Making exploration easier for people around the world with Google Maps

Maps keep our spirit of adventure alive by making it easier for us to explore the world around us. That’s why today, we’re making Google Maps even better with new turn-by-turn navigation with traffic conditions, biking directions, Map Maker and new Street View imagery in more locations globally. These improvements are part of our ongoing effort to build the best map we can -- one that’s comprehensive, accurate and easy for you to use.

First, we’re expanding Google Maps Navigation (Beta) with voice guided, turn-by-turn directions in thousands of towns across India. Navigation is one of the most frequently requested features in this region and can be especially helpful when driving in densely populated cities like Delhi or Bangalore. We’re also adding live traffic conditions for major roads with estimated travel times to help you save time and to reduce stress on the road.

Turn-by-turn voice navigation in New Delhi, India
Biking directions and Map Maker are also now rolling out to New Zealanders. Local cyclists can access biking directions directly on Google Maps, and use Map Maker to add bike lanes and trails if their favorite route is missing or they discover a new one. Beyond biking trails, Map Maker can also be used to make the New Zealand map more accurate with details such as new road names, building footprints and more.

Biking directions from Remuera in Auckland to the local Google office
Later today, we’ll also release new Street View imagery for more than 150 university campuses globally. With classes just getting started, freshman students, transfers and even empty-nesting parents can now familiarize themselves with college campuses around the world, including UCLA in the U.S., Pembroke College in the U.K., McGill University in Canada and Sophia University in Japan. These new panoramic views join our growing list of universities whose campuses are already available in Google Maps.


View Larger MapRoyce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles
Finally, to celebrate all the places you can reach with Google Maps—all seven continents, the sky, the moon and even the depths of the ocean—we made a video that we hope will inspire you to keep exploring.


Keep exploring at maps.google.com/helloworld. Here’s to many new adventures.

Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Earth

Map Maker updates for Lesotho, Oman and Trinidad & Tobago

Since 2008, Google Map Maker has enabled anyone with an interest in cartography to update the maps of the areas they know, and improve their level of detail and accuracy. Whether adding new businesses, outlining building footprints, fixing road geometries or even tracing a favorite cycling route, citizen cartographers have joined together to create the most comprehensive maps of the world as seen on Google Maps and Google Earth.

Just last week, top mappers across Africa attended the Map Maker Africa Regional Conference in Lagos, Nigeria where we proudly announced the release of Map Maker in Lesotho. This marks an important milestone, as the Map Maker tool now enables volunteer mappers to update and edit the entire continent of Africa. At the event, attendees shared learnings from past MapUps and ideas for future ones, told inspiring user stories, discussed product features with engineers, and closed out the conference with a sing-along led by users who wrote an original song about mapping!

A group photo of attendees at the Map Maker Africa Regional Conference in Lagos, Nigeria.
People’s enthusiasm for making maps more comprehensive and adding their local knowledge also continues to gain momentum in other parts of the world. Starting today, map data for Oman and Trinidad and Tobago, which has been added by people through Map Maker, will now appear as the base maps for these countries in Google Maps.

Below is a time-lapse video demonstrating how the map of Trinidad has evolved and changed over time—the result of many contributions people have made via Map Maker. Other time-lapse videos from around the world can be found here.


A big thank you to the passionate communities of volunteer mappers who made both the regional conference and Map Maker graduation possible. More mapping activity across the globe can be seen right as it happens via Map Maker Pulse. And remember, the maps of more than 200 countries and regions are now open for updates and edits, and awaiting your local expertise.

Posted by Evans Arabu, Map Maker community team

Google Maps heads north...way north

Search for [cambridge bay] on Google Maps and you’ll fly to a tiny hamlet located deep in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut in Canada’s Arctic, surrounded by an intricate lacework of tundra, waterways and breaking ice. High above the Arctic circle, it’s a place reachable only by plane or boat. Zoom in on the map, and this isolated village of 1,500 people appears as only a handful of streets, with names like Omingmak (“musk ox”) Street and Tigiganiak (“fox”) Road.


View Larger Map
Cambridge Bay in Google Maps
There are 4,000 years’ worth of stories waiting to be told on this map. Today, we’re setting out on an ambitious mission to tell some of those stories and to build the most comprehensive map of the region to date. It is the furthest north the Google Maps Street View team has traveled in Canada, and our first visit to Nunavut. Using the tools of 21st century cartography, we’re empowering a community and putting Cambridge Bay on the proverbial map of tomorrow.

