Google gets personal with My Maps

Adam Turner
Thursday, 05 April 2007 14:01

Your IT - Home IT

Search engine giant Google is launching My Maps, a new feature of Google Maps that enables users to create custom maps for personal use or sharing through search.

My Maps is available via the Google Maps websites of the US, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Japan and Australia.

With My Maps users can mark locations on a map from a library of icons, draw lines and shapes to highlight paths and areas plus add text, photos, or You Tube/Google Videos to a map. They can also view their maps in Google Earth.

Users can choose to make their My Maps unlisted or public. Unlisted maps are intended for personal use or sharing with friends and family by email. Public My Maps will be accessible through Google Maps search along with maps shared by other web sites in the KML format. My Maps users can store maps they have created or viewed when signed into their Google Account.
 
Until now, creating such maps required usings the Google Maps API, but My Maps offers an easier way for anyone with a Google account to create customised maps with rich embedded content.

The release of Google's My Maps in Australia, comes only two months after the official launch of Google Maps Australia - which has already been embraced by a number of Australian businesses to integrate mapping into their websites.

My Maps Australia can be accessed on the Google Maps' Australian homepage at maps.google.com.au