Ed Parsons noted the "interesting story" behind new data Google Maps for Kenya on his blog a few days ago. The data appeared just 10 months after the company opened the office in country.The story (Network World) is this:

The map was developed by a team of seven students from three Kenyan universities together with a team from India. Replacing a previously limited online map of four highways, the move has now placed Kenya on the level of other countries served by Google Maps.

I asked for "the rest of the story" and Ed obliged. In particular I wanted to know about who was behind the effort and who therefore owned the new detailed data. He responded: "Google commissioned the work and owns the data, and yes I think this is a big deal."

I think it's a big deal, too. Ed noted that this is not the first time Google has "commissioned" street level data nor will it be the last.