Google recently hosted an African map developer’s conference in Lagos, Nigeria with the aim of understanding the coders’ challenges as well as impart to them new ideas that would improve their skills and performances as they make use of the mapping app.
The conference attracted regional map developers to share their challenges and successes in map creation.
Senior Product Manager, Google Map Maker, Mr. Jayanth Mysore, said is the latest in the series of mapping community forums held by Google worldwide.
The 2-day briefing not only had Google Map developers from different parts of Africa briefed on new developments from the Google map app as they also had a chance to interact with Google Map Maker engineers and Programme Managers, as well as make presentations, and provides useful information from across the continent.
Google Map Makers is an application that provides its users with the opportunity to add and update geographic information for millions of users to see in Google Maps and Google Earth. The updates are reviewed, approved and later publicised online.
The maps pass through various editing procedures and must be accepted by all developers from the particular region from where the map was developed before getting Google’s approval for uploading on the Google Map.
Jayanth noted that the system has nothing to do with Googlemap and Google itself adding they only use Google maps online tools to perfect their creative skills in map.
He further said that through the information shared about business places in towns or building names on school campus, it enhances accurate mapping of the world around people.
Sub-Saharan Africa university campuses were also not left out as they also announced a mapping initiative. Other universities mentioned included University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Benson Idahosa University (BIU) and Ahmadu Bello University.
Founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin as a research project, Google is presently a top global internet search engine with a diversity of internet-related products and services.
Google maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, it functions as a source for map-based services such as Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, it also offers street maps for several countries around the world.
