Registrations open for Google's Mapathon 2013

Google’s got something interesting for its users in India - Mapathon 2013. In an official blog post, Google’s Jayanth Mysore, Senior Product Manager for Map Maker introduces the search giant’s newest initiative that it will throw open for anyone in India - from February 12, 2013 to March 25, 2013.

Mysore explains that Mapathon 2013 stems from Google’s initiative towards creating better maps for India, for which they’ll need everyone’s help. Mapathon 2013 is India’s first ever mapping competition and this nation-wide mapping contest is open to just about anybody who lives in the country. All Google Maps users from all over the country can participate and help Google create better maps for India by adding knowledge of their neighborhoods through Google Map Maker. What’s in it for you, you ask? Mysore reveals that the top 1000 mappers in India can win Android tablets, smartphones, gift vouchers and Google merchandise. The registrations for the competition have just opened, and to join, log in to - : http://g.co/mapindia2013

Ready for Google Mapathon 2013?

Mysore explains that Google Map Maker is their easy-to-use tool that allows users to add more detail to Google Maps through a few simple clicks. What this means is, using Google Map Maker, users can select a specific area on Google Maps and add new information based on their own local knowledge or by referencing the satellite imagery on Google Maps. With another click, they can then save and submit their input. There on, once the submitted edit has been verified, the new information will be added to Google Maps.

“Here at Google, it has always been our endeavour to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. One way we hope to achieve this is by mapping the world, and what better way to do so than by asking users to help ensure that Google Maps accurately reflects the world around them,” Mysore writes.

Offering a little history lesson on Google Map Maker, Mysore adds that it was first ideated in India, “Four years ago, a group of Googlers in India led by Lalit Katragadda, Country- Product Head, decided that it was time to team up with users to improve our maps for India in a dramatic way. The core belief was that users know their neighbourhoods, villages, and back yards better than anyone else, and so we designed Map Maker as the tool people could use to update these details onto a digital map. Map Maker is now used across the world and today, what started off as an initiative by the Google engineers is now a project that citizens across India can participate in through Mapathon 2013,” he adds.

With its newest initiative, i.e. to provide better maps for India, Google adds that it needs to build maps for the users, by the users.

“So join us in mapping India and start by adding in those places you consider important — such as your favorite local dosa joints or a nearby hospital — or by simply updating details of places already on Maps. Registration for the competition is now open and we encourage all of you to sign up at: http://g.co/mapindia2013,” Mysore writes.