The hamlet of Cambridge Bay
We’re not doing it alone, but with the help of the community and residents like Chris Kalluk. We first met Chris, who works for the nonprofit Nunavut Tunngavik, last September at our Google Earth Outreach workshop in Vancouver, where he learned how to edit Google Maps data using Google Map Maker. Today Chris played host to a community Map Up event in Cambridge Bay, where village elders, local mapping experts and teenagers from the nearby high school gathered around a dozen Chromebooks and used Map Maker to add new roads, rivers and lakes to the Google Map of Cambridge Bay and Canada's North. But they didn’t stop there. Using both English and Inuktitut, one of Nunavut’s official languages, they added the hospital, daycare, a nine-hole golf course, a territorial park and, finally, the remnants of an ancient Dorset stone longhouse which pre-dates Inuit culture.

Catherine Moats, a member of the Google Map Maker Team, working with Chris Kalluk and others at the Community Map Up.
Now we’re pedaling the Street View trike around the gravel roads of the hamlet and using a tripod—the same used to capture business interiors—to collect imagery of these amazing places. We’ll train Chris and others in the community to use some of this equipment so they can travel to other communities in Nunavut and continue to build the most comprehensive and accurate map of Canada’s Arctic. As Chris put it to us, “This is a place with a vast amount of local knowledge and a rich history. By putting these tools in the hands of our people, we will tell Nunavut’s story to the world.”

The Street View Trike collecting imagery of Cambridge Bay.
So stay tuned, world. We look forward to sharing with you the spectacular beauty and rich culture of Canada’s Arctic—one of the most isolated places on the planet that will soon be, thanks to the people of Cambridge Bay, just a click away.

Posted by Karin Tuxen-Bettman, Google Earth Outreach team

Mapping the Motor City with Google Map Maker

Hailed as the birthplace of the automotive revolution, the city of Detroit, Mich. is taking its transportation legacy down new paths. As Detroit embraces a greener, non-motorized outlook, cycling is steadily increasing in popularity. The Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance is facilitating this transition by creating an interconnected statewide system of trails and greenways, including the development of bike paths throughout the Detroit area.

As these new bike paths change the city’s landscape, Motor City residents need a more comprehensive map showing bike friendly routes. Todd Scott, the Detroit Greenways Coordinator, discovered that he could use Google Map Maker -- a free tool that allows anyone to make contributions to Google Maps -- to add new information on biking paths and trails in and around Detroit. Adding new bike paths not only makes the map more accurate, it also improves biking directions, making it even easier for people to find the quickest routes through town. Anyone can also enhance existing trails by including details such as the official name, surface type and bicycle suitability. Keeping Google Maps updated with the latest information means everyone in the community is able to find and enjoy these new additions to the trail system.

Learn more about Todd Scott and his mission to improve the map for cyclists in Detroit.
Building a more comprehensive, accurate and usable map for local cyclists is just one part of Todd’s mission. From the smallest town to a rapidly evolving city like Detroit, maps reflect the heart of a community. Whether you’re improving directions, adding local businesses or mapping an entire area from scratch, your local expertise will help make life easier for not only you, but all Google Maps users. As Todd says, “It goes beyond map making. It’s a way to take back your neighborhood.”

How are you mapping your world? Join the Map Maker Community and tell us your story.

Posted by Lori Savageau, Map Maker Community Manager

Add your knowledge to the Poland and Ukraine maps

Digital maps reflect our real world. As the places around us evolve and change, so should our maps. With Google Map Maker - a product that enables people to add to and update the map for locations around the world - you can help ensure the accuracy of the places you care about most as seen by millions on Google Maps. Today, Google Map Maker has become available in Ukraine and Poland. They join the 200 countries and regions already available, and bring us two steps closer to building the most comprehensive world map possible.


From the peaks of Ukraine’s Hoverla mountains to Poland’s cheerful Baltic coastline, you can now contribute your local knowledge to help create a more complete and accurate map of Europe. Whether you want to add a place, provide details for a driving route, outline a building footprint, or make corrections based on recent changes, you can make sure your community is up to date on Google Maps.

Begin in your neighborhood by updating the cycling paths through your local park, or adding recreational sites along the way. Try mapping the local soccer stadium or add details to the architectural or historic destinations throughout your city. Once approved, your contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile within minutes. You can also join with other local mappers to share your regional expertise and review one another’s contributions to the map.

The area around the Olympic Stadium in Wroclaw comes to life in Google Maps.
We welcome both residents and folks who are familiar with Poland and Ukraine to the team of citizen cartographers across the globe who are continuing to build the map of the world. To learn more, subscribe to the Map Maker YouTube Channel or watch others map in real-time for ideas on the types of details and additions you can make to the map. Happy mapping!

Posted by Anand Srinivasan, Tech Lead, Google Map Maker

Calling all Aussie Mappers! Google Map Maker is now available in Australia

G’day mappers — at last it’s time to share the treasures of the Great Southern Land. Today, Google Map Maker opens its maps to Australia, so you can add your local knowledge to Google Maps for all the world to see.

