Road Mapper
Google Maps wants to upgrade its maps – and needs users’ help to do so
Cities like Berlin are of course very well covered on Google Maps – but many other places in the world are not.
© MyndziakVideo / Getty Images
Even if this problem is relatively rare in Germany, numerous streets are missing from Google Maps. So-called road mappers are supposed to solve this – and the company is now looking for a lot of them.
The so-called Road Mappers have been around for two years Google Maps. These are volunteers who are supposed to close gaps in the maps of the popular navigation app – because Google has seen a lot of the world, but not everything. Until now, only a few people have been able to help – and that is exactly what is about to change.
1.5 million kilometers in two years
Since 2021, writes Google, “our dedicated participants have mapped more than 1.5 million kilometers of roads and enabled more than 200 million people to navigate with Google Maps.” As a result of the announcement, Google now wants to open up the program further and allows applications from interested hobby cartographers as well as recommendations from existing helpers.
As a road mapper, you mark missing roads on satellite images that are passable with two-lane vehicles. In contrast to so-called local guides, the road mappers do not have to be on site – all you need to do is look at the images from space from a distance and see streets there, which you can then suggest to Google.
However, the search engine giant sets limits: there are focal points for the work of the road mappers. They are usually located in countries where many people live but there are still no roads. In order to make the work palatable to users, Google publishes so-called challenges for these areas, which are intended to encourage people to work on the recordings in a playful way. There does not appear to be any reward in the form of money or benefits in kind.
Teaser image: Getty Images / tobyfraley
Once you have suggested a street, Google says it checks the entries itself. Only then does the data enter the app that normal users use to navigate through the world. This is intended to prevent manipulation – because nothing is more disruptive when traveling than an incorrect map of the surrounding area.
How to change Google Maps
Anyone who wants to work as a road mapper can apply for the program now. If you know someone who is already active there, that person can make up to five suggestions for other colleagues. If you want to make changes to Google Maps in your immediate area, you can also do this outside of the Road Mapper program. Google describes how this works corresponding help pages.
source: Google