Google asking for user input to create My Maps

Google asking for user input to enhance mapping service

Search engine giant Google is now looking for their users to add more information to their mapping services. The company said that they would provide the users with tools to make it easy for them to share their knowledge about their neighborhoods and other favorite places.

Users would be able to create customized maps that can assemble information from a variety of sources. They would have the power to keep these maps private or public.

These kinds of hybrid maps are often called mashups and these are increasingly becoming very popular on the web. Google’s advanced tools would make it easier for non-programmers to make their own mashup maps. Google is expecting that these tools would help their users to create a lot of content which can be stored in its search index.

Jessica Lee, product manager of Google maps said in a statement: “This is a big change. Even if we cut loose all our developers, we could never create maps with the same depth and quality as our users can.”

The company is also now enabling users to embed YouTube videos on their customized maps.