Google Maps Maker is an OpenStreetMap-like tool for community updates in Google Maps. It has been initially launched in 2008 so that users could map areas which Google could not access to add data to, like Vietnam, Pakistan or North Korea. This week the company announced that it’s shutting down the service in March 2017.
Initially the system worked in such a way that all edits had to be manually approved by Google’s employees. The system apparently didn’t work well and has been changed last year after*someone edited a forest in Pakistan in way that it show a giant Android robot peeing on the Apple logo. The new process required other user to approve the edits instead of people working for Google.
So what’s the reasoning behind that sort of business decision. First of all over during the last 8 years most of the places on Earth have been already mapped. With that sort of level of detail Google might have found out that Maps Maker edits are not bringing any value added and actually users can intentionally or unintentionally make the data worse rather than improve it..
Another reason for such a decision might be related to the quality requirements by the customers mainly from automotive business. They require a full control over the quality of the data. A quick business analysis might have shown*that it’s more beneficial to hire 100 new people in Hyderabad, India rather than to maintain the service available for people all around the world.
PS. Google also announced that it will try to transition some of its current contributors to join the*Google’s Local Guides program*instead.
The post Google is shutting down Maps Maker appeared first on Geoawesomeness.
Initially the system worked in such a way that all edits had to be manually approved by Google’s employees. The system apparently didn’t work well and has been changed last year after*someone edited a forest in Pakistan in way that it show a giant Android robot peeing on the Apple logo. The new process required other user to approve the edits instead of people working for Google.
So what’s the reasoning behind that sort of business decision. First of all over during the last 8 years most of the places on Earth have been already mapped. With that sort of level of detail Google might have found out that Maps Maker edits are not bringing any value added and actually users can intentionally or unintentionally make the data worse rather than improve it..
Another reason for such a decision might be related to the quality requirements by the customers mainly from automotive business. They require a full control over the quality of the data. A quick business analysis might have shown*that it’s more beneficial to hire 100 new people in Hyderabad, India rather than to maintain the service available for people all around the world.
PS. Google also announced that it will try to transition some of its current contributors to join the*Google’s Local Guides program*instead.
The post Google is shutting down Maps Maker appeared first on Geoawesomeness.