Help share Australia’s natural gems with tourists and locals alike by drawing the hiking trails through the Eucalypt forests of Tasmania or adding all the campsites surrounding Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Then, once you’re ready for some rest and relaxation, why not map the beach resorts of Kangaroo Island, all the best restaurants along the Coral Sea of Queensland, or your favourite billabong for a day of fishing? You can even add your neighbourhood rugby club before heading off to a game.

Once approved your contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile, accurately reflecting your real-life neighbourhood. You can even join with other local mappers and use your local expertise to review one another’s contributions to the map. To see examples of what people all around the world are adding in Map Maker, you can watch mapping in real-time.

Hyams Beach comes alive with Google Map Maker.
Google Map Maker warmly welcomes the people of Australia to the team of citizen cartographers from 200 countries and regions across the globe as they continue to build the world map. To learn more, subscribe to the Map Maker YouTube Channel, and get started mapping today!

Posted by Nilesh Tathawadekar, Software Engineer

Inside Map Makerpedia

Less than a year ago, we launched the Map Makerpedia to bring together the collective knowledge and expertise of the Map Maker community into a Wiki-style guide. We recently rolled out an update to the site, which includes a more intuitive layout and revised templates.

We’re thrilled to share these updates and a brief overview of the developments we’ve made over the past few months that have made it an invaluable resource for mappers across the globe.

Map Makerpedia is now divided into three broad categories, “Mapping Tutorials,” “Regional Hubs” and “Community Projects.”

The revised Map Makerpedia layout
The “Mapping Tutorials” pages offer mapping lessons and tutorial videos. Nineteen articles, ranging from “How to map a golf course” to “Mapping roundabouts,” and six videos (in languages as diverse as Russian and Kurdish) currently comprise the Mapping Tutorials section.

Some Help articles in Maps 101
The “Community Projects” section sets the stage for organizers of MapUps to share their event experiences while encouraging others to try their hand at organizing community mapping sessions. From chronicling the efforts of mappers in disaster management and the uplifting of slums, to providing a platform for a veteran mapper to showcase his teaching initiatives, Community Projects is a practical handbook on the benefits of mapping.

Community Projects - on the ground
The “Regional Hubs” section provides a one-stop source for all the regional guidelines. The Regional Hubs not only bring together mappers of one country or territory together under one umbrella, but they also enable mappers from one part of the world to help others across the globe.

Examples of Regional Hubs
Finally, any mention of Map Makerpedia is incomplete without a heartfelt thanks to its amazing contributors! From the sandy dunes of Jordan to paddy-filled Vietnam, from chilly North America to the sunny Asian Sub Continent, with the Pearl of Africa adorning, this is one diverse community.

You too can share your knowledge on Map Makerpedia. Get started!

Posted by Nadeem Ahmed, Map Maker Community team lead

Eight steps closer to mapping the world with Google Map Maker

At the heart of Google Map Maker are citizen cartographers helping to build the most accurate maps of their communities - ones that reflect the identity, culture and pride of regions across the globe. Today, Map Maker is expanding to the following countries, enabling people who know and live in these locations to share their local expertise: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland.


With every region that joins Google Map Maker, we are coming one step closer to building a comprehensive world map. Whether you’re adding the cycling routes through Amsterdam or adding the best hiking trails and fishing holes of the Geirangerfjord, each update you make helps to capture the unique spirit of your country for everyone to see.

From the moment you make your first edit in Map Maker, know that you are joining an ever-growing community of passionate volunteer mappers as they make the online maps of our world ever more detailed and useful. Get involved by introducing yourself to fellow mappers or find an event near you.

A golf course in Oslo, Norway comes to life with Google Map Maker.
We happily welcome mappers in each of these new countries. Google Map Maker is now available in more than 190 countries and territories, and as we forge ahead with continued expansion over the coming months, stay tuned for additional announcements with the Google Maps page on Google Plus.

Posted by Nilesh Tathawadekar, Software Engineer

Google Map Maker now available in South Africa and Egypt, and coming soon to more corners of the globe

From the wild grasslands of Kruger National Park to the the extraordinary pyramids of Giza, the world is ripe with wonders waiting to be explored. It’s time to share the beauty of your country by adding and updating the places you care about in Google Maps. We are excited to announce that Google Map Maker is now available for South Africa and Egypt.


With Google Map Maker, you can contribute your local knowledge to make a more detailed and comprehensive map of the changing world around us. Begin in your neighborhood and try adding the building footprints for all the restaurants along the beach, updating the one way street that just recently became a two-way, or mapping the local stadium before heading off to a game. Once approved, your contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile, accurately reflecting your real-life neighborhood.

