Google introduced a new Google Maps feature called My Maps. This new option lets you create custom maps with relative ease via a simple point-and-click interface on Google’s site.
My Maps gives you the ability to draw on a Google Map with placemarkers, lines, shapes, images, video, and text. Then, if you want, you can share that map with friends and family. You can even show your maps to the world by allowing Google to include your creations in Google Maps searches.
I love this idea of collaborative mapping. Community-driven content always brings new insight to a previously utilitarian service. A Google Maps search augmented with user-created My Maps could yield results you may have missed otherwise. A standard query for “Route 66” might just show you the highway. However, a My Maps search would also give you this Route 66 map complete with oral histories. Fancy!
More ideas for My Maps:
- Share a parade route with the marching band.
- Highlight a hiking trail and pass it onto your son’s Boy Scouts troop.
- Tell others about famous monster sightings.
The possibilities are endless! Sneak a peek at Google’s blog to view more sample My Maps.