• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 12, 2005

Nielsen//NetRatings reported that MSN Maps and Directions, with the launch of its satellite mapping site Virtual Earth, ranked No.1 in week-over-week unique audience growth during the final week of July, garnering a substantial 175 percent and 71 percent traffic increase at home and at work, respectively. The result has been a marked increase in visitors, from 438,000 at home during the week ending July 24, to 1.2 million during the week ending July 31. At work the differential is significant as well, as audience traffic increased from 845,000, to 1.4 million weekly visitors.

Gerry Davidson, senior media analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings, said "Satellite mapping captivates a substantial audience because people are curious to see familiar places from a dramatic perspective. People are also fascinated with new technology...to combine up-close satellite imagery with local search capabilities."

And, another Nielsen//NetRatings' Week on the Web note:

• NASA.gov skyrocketed 101 percent during the week ending July 31 as Web surfers logged on for information on the first shuttle mission in two years. Seventeen percent of the site's 2.5 million unique home and work visitors logged onto NASA's Human Space Flight page for daily updates of the Discovery mission, information on the International Space Station and other space news.

Go here for more information from Nielsen/NetRatings.