Giza Zoo near Cairo University comes to life in Google Maps.
Is your local park already on the map? You can also create the outline of the nearby lake and tennis courts, add important details about your favorite historic sites, or map the walking paths through the public gardens. Help tourists explore your town by editing road details so visitors can find their way to all the premier destinations. Join with other local mappers and use your local expertise to review one another’s contributions to the map.

Google Map Maker warmly welcomes South Africa and Egypt mappers to the team of citizen cartographers from across the globe as they continue to build the world map. We’ll continue our expansion over the next month to the following countries as well: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, and Switzerland.

Stay tuned for additional announcements with the Google Maps page on Google Plus, learn more on the Map Maker YouTube Channel, and get started mapping today!

Posted by Kaushik Sridharan, Software Engineer

The never-ending quest for the perfect map

(Cross posted from the Official Google Blog)

For the last decade we’ve obsessed over building great maps for our users—maps that are totally comprehensive (we’re shooting for literally the whole world), ever more accurate and incredibly easy to navigate.

Comprehensiveness

It’s a pretty limited search engine that only draws from a subset of sources. In the same way, it’s not much of a map that leaves you stranded the moment you step off the highway or visit a new country. Over the last few years we’ve been building a comprehensive base map of the entire globe—based on public and commercial data, imagery from every level (satellite, aerial and street level) and the collective knowledge of our millions of users.

Today, we’re taking another step forward with our Street View Trekker. You’ve seen our cars, trikes, snowmobiles and trolleys—but wheels only get you so far. There’s a whole wilderness out there that is only accessible by foot. Trekker solves that problem by enabling us to photograph beautiful places such as the Grand Canyon so anyone can explore them. All the equipment fits in this one backpack, and we’ve already taken it out on the slopes.

Luc Vincent, engineering director, taking the Street View Trekker for a trial run in Tahoe

Accuracy

The next attribute map makers obsess over is accuracy. We still have a way to go because the world is constantly changing—with new houses, cities and parks appearing all the time—it’s a never ending job. But by cross-checking the data we have, we can significantly improve the accuracy of our maps. Turns out our users are as passionate about the quality of Google Maps as we are, and they give us great feedback on where we can do better. We make thousands of edits a day based on user feedback through our Report a Problem tool and via Map Maker, which we launched in 2008. Today we’re announcing the expansion of Map Maker to South Africa and Egypt, and to 10 more countries in the next few weeks: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland.

Usability

The final element of the perfect map is usability. It’s hard to remember what digital maps were like before Google Maps went live in 2005, and the huge technological breakthroughs that transformed clicking on arrows and waiting, to simply dragging a map with a mouse and watching it render smoothly and quickly. Plus, we added one single search box. Today we have thousands of data sources that feed into our maps making them a rich and interactive experience on any device—from driving directions to transit and indoor maps to restaurant reviews.

People have been asking for the ability to use our maps offline on their mobile phones. So today we’re announcing that offline Google Maps for Android are coming in the next few weeks. Users will be able to take maps offline from more than 100 countries. This means that the next time you are on the subway, or don’t have a data connection, you can still use our maps.

The next dimension

An important next step in improving all of these areas—comprehensiveness, accuracy, and usability of our maps—is the ability to model the world in 3D. Since 2006, we’ve had textured 3D buildings in Google Earth, and today we are excited to announce that we will begin adding 3D models to entire metropolitan areas to Google Earth on mobile devices. This is possible thanks to a combination of our new imagery rendering techniques and computer vision that let us automatically create 3D cityscapes, complete with buildings, terrain and even landscaping, from 45-degree aerial imagery. By the end of the year we aim to have 3D coverage for metropolitan areas with a combined population of 300 million people.

I have been working on mapping technology most of my life. We’ve made more progress, more quickly as an industry than I ever imagined possible. And we expect innovation to speed-up even more over the next few years. While we may never create the perfect map … we’re going to get much, much closer than we are today.

Posted by Brian McClendon, VP of Engineering, Google Maps

Start a love affair with Google Map Maker; now available in France and Monaco

Spring is in the air, carrying with it that special kind of love one feels when taking a romantic stroll along the Seine, visiting a countryside chateau, or finding an exotic garden by the sea. What better way to celebrate the season than by adding the places you love to Google Maps for the whole world to discover.

With Google Map Maker for France and Monaco, you can add your favorite places to the map. Start with your local bakeries, cinemas, parks, and museums. Once approved your contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile for all the world to see. Now the French map can embody the rich culture and spirit unique to France, reflecting the heart of your neighborhood as you add details to the map.

