Have you recently moved to a new place? Or do you sometimes feel like exploring your neighborhood? I recently moved to Bangalore and was very enthusiastic to know more about the city. With the recent launch of Google Maps India [maps.google.co.in], Google Maps for Mobile and Google Map Maker, I was able to explore my neighborhood, visit Lal Bagh from my computer and after getting stuck in traffic figured out alternate routes via the map. And whenever I feel like getting away from the hustle and bustle, all I have to do is to just look at my alma mater from the air and I am happy again.
But you're not just stuck to a computer! Have you ever got lost driving around myriad lanes and sub-lanes? Just browse Google Maps from your data-enabled cell phone and let it pin-point your location, even if your cell phone is not GPS capable. It also answers the question children perpetually ask, "Are we there yet?" Be warned though - Googlers who have shown this to their kids have a hard time getting their cell phones back! You can download Google Maps by pointing your cell phone to http://m.google.com/maps.
We realized that maps in India still are not as feature rich as those in countries like the US. Moreover, they keep changing on a daily basis. Passionate Googlers took this challenge head on when they set about creating maps of the entire country (and not just the mega cities) from scratch, using Google Map Maker. In August '08 we enabled editing maps of India for users anywhere in the world, and since then the progress has been phenomenal. Users have mapped their favorite businesses, neighborhoods and places where they grew up.
We hope that maps will become more than a way to find your way around a city - so go ahead and browse the map, relive those nostalgic moments of your life or mark your favorite hangout on the map.
Posted by Manik Gupta, Product Manager
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