The Huge, Unseen Operations behind Google Maps

Started as C++ program in 2004, Google Maps🗺 has literally brought the world at your fingertips. It has become so important part of our lives and businesses that if we were to experience a crash in Google Maps services, big unicorns🚖 like Uber and Ola will also go down along with it.

Google Maps is a web and mobile application-based mapping service that provides detailed information about geographical regions and sites around the world🌍.

How does it help in navigation?

The application uses an internet connection to a GPS navigation system to provide turn-by-turn voice-guided🗣 instructions on how to arrive at a given destination. The app acquires GPS coordinates, which it then weaves into its map database to determine your location🎑 and provide the step-by travel information.

Besides this, Google can also know your location📍 by looking at your IP address and the connection you have to your Internet Service Provider.

Now the big question is how does Google even manage this huge amount of data? The answer to this is crowdsourcing (the practice of engaging a crowd or group for a common 🎯goal). Google has certain partners by the help of which it maintains the database:

👉 Map partners: Google has partnered with various data sources with the help of Base Map Partner Program and a large number of agencies submit data to Google.

👉 Street view: Google’s cars are on never-ending road trips, taking 360-degree pictures of the roads and streets we walk, to give us the best possible understanding of the route ahead.

👉 Satellites: Google map also add satellite view in collaboration with Google Earth.

👉 Local Guides: As well as its army of editors, Google also has millions of so-called local guides. When you’re in Google Maps, go to My Contributions and you can search for different places in your area. By leaving a review, you can contribute to this additional layer of data.