1000+ roads in Google Maps

Connections & celebrations
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In this postmy friend @JanVanHaver was celebrating a great achievement (100+ roads added in Google Maps) and asking an interesting question: “I wonder if it would be possible/realistic to reach a 4-digit number…”

Today I can answer: “Yes, it is indeed possible!”

Caption: A road in a mountain valley, and the text "1000+ Roads In Google Maps". Along the way, a sequence of screenshots showing the approval of the roads in Google Maps contributions
Caption: A road in a mountain valley, and the text "1000+ Roads In Google Maps". Along the way, a sequence of screenshots showing the approval of the roads in Google Maps contributions1600×900 436 KB

If you had asked me in October 2021, when Jan wrote his post, I would have definitely answered NO! Too complicated, with such an awkward interface to use.

So what has happened, from October 2021 to today, to ensure that in a few months I was able to reach a goal that I would not have even imagined being able to aspire to at the time?

Actually, a very simple thing happened: Google developed and started making available a new tool: the Road Editor for desktop. The editor is slowly becoming available to everyone.

I immediately loved this fantastic tool, which allowed me to pick up old projects that I had not completed due to the lack of roads.

“Well”, I said to myself, “now I’ll add the roads that are missing in Google Maps by myself”

And so I did (or rather - I am doing). Mountain roads, cycle paths, footpaths, new local roads, parking lots. There are many roads that are missing in Google Maps, and my aim is to make sure that they are missing less and less.

The tool is easy to use, and very accurate, but surely a year of experience (and 9000 Km added) in Road Mapper helped me.

I started by adding the cycle paths where I go for a walk, then I continued with the paths and roads of the mountain areas that I usually frequent.

Caption: Four different images of roads, cycle paths, walking roads, all present in Google Maps
Caption: Four different images of roads, cycle paths, walking roads, all present in Google Maps1600×900 483 KB

When I felt more confident in my abilities, I returned to an old love, the Sibillini Mountains. I added dozens of km of paths, and then I added the roads of all the SAEs that I managed to find in Google Maps. If you don’t know what SAEs are, then you need to read this post: Mapping for Good - New roads in the Earthquake area of Italy

Caption: Four different images of roads, cycle paths, walking roads, all present in Google Maps
Caption: Four different images of roads, cycle paths, walking roads, all present in Google Maps1600×900 482 KB

Now I add new roads almost every day, following a very simple procedure:

(1) I scan an area in satellite view. When I see areas where it seems to me that roads are missing, I change the view on Maps (2), and if indeed the road is missing, I insert it (3) and submit it (4). Quick and easy

Caption: Four screenshots showing the four steps to add a street in Google Maps
Caption: Four screenshots showing the four steps to add a street in Google Maps1600×900 177 KB

Do you want to try it too? Then you should start reading:

The next goal? I don’t think I can suggest a “5 digit” milestone, but certainly reaching 2000 roads before the end of the year could be an interesting challenge.

And you, what goals are you setting for yourselves?

Oh, before I forget: the street from the first photo is one of the first I added in Maps. If you want to explore it, you can find it here: Accessible Life - Sounds of The Woods

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Wow @ErmesT

Hurray this calls for champagne man. I have just manged to get 200+ and now you talk about 1000+ well done. We need more Local Guides like you on the job. Hopefully the new feature will be rolled out to the rest of us to facilitate drawing the roads.

Congratulations :partying_face::partying_face::partying_face:

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If ever a post was appropriately added in the Achievement section, it is this one!

Congratulations on this amazing achievement @ErmesT . And for sure I will not be the one to reach the 5 digit level… I’m still below 200. (But that might quickly change of I get my hands on the desktop road editor :grin: )

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What?! That is amazing @ErmesT Congratulations! :open_mouth: :clap:

A lot of Local Guides don’t even have a single road added, you just showed what can be done in such a “little” time.

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Hola @ErmesT un excelente trabajo el que estás haciendo por todos nosotros. Me parece impresionante las cifras que dices, merecen un aplauso y un brindis.

Ojalá muchos LG’s tomen tu ejemplo de trabajo y constancia.

Un abrazo fraterno desde Uruguay.

:uruguay: :uruguay: :uruguay:

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Honestly @SholaIB , congratulations for the 200+ roads.

As I said in my post, before the Road Editor for desktop I only had 3 roads added in Maps, because I simply don’t like to add road in mobile, and I deeply admire Local guides Like you and @JanVanHaver that are able to do it.

I can only imagine what you guys could do with a more powerful editor, and I can’t wait to see other people using it.

