alleges that adopting BD-09 "protects users' privacy".
The Baidu Map API documentation specifies that "real" GPS coordinates must be converted via a coordinate conversion interface. 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 conversion capabilities. Open source implementations in R and various other languages exist, implemented in a manner much like the reverse GCJ-02 algorithm.
BD-09's lat-lon coordinates are derived by scrambling a polar version of GCJ-02 coordinates and adding a fixed offset:

from cmath import polar, rect
from 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 -> coords:
r, θ = polar
r += 2e-5 * sin
θ += 3e-6 * cos
return rect +

Street view service

The street view service of Baidu Maps was first launched on August 21, 2013. 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, Shigatse, Nagqu Prefecture, Lhoka Prefecture
XinjiangAksu, Kashgar, Turpan, Hotan Prefecture
Hong KongHong Kong
MacauMacau

Censorship

In June 2020, the Government of India banned Baidu Maps along with 58 other apps citing data and privacy issues. Recent border tensions between India and China might have also played a role in the ban.