Search engine giant Google has announced a new initiative called Mapathon 2013, which is the country’s first mapping competition. The registration for the competition will begin on February 12, 2013 and will conclude on March 25, 2013.
The Mapathon is a crowd-sourcing initiative which aims to improve Google Maps in India. The top 1000 mappers will get a chance to win Android tablets, gift vouchers, smartphones and Google merchandise.
People who sign up for the competition can update maps through Google Map Maker. It is a tool which ads details to Google Maps through satellite imagery, or user’s own local knowledge. After the entry has been submitted to Google, it will be verified by the company.
Apart from adding new locations, participants can also update the site which is already listed on Google Maps. Jayant Mysore, the product manager, while highlighting the USP of Google Map Maker said, “Google aims to provide better maps for India by building better maps for the users, by the users. Today, citizens across India can participate in this great project through Mapathon 2013.” Google has suggested that users start by adding information in those places that they consider to be important, such as their favorite hangouts, or a near-by hospital.
A similar initiative was found to be successful recently in North Korea, when a large section of the country was brought to light by local mapping enthusiasts.
