For more than a year now users in some countries outside of the US have been able to create detailed maps of their cities and towns on Google Map Maker. Today, Google opened Map Maker to users in the US.

No one knows a town or neighborhood like the people that live there. Google knows that and has made Map Maker a crowd-sourcing project to create the most detailed public maps possible. Google suggests adding information about recreational areas in your town, cultural landmarks, schools, and businesses. To prevent erroneous information appearing on the map edits are moderated.

Learn more about Google Map Maker in the video below.

Applications for Education
Teachers looking to create a project with “real world” implications should consider having students research their communities and contribute to making the map better on Google Map Maker.