Google Map Maker is a Google Maps service that allows an individual to add or edit features on Google Maps. These features include roads, businesses, parks, schools and more. You can visually mark locations and add detailed information about these locations in your neighborhood using Google Map Maker tools. Some of your content may eventually be published in Google Maps for others to see and use although subject to a greater degree of vetting.http://www.google.com/mapmaker This page provides an overview of Google Map Maker (technology), who uses it, and how it is being used.

Products related to Google Map Maker are Google Earth and Google Maps. These products work together such as local users of Map Makers identifying a sufficient number of locations, especially roads, so Google Maps can provide directions. Drivers in over 111 countries or territories around the world have benefited to one of the most requested features for Google Maps.http://news.softpedia.com/news/Driving-Directions-in-18-New-Countries-in-Google-Maps-132036.shtml

The Gulf Oil Spill has resulted in a Google Maps project to combine eleven layers of surveillance data to help local citizens find out how the oil spill will impact them.http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/05/05/google-maps-gulf-oil-spill/ http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/oilspill/

Google Maps include driving directions in over 111 new locations thanks to the crowdsourcing efforts of citizen cartographers using Google Map Maker who provided location data.http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/04/world-just-became-smaller-driving.html The countries or territories are:

Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Iceland, Iran, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands Antilles, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Reunion, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Google does not report information on individual projects and services such as Google Map Maker. Overall revenue for Google in 2008 was US$21.8 billion.http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-10376046-265.html

Key events for Google Map Maker:

October 2004 Google acquired Keyhole Corp, maker of 3D maps March 2006 Microsoft and Yahoo have competing map services August 2008 Google India announces Map Maker http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Infotech/Internet-/Indians-gift-to-Google-Map-Maker/articleshow/3413403.cms December 2009 Announce Map Maker competition for UNICEF http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/mapmaker/competitions/global/index.html

There is an official Google community to discuss mapping your world with Google Map Maker.http://groups.google.com/group/map-your-world The group also includes those involved in Google Building Maker and community edits in Google Maps. A related blog is the Google Lat Long Blog. A Facebook group called Google Map Makers is also available.

As of December 2009, there are 178 countries and territories being mapped.http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=155415 The newest locations for Google Map Maker are Brazil, Georgia, North Korea, Saint Pierre and Miquelon.http://maps.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=155415&cbid=-v4gq1goyjvey&src=cb&lev=answer

You are encouraged to organize your own mapping parties and a Mapping Party Kit is available that includes Mapping Party Instructions, Event Handouts, Presentations and Presentation Aids.https://sites.google.com/site/mapmakeruserhelp/mappingkit

A series of Map Maker competitions are being sponsored by Google targeting citizen cartographers. The main competition was from December 15, 2009 to January 31, 2010. Everyone can be a digital cartographer and the $50,000 prize for UNICEF's work was intended to empower young people through technology in their homelands.http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/mapmaker/competitions/global/index.html Wayne Dell Manuel from the Philippines was the winner.http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/technology/03/02/10/filipino-citizen-cartographer-wins-google-map-maker-contest

A Latin America competition concluded December 15, 2009 for those who had local knowledge of any neighborhood or city in Latin America.http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/mapmaker/competitions/latam/index.html

Map Maker also offers a Top Contributor Recognition program. Top contributors are recognized by displaying their profile names in the lower right corner on Google Map Maker. Any Map Maker contributions are of course attributed when the work is transferred to Google Maps. The most impressive mappers appear on the Google Lat Long Blog. http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2009/12/plan-trip-in-one-click.html

Anyone can use Google Map Maker although submitted content may be edited by other users or moderators. Some of your content may eventually be published in Google Maps for others to see and use although subject to a greater degree of vetting.http://www.google.com/mapmaker

