Google Map Maker

Google Map Maker

File:Google Map Maker Logo.png
File:Google Map Maker Ísafjörður.png Screenshot of the town of Ísafjörður, Iceland in Google Map Maker
URL	www.google.com/mapmaker
Type of site	web mapping
Registration	Yes
Available language(s)	English
Owner	Google
Created by	Google
Current status	active

Google Map Maker is a service launched by Google in June 2008, designed to expand the breadth of the service currently offered by Google Maps. In some countries mapping data is unavailable, and so to combat this problem Google has decided to open up Google Maps to a collaborative community effort in certain territories. The project is similar to OpenStreetMap, but unlike OSM which provides its map data under a Creative Commons license, any maps created by users of Google Map Maker are the intellectual property of Google^{[citation needed]}.

The ultimate goal of the project is to acquire sufficient high-quality mapping data to be published and used on the existing Google Maps service. Some contributions have begun to appear on Google Maps, however the changes made in Map Maker are not immediately effected on Google Maps.

Interface

Users are able to draw features directly onto a map where the borders have already been drawn, and can add features such as roads, railways, rivers and so on. In addition, users can add specific buildings and services onto the map such as local businesses and services. At first glance the site appears identical to Google Maps, and the three views (map, satellite and hybrid) are available which allow users to view the map data, a satellite image of the region or a combination of both.

Using the find or browse tools, contributors are able to add to and edit existing features on the map. Three kinds of drawing tools are available: placemark (a single point of interest on the map), line (for drawing roads, railways, rivers, and the like) and polygon (for defining boundaries and borders, adding parks, lakes and other large features). The approach encouraged by users and by Google is to trace features such as roads from the existing satellite imagery. This approach is stifled in areas with poor satellite imagery, and can hinder the creation of map data in those areas.

In an attempt to ensure high quality data, new users’ contributions are moderated by more experienced users. This system is also designed to prevent vandalism and inaccuracies. As users make more successful contributions, their edits are less closely modified and may be published on the map straight away. Certain larger features may take a long time to appear on the map as they are waiting to be rendered by the server.

Contributors can assign areas of the map as their ‘neighbourhood’, that is an area they know well enough to make detailed contributions to. Users can also moderate the contributions of others within their neighbourhood. An individual’s neighbourhood is not visible to other users.

Availability

Currently the service is enabled for the following territories, although users can contribute regardless of their geographic location:

Albania Algeria American Samoa Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Botswana Bouvet Island British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Burkina Faso Burundi Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Cambodia Cameroon Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Cuba Cyprus Democratic Republic of Congo Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji French Guiana French Polynesia

French Southern and Antarctic Lands Gabon Gambia Ghana Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Iceland India Iran Jamaica Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyztan Laos Lebanon Liberia Libya Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Midway Islands Moldova Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia Nicaragua

Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Qatar Reunion Romania Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Solomon Islands Somalia South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Syria Tajikistan Tanzania Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

It should be noted that map editing has not been enabled for all countries that have insufficient map data. Not all of the regions listed above have high-resolution satellite imagery, making accurate mapping difficult.

See also

• OpenStreetMap
• WikiMapia

External links

• Google Map Maker website
• Article: Google Want to be TeleAtlas
• Google Map code generator