Onine Map Directions

I have used Google Maps/Yahoo Maps extensively while in the US and has been really amazed at how detailed they are and how useful they have been. At the same time, I have never felt that this would be effective in India where it is fairly common to have one-ways come up where there were none, other one-ways change directions, roads closed for a variety of reasons and in some cases are just plain un-motorable. However, I had a very pleasant surprise yesterday. I was traveling from Bangalore to Tirupathi and the usual route we take is through NH4. But because of road works here, this road is a little painful and slow. So, we decided to try out alternatives and Google map showed me the alternative through Chithoor - Gudiyatham and NH46. I was really amazed. I never knew the existence of this Chithoor - Guidyatham state highway and even if I did, I would not have thought of this route. This route was about 40Km longer, but much more comfortable and faster. Yet again, the online revolution is making changes to our lives in more ways than we imagine.