Claude Monet’s house and studio, where he painted his water lilies, brought to life in Google Maps with Google Map Maker.
Parts of your neighborhood may already be mapped on Google Maps. If your favorite park is on the map, why not add the lake, football pitch and market to add that joie de vivre. Mark the best bicycle route through and edit road attributions so visitors can find their way around town. Join with other local mappers by bringing your local expertise to review their contributions to the map.

Google Map Maker proudly welcomes France to join citizen cartographers from across the globe as they create a more complete map of the world around us. To learn more, subscribe to the Map Maker YouTube Channel, and get started mapping. C’est génial!

Posted by Lakshminath Bhuvanagiri, Software Engineer

Make Google Maps yours at SXSW

If you’re heading to South By Southwest (SXSW) this year, make Google Maps your tour guide to everything and everywhere you need to go.

First, we’re powering the map in the official SXSW GO mobile app so you can find your way around the concerts, films, sessions, and events.

Second, as part of the Google Village, we have our very own Google Maps house! Within the house, we’ll showcase the latest features on Google Maps for Android including navigation and indoor maps, as well as show you how to add your local knowledge and improve Google Maps for your fellow users with Google Map Maker. We’ll also be hosting Schemer - a new way to help people discover and share stuff to do. To get schedule and times visit our webpage.

       

Bar 96 in Street View and the Google Village at SXSW

Like any tour guide should, we always give the best recommendations on where to eat, shop and play -- all at a good price. For those attending, we have happy hours hosted by Zagat to give you a taste of Austin and by Google Offers with a few “sweet” deals to experience.

 Not to be missed:

• Live demos and games for Google Maps for Android 
• Live demos for Google Map Maker 
•  Join +Trey Ratcliff for his +Schemer Photowalk — and help him break the world record! 
• Join Bike Hugger as they start at the Google Maps house for their annual SXSW bike ride 
• Listen to +Daria Musk presented by the Schemer team 

For a full schedule of Google Village events, visit: http://www.google.com/events/sxsw/schedule/  

If you can’t make it to SXSW, look out for the Hangouts we will be hosting so you can always come visit us virtually! When you see the giant Google Maps pin with a Street View car in front of it - you’ve arrived.

See you in Austin!

Posted by David Kim, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps

Map your campus and win: Announcing the first Map your University competition

Have you ever wished you knew the most direct route from your dormitory to your geography class across campus? Do you want a great way to help your roommate finally discover the library before midterms? Now is the perfect time to form a team and ensure that your university map is up to date using Google Map Maker. Today we’re kicking off the first ever Map your University 2012 competition for the United States and Canada!

From February 13th until March 9th, 2012, Google invites students studying in the United States and Canada to become local experts by updating and adding detail to their campus maps for viewing in Google Maps and Google Earth. Adding everything from walking paths to university buildings to local businesses will help students and visitors alike when trekking across your college grounds. Winning teams will be selected based on the thoroughness and accuracy of mapping in and around campus, and a brief personal statement. Fabulous prizes include Android tablets and phones, GPS devices, Google Map Maker messenger bags, t-shirts, and more!

The beautifully mapped University of California Berkeley Campus, completed by participants in the 2011 US Map Maker Roadshow.

Many university students around the world are already hard at work mapping their schools. UC Berkeley, pictured above, was among 18 universities that participated in the 2011 US Map Maker Roadshow, as was Lehman College, where students mapped almost their entire campus in one day! Over 700 attendees across the country participated in hands-on mapping workshops and mini-competitions with the help of Google’s Student Ambassador Program.

Now it’s your chance to make your university shine for all the world to see on Google Maps and Google Earth. For more information about how this powerful tool works, rules and registration, be sure to visit the contest homepage. The winning team will be announced in early April. Good luck, and happy mapping!

Posted by Catherine Moats, Community Manager, Google Map Maker

World Bank and Google join forces to empower mapping communities around the world

Today the World Bank and Google announced a collaborative agreement aimed at improving disaster preparedness and development efforts in countries around the world.

Under this agreement, the World Bank will act as a conduit to make Google Map Maker source data more widely and easily available to government organizations in the event of major disasters, and also for improved planning, management, and monitoring of public services provision.

The free, web-based mapping tool called Google Map Maker enables citizens to directly participate in the creation of maps by contributing their local knowledge. Once approved, those additions are then reflected on Google Maps and Google Earth for others around the world to see.

The Google Map Maker data includes detailed maps of more than 150 countries and regions, and identifies locations like schools, hospitals, roads, settlements and water points that are critical for relief workers to know about in times of crisis. The data will also be useful for planning purposes, as governments and their development partners can use the information to monitor public services, infrastructure and development projects; make them more transparent for NGOs, researchers, and individual citizens; and more effectively identify areas that might be in need of assistance before a disaster strikes.