I am sure this will improve in an exponential way the accuracy of the information about road in Google Maps.

As the editor is public (it has been announced publicly and I am not under NDA) I can add that in five months the tool has been updated several time, adding some important functionality, like editing existing road to modify the shape of the road.

There is an interesting relationship between a wrong shape and an invisible blue line, and I love to find broken blue lines and to fix them by correcting a wrong shape. It is a demanding job, much more than adding new roads, and in my opinion not sufficiently incentivized in terms of points, but it allows to make the Maps much more accurate. Correct Road Shapes in Google Maps - “Follow the Blue Line” is the post that I wanted to write about this new function. Unfortunately we don’t have a count of this kind of approved edits, and I guess that they are inside the global “edits” count. It would be nice to have them visible separately.

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Hehe, @LaloPadilla

You seem to be very close to that number too and, as I said already, doing this with a mobile would be something impossible for me. You are an hero :clap: :clap: :clap:

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Thank you @ErmesT

Nevertheless I’ll be checking on my desktop soon to see if it’s been rolled out to me. I really like drawing roads, it’s a unique function or activity on our local guide program. I look at alot of profiles and 90% of them has that dreadful “zero”. Congratulations again and keep drawing.

@LaloPadilla I am amazed at how many roads you have drawn, I just had a look on your profile now. It looks good in general, keep up the good work man. All the best for your upcoming 36 walk as well.

Cheers

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Looks to me that you use a Desktop to add roads @ErmesT .

I am a 69 roads added so far , though I never used a Desktop to add my roads, all via Mobile while in the go. Do you take your laptop with you out to add roads ? I didn’t know before that a LG can add roads from a far in his HOUSE or OFFICE !.

I always add roads and draw it in the same location in the missing roads and never added a road when I am not in the location . I know that only ROAD MAPPER program can draw roads via Desktop and when I am away from the missing roads’ location and in a specific stated countries , not any country.

Let me please know if it’s possible to add roads via Mobile or Desktop when I am far . Sometimes I can see a missing roads in Kuwait for example and wondering if google will accept my Maps contribution to add roads in Kuwait since I am a Jordanian LG !!! .

I think you can add roads only in Italy even if you are far from the location that a road in missed .

!!!

Regards

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A lot of questions, @OSAMA_1 . Looks like you missed some of my previous posts about adding road:

In there you will find most of the answers to your questions. In any case, I will try to respond here. Please consider that my answers are based on my personal experience and I don’t have any insight from the team. But I like to read a lot, and to “put together” the information that are publicly available.

  • Looks to me that you use a Desktop to add roads :arrow_right: Yes, I am adding road on Desktop
  • I am a 69 roads added so far , though I never used a Desktop to add my roads, all via Mobile while in the go. :arrow_right: Well done :+1: . On mobile this is a great number
  • Do you take your laptop with you out to add roads ? I didn’t know before that a LG can add roads from a far in his HOUSE or OFFICE !. :arrow_right: I am adding roads from home on my desktop computer
  • I always add roads and draw it in the same location in the missing roads and never added a road when I am not in the location . I know that only ROAD MAPPER program can draw roads via Desktop and when I am away from the missing roads’ location and in a specific stated countries , not any country. :arrow_right: Road Editor for Desktop was announced early in 2021. After that, during the presentation of the Guiding Stars (Dec. 2021). If you missed it, I recommend you watch the video till the end. Not only to learn about the Guiding Stars 2021, but also to find out what’s new in Google Maps. With Road Editor you can draw roads like with Road Mapper, but with more functions.
  • Let me please know if it’s possible to add roads via Mobile or Desktop when I am far . Sometimes I can see a missing roads in Kuwait for example and wondering if google will accept my Maps contribution to add roads in Kuwait since I am a Jordanian LG !!! . :arrow_right: Yes you can add road where ever is permitted by Google Maps. Some country have limited editing possibility, due to several factors, so that Google Maps cannot be used to add roads in there. Keep in mind that for the approval the road must be clearly visible in Satellite mode. This is the most important thing, for a quick approval, not where you are when you add a road.
  • I think you can add roads only in Italy even if you are far from the location that a road in missed . :arrow_right: Most of the road added by me are located in the area where I live (North East of Italy). But this is not a limitation: so far I’ve added road also in Argentina, Mexico, Croatia, Turkey, United States, Morocco, Belgium, and of course Italy
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I’ve just made some test, @OSAMA_1 , and I added a few road here. I will let you know when (if) Maps will approve them

Jordan_01.JPG
Jordan_01.JPG1903×947 391 KB

Jordan_02.JPG
Jordan_02.JPG1903×957 389 KB

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Congratulations @ErmesT - that’s a very impressive number but more importantly an incredibly helpful addition to the maps for those using them.