The tools for Google Map Maker include Find (locate existing features that others have added to the map), Browse (view all features of a particular type that others have added to the map), Placemark (mark a location such as a business or school), Line (mark roads, rivers, and other linear features), Polygon (mark regions such as a park or neighborhood).http://www.google.com/mapmaker

It is possible to download the data via the Map Maker Download service.https://services.google.com/fb/forms/mapmakerdatadownload/ However such use brings up emerging licensing issues as the license says non-commercial use only, non-compete with Google services, and strict attribution requirements. http://brainoff.com/weblog/2009/04/01/1391

• TerraExplorer Skyline Globe

• Bing Maps

• OpenStreetMap

• Open Geo Data

27Feb10 Google has made available Google Map Maker maps of Chili.http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/02/resources-for-chile-earthquake-response.html See also #chile http://bit.ly/mapmakerdata http://www.geo2web.com/2010/02/27/googlemaps-google-map-maker-data-of-chile-available-for-earthquake-relief-efforts-help-us-improve-chile-chile-httpbit-lymapmakerdata/

You can support disaster relief in Chili via Google's Page for Chile Disaster Relief.

Google Map Maker helps Google Maps with some of its most important features. Here are Top 10 from LifeHacker.http://lifehacker.com/5525758/top-10-things-you-didnt-know-google-maps-could-do

1. Map Spreadsheet Addresses Onto a Map

2. Provide Directions via SMS

3. Find Places Near Any Point on a Map

4. Show Photos Taken Nearby

5. Provide Instant Lat/Long (GPS) Coordinates

6. Map Out a Great Bike Route

7. Fine-Tune or Report A Bad Location

8. Create Multi-Day Walking Itineraries

9. Show a "You Are Here" Marker

10. Use Starred Addresses Instead of Your Memory

Posted January 14th, 2010 :

Google is encouraging relief organizations working in Haiti (and others with knowledge of the country) to mark their work sites and collected information on the Google Earth maps that have been provided by GeoEye.http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1953379_1953494_1953677,00.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/186897/google_earth_reveals_the_devastation_in_haiti.html Google will update the images as they become available.http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/01/haiti-imagery-layer-now-available.html http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/dan-macsai/popwise/haiti-earthquake-google-maps-web-tech?partner=rss By doing so, the collective efforts of all organizations will be available to all working on Haiti Earthquake Relief. Google Earth Library has a Haiti Earthquake Maps and Data page.http://www.gelib.com/haiti-earthquake.htm In addition to Google Earth Maps of Haiti, WFP Logistics website offers updates of the ongoing logistics efforts.http://wfplogistics.org/haiti-earthquake-2010-maps The Map Room blog is tracking updates to maps of Haiti as well.http://www.mcwetboy.net/maproom/2010/01/mapping_the_hai.php

Update: Google Map Maker data is available for download - get the latest version.https://services.google.com/fb/forms/mapmakerdatadownload/ You can donate to Haiti Relief via a page on Google and Google plans to donate US$1 million as well.http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/

20Jan10 Google uploaded new high resolution imagery of Port-Au-Prince (taken 17Jan10) and now the standard image in Google Earth.http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-imagery-of-port-au-prince.html

18Jan10 There seems to be some friction between Google Map Maker and OpenStreetMap on which provides the better coverage though this report suggests they are complementary.http://povesham.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/haiti-how-can-vgi-help-comparison-of-openstreetmap-and-google-map-maker/ http://kelsocartography.com/blog/?p=3358

26Jan10 Latest Haiti earthquake map with relief locationshttp://www.cnn.com/interactive/2010/01/world/google.map.haiti/index.html?hpt=T1

01Feb10 KML of undermapped areas of Haiti released.http://groups.google.com/group/mapping-haiti/browse_thread/thread/b7dec1f41a5b8d37?pli=1

The iPhone 4 Photo application has been revamped with the introduction of iOS 4. The location of the photos you take are now pinpointed on Google Maps automatically.http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/062110-whats-changed-with-ios-4s.html?hpg1=bn