Google Doubles Potential Map Makers; Shares Africa Data with NGOs, Non Profits in Africa
MG Siegler at TechCrunch describes Map Maker as a “wiki style” Google Maps and that’s about right. The latest announcement from Google ups the number of countries in which people with accounts can add and make changes to the map database. These may or may not make it to the actual online maps.
More interesting is this tidbit, which Google reached out the Siegler to share - which seems to have gone unnoticed: Google is “extending our Kenya pilot and making the entire dataset of Africa fully available for download by non-profits, government agencies and individuals to create and enhance their own non-commercial map-related projects. More details are available on our download site.” It’s an interesting license but I’d still steer people to OpenStreetMap for a more open one.
