Street View can have a powerful, if somewhat under-appreciated marketing impact. It offers visitors a first impression of local businesses, and that first impression might determine the choice of a restaurant or hotel, for example.
In a blog response to Google’s entry into the crowdsource traffic space, Waze makes it clear that their crowd-sourcing service relies on “active participation” from wazers. Google uses the crowdsource term to reference the fact that they get speed and location data passively – basically using zombie smartphones running Google Maps as data points. With Waze’s fleet of active participants, users help the community by “editing the map, reporting events, adding pictures and text, sharing their GPS points, validating traffic, testing new releases, giving us feedback.
The talk asks why most current users of geodata experience maps through one of two ways: in car sat navs, or online mapping portals and looks towards a future of app stores, specialized map data and geo applications that match the exact needs of consumers.
CloudMade » Your Future is Customized – State of the Map Presentation from CloudMade
Web plays coming out of Betaspring’s inaugural year include the mapping startup Expedit.us, which has a devious strategy for mapping the nation in terms of landmarks, rather than the distances and street names used by existing wayfinding applications.
Entrepreneurs pitch plays at Betaspring Demo Day - Mass High Tech Business News
It may be a long way from first place in API mindshare, but web mapping pioneer MapQuest has been making major upgrades to its Flash and JavaScript APIs.
This week we’re expanding our traffic layer to cover all U.S. highways and arterials when data is available. We’re able to do this thanks in no small part to the data contributed by our users. This is exactly the kind of technology that we love at Google because it’s so easy for a single person to help out, but can be incredibly powerful when a lot of people use it together.
Official Google Blog: The bright side of sitting in traffic: Crowdsourcing road congestion data
Would you like to provide geographical context to your online content? Thousands of users all over the world already use Click2Map, the professional geoweb solution of choice. This full featured and user friendly system allows you to make maps, add points of interest and display them on the Internet in just a few mouse clicks.
Click2Map, the professional geoweb solution, make maps online using Google Maps
As an online free mapping service, Google Maps is a great product. But it’s lacking in certain parts of the world. And rather than pay people to go get information about those places, Google has smartly been using a service called Map Maker, which lets locals and people knowledgeable about the area edit it themselves. And this week, Google has added a couple important areas to the list: Mexico and Eastern Europe.
Google Doubles Its Cartographers As Maps Continues To Go Wiki-Style
While the vast majority of animals have no trouble finding their way around, most people, when stripped of maps or signs, are notoriously bad at it. A handful are so terrible at orienting themselves, even in places they know well, that they rarely leave the house alone. “I try to study maps,” says Fine. “But when I get out into the real world, it just looks completely different.
Why humans can’t navigate out of a paper bag - life - 18 August 2009 - New Scientist
Waze (blog) is using mobile phones as sensors to collect data. The Israeli-based start-up (though now with offices in SF) is relying on users to create its maps, to report realtime traffic and to teach it how to route from place A to place B. Along their drives the user gobbles points for every action. Use the app and gain recognition within the Waze community. The company is doing all of this through its free turn-by-turn navigation apps (sorry, iPhone and Android only for now).