Community mapper in Kampala, Uganda

World Bank partner organizations, which include government and United Nations agencies, will be able to contact World Bank offices for possible access to the Google Map Maker data for their various projects. World Bank country offices in Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Moldova, Mozambique, Nepal, and Haiti plan to pilot the Map Maker agreement.

The World Bank Institute (WBI) and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) will manage the World Bank’s involvement in the collaboration, building on previous joint mapping efforts. For example in April 2011, members of the Southern Sudanese Diaspora participated in a series of community mapping events organized by World Bank and Google to create comprehensive maps of schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure in this new country via Map Maker technology.

Google has enjoyed a strong relationship with World Bank for many years. As indicated by the World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region Obiageli Ezekwesili, “Today’s technology can empower civil society, including the diaspora, to collaborate and support the development process. This collaboration is about shifting the emphasis from organizations to people, and empowering them to solve their own problems and develop their own solutions using maps.”

France Lamy, Program Manager, Google.org

Mapping made easier with the new Google Map Maker

With 2012 approaching, we're getting a head start on our New Year's resolution to shed some excess weight and improve our overall appearance. You may have seen our ongoing efforts to improve the look, feel, and user experience across many other Google products to date. And with Google Map Maker available in the United States, Canada, and more than 180 other regions, it's time for another makeover. Today, we’re revealing a new version of Google Map Maker to help users map the places they know best and make their hometowns sparkle on Google Maps.

Start with a walkthrough of the new Google Map Maker

With Map Maker, you can easily help ensure that the changing world around you is accurately reflected on the map. Add your favorite gift shop, the nearest tree farm, or even the golf course where you once got that hole in one. It’s also easier to mark the best route to Grandma’s house and draw better buildings with courtyards and crisper corners. The options are endless when it comes to mapping the places you know and love. Once approved, your contributions will appear on Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps for mobile for all the world to see.

You don’t have to be an expert to start using Google Map Maker. High school student and Eagle Scout Tommy Bruce is a mapping superstar who finds mapping fun, fulfilling, and a simple way to help those in his community have the best, most comprehensive information possible. He started by mapping bike trails in his hometown of Mooresville, North Carolina and is now on an exchange program in Puebla, Mexico, mapping unmarked rivers that run through town! After witnessing Tommy’s accomplishments firsthand at the U.S. Geo User Summit, even his mother Margaret began thinking of places that she’s eager to put on the map. Why not make your New Year’s resolution to improve the map for millions of people? Start here.

Posted by Kaushik Sridharan, Software Engineer

Recap: Google Geo User Summit in Barcelona

Settled between the Catalan Coastal range and Mediterranean sea, the city of Barcelona is home to an array of culinary treasures, iconic architecture, endless museums and beaches, and the impressive FC Barcelona football stadium. The city’s distinctive mix of tradition and innovation thus proved the ideal host to the Google Geo User Summit Barcelona. From October 12th-14th, Google Map Maker, Google SketchUp and Building Maker, and Panoramio welcomed some of our most passionate mappers, 3D modelers and Panoramio photographers across Europe and the Middle East to celebrate their invaluable contributions to an ever-growing Geo Community.

View of Barcelona from Museu Nacional D’art de Catalunya by Matthew Walters, Panoramio contributor

The summit was an exciting opportunity for many of our top contributors to share their geographic crowd-sourced efforts, work directly with Google engineers to brainstorm potential new product features, and set strategies for improving the overall Geo community. Attendees also had a chance to mind-meld with our product leaders during a day of unconference sessions, sharing thoughts, ideas, and stories about their experiences that will help us to improve our products.

Following a keynote address by Aidan Chopra, Google Geo Evangelist, attendees shared their inspiring projects and practices with a rapt audience. We learned from Levan Beruchashvili how the National Agency of Public Registry helped map the entire country of Georgia for its recent graduation to Google Maps. Arek Pawlowski described hosting multiple SketchUp workshops at his university, creating almost 450 models in an ongoing effort to put all of Toruń, Poland into 3D. As it is the user-generated content that fuels the Google Geo products, these and other contributor testimonials stood out as the highlight of the summit.

Attendees at the Google Geo User Summit Barcelona!

To learn more about the Google Geo User Summit Barcelona, visit the event website, where you can browse photographs of the conference and its beautiful setting along the Mediterranean coast. Extensive session notes and user presentations are also available. If you’re interested in attending future events, please see the Map Maker Events Calendar, 3D Events Calendar and Panoramio Events Calendar. This summit was one exciting part of an ongoing celebration of the passionate mappers, modelers, and photo contributors who are improving Google Maps and Google Earth for the world to share. A tremendous thanks to all those who attended and helped make the event a success!