I really hope the tool becomes more widespread soon as I’m very keen to use it (392 added without so far) - I just hope quality control is better than it is over on the Road Mapper platform, some of the contributions there are so poor they’re almost dangerous, you can’t drive on a satellite image of a dried up stream, especially if it’s been raining! :slightly_smiling_face:

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Wow, 392!! Great number @turbotapeworm

I agree with you about quality control, that in Road Mapper sometimes is very poor. But Road Mapper is a great training platform for using the new editor, and you will find amazing the various functions, including the possibility to edit the shape of a road, and to make a broken “Official” Blue Line visible, as you can read in one of the post that I linked in this thread.

Let me add that in some place with the editor you have access to an updated Satellite View, with higher resolution and sometimes also updated data.

In the image here below, that is showing the area near to Treviso Airport, there are parking lots visible only in editing mode

ermest_1-1649368076980.png
ermest_1-1649368076980.png1574×886 453 KB

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Thanks @ErmesT , I’m dying to finally be able to use the Road Editor on desktop, pinching to zoom and moving on mobile is not the best option to add roads, complex roads are a nightmare, not gonna lie :joy: , but hope never dies, maybe one day the editor will be available and I will join your 1K added Roads club :raised_hands:

Your number of added roads is also impressive @SholaIB , congrats on having more than a lot of LGs, Oh and I see you are leading a photowalk too, I want to see those photos :grinning: , enjoy it!

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Well Mr Smart @ErmesT thank you for more talking about one of my most interesting Maps’ contribution ever.

I myself known that a professional roads drawers should switch from Satellite to Default mode on the Maps so it will be clear enough and easy to know if there are roads should be added. Unfortunately, I believe many of our fellows LGs don’t know this secret ! .

In my experience, the more you try, them more you find out by yourself, that why we know the importance of switch from S to D mode when we want to draw roads.

Still want to know if we can add roads in other countries !! using the mobile editor!

Since we are LGs stated to add roads in our countries like ( I am a LG in AMMAN ) how will it possible to draw a road in KUWAIT as a maps contribution ???

If it’s ok, I will start also to add roads in different countries using my mobile . I will check a missing roads in any country around here in Middle East .

I am waiting your test results you did . Ok .

Very Respectfully

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@OSAMA_1

As I said in my previous reply “Yes you can add road where ever is permitted by Google Maps. Some country have limited editing possibility, due to several factors, so that Google Maps cannot be used to add roads in there”

This indeed includes different countries from where you live (I’ve suggested yesterday an edit for adding some road in Madaba - South-East of Amman).

Unfortunately there are no options to add roads in Kuwait. As you can see from the screenshot here below, the option is missing

Caption: a screenshot of an area in Kuwait - where the "Edit the Map" command is NOT Available
Caption: a screenshot of an area in Kuwait - where the "Edit the Map" command is NOT Available1561×966 438 KB

Let me add that usually the lack of the ability to add roads in a country is not a Google choice, but more often a request from countries that do not want this information to be added by users in Google Maps

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Ok, I am away about 18 KMs to the N ward from Madabah @ErmesT .

Ok, let us do more adding roads .

Regards

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I agree @LaloPadilla , adding complex road with a mobile is very difficult.

Here you can hear and see what @KarolinaPysz said during the presentation of the Guiding Stars 2021

https://youtu.be/5eIepCtvCNI?t=1491

Hope Karoliina can give a feedback soon

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Sei un mostro @ErmesT di bravura ovviamente!! E sono sicura che raggiungerai anche l’obiettivo di 2.000 e forse anche in meno tempo. In quanto a me continuerò a vergognarmi ancora per qualche tempo per il mio 0 strade aggiunte :person_shrugging:‍ :female_sign: prima o poi mi impegnerò ad utilizzare maps su PC e forse ce la potrò fare… Complimenti per questo goal! E comunque ho letto qui che hai lanciato una bella sfida qui, dovresti proporre a Google di lanciarla ufficialmente su maps questa sfida magari in questo modo si incentiva la partecipazione…

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Yeah I remember watching that live, that livestream was a great way to announce our new Guiding Stars and you of course @ErmesT ! , hope it’s available soon, in the meantime I will continue with mobile, no pain no gain :joy: