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Google Maps Enlists Students To Help Map Out University Campuses

Drew Bowling — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:42:15 +0000

When I was in college, one sight I never failed to enjoy was that of a frenzied (typically younger) student sprinting across campus on their way to a class they were undoubtedly late for. I loved seeing this, but not because I’m really that mean; I enjoyed it mostly because I remember when that was me. Similarly, I also liked spotting the odd college student making their way across campus with map in tow, searching for that seemingly hidden building where their class was being held. Again, seeing this warmed my heart but only out of empathy because, like I said, once upon a time that was me.

Such awkward coed adventures may soon exist only in the trunks of nostalgia if Google has anything to do with the modern college experience. Earlier this year they announced that they’d given a few university campuses the Street View treatment. Perhaps realizing the scale required to map out each individual university campus in the United States and Canada, though, Google’s decided to call in the experts on college campuses: the students themselves.

Through their Google+ page, Google Maps announced the inaugural Map Your University competition for all students in the U.S. and Canada. Through the use of Google’s Map Maker, Google is asking current students to create detailed maps of their campuses that will be viewable on Google Maps and Google Earth. Winners of the competition will be award fun Google-y prizes such as Android tablets, phones, GPS devices, and more.

Full details of the event can be found on the official Map Your University page. Entries are only being accepted February 13 through March 9, so attention interested students: here’s your hot plans for Spring Break 2012!

Google Declares Another UGC Mapping Success

Doug Caverly — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:10:11 +0000

Thanks to the hard work of any number of individuals (along with Google’s willingness to trust them), certain areas of Google Maps will now be a lot more detailed. An impressive 17 countries and territories have been deemed set to graduate from Google Map Maker to Google Maps.

Although you may not hear about it often, Google Map Maker serves an important function by allowing people to manually add details about roads, towns, and other things when traditional mapping data is unavailable. It was introduced towards the end of 2008.

Damascus, Syria Before And After

The program’s really caught on, too, considering that this update brings the total of graduated regions to an even 160.

Anyway, this time around, the updated info relates to Brunei, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Kiribati, Kuwait, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Syria, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Yemen.

Google may enjoy a boost in market share in these regions as a result, or at the least, there’s a distinct possibility that a few less American visitors will find themselves getting lost.

Map Maker, Street View Advance Around Oceania

Doug Caverly — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:08:35 +0000

Getting lost in Oceania got a lot harder in the last week or so, and should continue to grow trickier over time. Not only was some already-extensive Street View coverage in Australia expanded, but the self-propagating Google Map Maker was launched in 43 new countries and territories.

A post on the Official Google Australia Blog announced, "Map Maker now allows people to create complete maps for most of Oceania, from Papua New Guinea to Samoa and Micronesia, bringing the total to 164 countries across the world." A short Vietnam-related video then shows Map Maker’s power.

We should also note that, although worldwide country counts differ from source to source, Google’s closing in on having Map Maker available everywhere.

As for the other development, a second post stated, "[W]e added many new streets in Darwin, Geelong and remote parts of the Northern Territory." And if anyone’s watched the movie "Australia," they may be pleased to know that many of the fresh locations have been tied to scenes from the film.