Capturing factual or textual information through photos can go a long way in helping Google Maps users before visiting a place of Interest or PoI. Such information is normally displayed near the entrance of a PoI and I always make sure to capture as much of this via photos for easy consumption by users.
The place of interest may vary from a museum, a government office, tourist places, place of worship like a temple or a mosque. It could be a simple parking lot like this one outside the Delhi Metro’s City Center Station.
This board displays:
- Hourly, daily, and weekly parking charges.
- Night surcharges.
- Name and phone number to contact.
What I liked the most: Very helpful instructions are at the bottom of the board like not giving keys to the attendant.
This next board at the Jama Masjid Mosque in Delhi tells in 7 languages that the Minars or towers are open for tourists and where they can get a ticket.
What I liked the most: Unaccompanied women and children are not allowed.
This turned out to be helpful when I started climbing the stairs of the towers that are spiral and for a great height, it is likely for women and chidren to feel dizzy climbing such spiral stairs so a strong helping hand is desirable when needed.
The board at the entrance of the Prachina Museum in Bikaner Fort gives the phone number, email, website, timings, availability of a cafe, a souvenir shop, besides a list of exhibits that one can expect to see inside the museum. Nice!
What I liked the most: Except for a regular handbag or briefcase, other items must be authorized before entering.
This is helpful to know beforehand so as to avoid the inconvenience of traveling back to the car or the hotel to drop off any such luggage.
The restaurant at hotel Sharnam where I stayed when driving for 1600 kilometers from Delhi to Pune last month clearly tells the timing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner when ordered in the room.
The other photo is the ticket counter at the Hindu Jain Temples inside the Golden Fort of Jaisalmer.
What I liked the most: The distinct rates for a still camera, video recorder, and mobile camera are clearly mentioned to remove any ambiguity.
The Kuldhara Abandoned Village is located in an arid and hot desert in Rajasthan and local guides are non-existent. So this board carved in stone narrates the story of how an entire village was abandoned overnight by its residents in protest of the atrocities of Saleem the local nobleman.
What I liked the most: The tactile map of the medieval village that will help the visually-vhallenged to get to know the layout and directions before entering the abandoned village site.
Another board at the same Kuldhara site not only tells that there is an admin office, museum model medieval house, cafeteria, and a temple but also the directions.
The other photo when included in a Google Maps review makes a user aware that an audio guide is available at the place so that they can ask for one.
What I liked the most: This is helpful especially since the area is vast and must be traveled by walking in the scorching heat, so it is better to head in the right direction.
The various boards at the entrance to the Ludrava Temple in Rajasthan tell that shoes should be left outside, various camera rates, among other things like the invitation to visit another beautiful temple that is not far away from here.
What I liked the most: The board clearly mentions the dress code which could be very important given the sensitivity of a few places in such matters.
The board outside the Sharnam Hotel tells that food is available 24x7.
What I liked the most: This information could be very important when selecting a hotel when traveling on a free way at odd hours. And also they have displayed this right in front of the parking so that people can see this useful information even from the far away on the highway.
The boards at the entrance of the Royal Cenotaphs in Bikaner various entry fees and timings, that a CCTV camera is in place, pre-wedding shoots not allowed.
What I liked the most: The information in Hindi telling not to sit on the cenotaphs, and not to consume liquor or tobacco on the premises since that is very important to maintain the sanctity of the monument.
The first board is at the Fatehpuri Masjid Mosque in Delhi that lists the timings of the prayers during the day. This is important to note so that you don’t end up moving around in the mosque while other devotees are offering prayers in the mosque.
The other board outside the Shiv Temple in Pune indicates the timings when the Inner Sanctum of the temple will remain closed. This means the remaining part of the temple is open for the devotees all the time.
Also, it tells not to pour curd or milk on the Shiv Ling that is normally permitted in most other Shiv Temples in India.
What I liked the most: The information on the boards is laid out very neatly, framed, and displayed at a prominent place in each religious PoI.
The boards outside the Jantar-Manar Astronomy monuments in Delhi tell that the ticket counter is closed but online ticketing is open via QR code scanning. Including such photos on Google Maps helps visitors to prepare in advance by installing online payment apps on their phones.
The boards also tell the ticket rates video filming rates. Children up to 15 years have free entry.
What I liked the most: The timings from Sunrise to Sunset. This is especially important since most astronomy monuments like the huge Sundial can be experienced only when there is sunlight.
My Conclusion
I am not completely sure if such photos are allowed on Google Maps but I am of the firm opinion since a picture is worth a thousand words, such photos with information are immensely helpful for the users of Google Maps.
Challenge
Do you also share such useful factual information on Google Maps?
Can you please share such photos in your reply or just the link to the photo on Google Maps?
Thank you 
- very useful.
