Cartography for the Masses

Today, Google unveiled Google Map Maker, a new product that allows users to contribute and edit Maps data for regions around the world. Google Map Maker will initially be available in 18 countries: the Caribbean (Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago), Cyprus, Iceland, Pakistan, and Vietnam.

People can use Google Map Maker to locate, draw, label and provide attributes for local map features. Tapping local knowledge has the potential to greatly improve the quality of mapping data in the developing world. The collection of data in these areas is often neglected -- so Google is giving people with local knowledge access to an easy-to-use tool to better catalog their area.