Posted by Lori Savageau, Community Manager, Google Map Maker

Add local knowledge to the map with Google Map Maker for Canada

Today we’re opening the map of Canada in Google Map Maker for users to add their expert local knowledge directly to Google Maps. Users know their neighborhood or hometown best, and with Google Map Maker they can ensure the places they care about are richly represented on the map.

Users can help make the map complete in many ways such as marking hiking paths and trails, fixing the name of a local business, or adding the buildings of a college campus so they appear in Google Maps. We’ve seen incredibly detailed contributions from users worldwide, for example, take a look at the map of a shopping mall in California before and after Map Maker was launched. We’re eager to see the same level of detail for locations throughout Canada.

Milpitas, CA (before, avant)

Milpitas, CA (after, après)

To confirm Map Maker user contributions are accurate, each edit will be reviewed. After approval, the edits will appear in Google Maps within minutes. To see examples of what people all around the world are adding in Map Maker, you can watch mapping in real-time.

Citizen cartographers using Google Map Makerin more than 180 other regions of the world help keep maps of their areas accurate and up to date. We are delighted to welcome Canada to the Map Maker family. To learn more, visit our handy guide to mapping Map Makerpedia or check out a video tutorial. Get started mapping at www.google.ca/mapmaker.

Note: Translated to French below.

Posted by James Kelly, Product Manager, Google Map Maker

Ajoutez de la couleur locale à la carte avec l’édition canadienne de Google Map Maker

Aujourd’hui, nous ouvrons la carte du Canada dans Google Map Maker afin que les utilisateurs puissent ajouter directement leurs propres connaissances locales aux cartes Google. Les utilisateurs connaissent leur quartier ou leur ville mieux que quiconque, et grâce à Google Map Maker, ils peuvent s’assurer que leurs endroits préférés figurent sur la carte.

Les utilisateurs peuvent contribuer à enrichir la carte de nombreuses façons, notamment en indiquant les pistes cyclables et les sentiers, en identifiant les commerces locaux, ou en ajoutant les édifices d’un campus universitaire afin qu’ils apparaissent dans Google Maps. Nous avons vu des contributions incroyablement détaillés de la part d'utilisateurs du monde entier. Par exemple, jetez un coup d'oeil à la carte d'un centre commercial en Californie, avant et après le lancement de Map Maker. Nous avons hâte de voir le même souci du détail pour des emplacements situés à travers le Canada.

Afin de confirmer l’exactitude des contributions des utilisateurs de Map Maker, chaque ajout sera révisé. Après approbation, les changements apparaîtront sur Google Maps en quelques minutes. Pour avoir un aperçu de ce que les gens à travers le monde ajoutent à Map Maker, vous pouvez visionner la cartographie en temps réel.

Les citoyens cartographes utilisant Google Map Maker dans plus de 180 autres régions du monde contribuent à rendre les cartes de leur région les plus précises et à jour possible. Nous sommes ravis d’accueillir le Canada dans la famille de Map Maker. Pour vous familiariser avec cet outil, consultez notre guide pratique de cartographie Map Makerpedia ou visionnez notre vidéo pédagogique. Ne perdez pas une minute. Rendez-vous à www.google.ca/mapmaker.

Publié par James Kelly, chef de produit, Google Map Maker

Map Maker Graduation Part V: from Afghanistan to Antarctica

(Cross posted to the Official Google Blog)

Google Map Maker enables local experts to create maps and share their local knowledge with the world. These citizen cartographers help keep maps of their areas accurate and up to date. They add missing roads and new businesses—and even map areas that have little to no data yet on Google Maps.

Today, our latest crop of countries, territories and an entire continent are graduating from Map Maker—meaning the user-generated maps of these countries will now appear on Google Maps: Afghanistan, Antarctica, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Honduras, Iraq, Norfolk Island, Saint Pierre & Miquelon and Saudi Arabia.

Here are some before and after pictures that highlight how much detail Map Maker users have added to Google Maps for these regions (as well as some time-lapse videos):

Baghdad, Iraq

Kabul, Afghanistan

Tbilisi, Georgia

Each region has an impressive mapping story—from the Georgian Government’s initiative to improve their country’s map, to the group led by six students in Herat, Afghanistan who mapped their entire city in a matter of weeks.

Thank you to the Google Map Maker contributors who create better maps for these regions and others; their ongoing efforts can be seen at Map Maker Pulse. We encourage all local mappers to continue improving the maps of these areas and the more than 180 other regions of the world on Google Map Maker.

Posted by Anjali Joshi, Google Maps, Director of Product Management

Afghans Empowering Afghanistan through maps using Google Map Maker

Striking for its charm, bustle and impressive historic architectural treasures, the silk road city of Herat, Afghanistan has until today, been nearly ‘invisible’ online in digital maps. Luckily, Herat is home to Herat University, which is filled with talented, entrepreneurial students some of whom have worked together to literally put their town “on the (digital) map.”

In response to their city’s absence on Google Maps and Google Earth, a team of students launched a grassroots volunteer effort, named the Afghan Map Makers, to map their country using Google Map Maker, with the vision of reintroducing Afghanistan to its people and the world through its maps. As a result of their efforts, we are proud to re-launch the map of Afghanistan, with a far more detailed Herat --- along with 11 more regions, on Google Maps.

The Afghan Map Maker Team hard at work, mapping Herat, Afghanistan

Led by recent computer science graduates Hasen and Sadeq, along with other volunteers from their tech start-up, Microcis IT Services CO, the Afghan Map Makers realized how mapping could improve Afghanistan’s economic, community and civic development. Starting from old paper maps and basic satellite imagery, the Afghan Map Makers employed unmatched strategy and diligence to map Herat in only a matter of weeks.

Shortly thereafter a new tech start-up incubator, the Herat Information Technology Incubator Program for Herat University entrepreneurs, was founded with the help of Department of Defense, giving five more start-up companies the resources to volunteer spare time to the mapping initiative. The group divided Herat’s map into six equal parts, and each set of volunteers was responsible for mapping a particular section of the city.

Herat, Afghanistan: The “before and after” efforts of volunteer mappers from Microsis, Afghan Citadel Software Company, Afghan Cybersoft, Asia Cyber Tech, Herat4soo.com and Taktech.

Represented by Hasen Poreya, the Afghan Map Makers presented their project during a June visit to the Mountain View and New York Google offices. According to Hasen, the group encountered many roadblocks from the very beginning; everything from connectivity issues to old satellite imagery and an initial lack of volunteers. Since then, they’ve laid out the map of Herat and several volunteers have already mapped most of Kabul, Afghanistan. You can watch a mapping time lapse of Herat here and Kabul here.

This story is far more significant than the mapping of a city. It is a story of young people in a community coming together, taking ownership of their future and serving their country in a truly entrepreneurial and meaningful way. Congratulations to Hasen, Sadeq, the Herat start-up teams and thousands of Map Makers in more than 180 other countries, helping to map the world.

Posted by Megan Smith, Vice President, New Business Development

The Philippines hosts a Summer of MapUps for disaster preparedness

This summer, a group of Filipino mapping enthusiasts organized an impressive series of Google MapUps throughout the Philippines. The events brought together Google Map Maker mappers across the country to map their communities in preparation of natural disasters. Located in the western Pacific typhoon belt, the Philippines is struck by an average of 20 tropical cyclones every year. As demonstrated by the 2009 Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma), which left much of Metro Manila underwater, the storms are both persistent and devastating.

The extensive series of Summer MapUps was organized by mappers from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao after meeting at the Google Geo User Summit in Singapore. Following in the footsteps of super mapper Rally de Leon, who mapped extensively after the 2009 typhoons, this summer of MapUps was designed as a volunteer project for the Philippine Red Cross. The objective was to map places used during crisis, including health centers, government offices, gymnasiums and public schools used for evacuation.

All of the schools (left) and hospitals (right) in the Philippines, as mapped on Google Map Maker.
The events kicked off in the Mindanao region, with MapUps in Malaybalay, Bukidnon and General Santos City. Northern Luzon followed with a MapUp in the City of Pines, Baguio City. Baguio City was hit by a devastating earthquake a decade ago, which took the lives of over a thousand people. Volunteers wanted to make sure that they tagged important places, such as evacuation relocation sites, that would help in rescue and relief.

A show of enthusiasm from mappers at the Bukidnon MapUp and live mapping in Cebu.
MapUps in Iloilo City, Metro Manila, Zamboanga and Cebu City followed. Zamboanga mappers focused on Zamboanga Peninsula, one of the least mapped areas in the Philippines. The Cebu City volunteer mappers were geology students from University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu College. They enjoyed tagging, moderating and editing data, and vowed to continue mapping to complete the Cebu map.

Even though summer is over in the Philippines, we will still continue to add map data using Google Map Maker as an effort to help the Philippine Red Cross. If you are interested in hosting a MapUp in your neighborhood, or have other great mapping ideas, be sure to visit Map Makerpedia, which brings together lessons, tutorials and use cases from around the world.

We also would like to invite you to join our community of Filipino mappers and help us by improving the map of your neighborhood on Google Map Maker. Mabuhay!

Posted by Aileen Apolo, Philippines Country Consultant