Good morning Local Guides!
Today I am whipping up my application for Connect Live, like I am sure many of you are as well. One of the things that we need to do is write a post on Connect about what we like to share on Google Maps the most.
I am a bit of a mad scientist when it comes to Maps. I like to try and think of fresh new ways we can share information on maps that might be a bit unexpected and different. Two of my biggest projects in this area are:
#EdPins: Using school reviews to share stories about learning and to connect educators around the globe.
#LocalGuidesSurf: Using beach reviews to share local surf knowledge to keep us safe and stoked in the waves!
But those projects aside, the thing I think I actually am most proud of sharing on maps has to be adding places that are very remote and unseen. Often these places lack connectivity and suffer from a high level of poverty. These can be things like remote communities or informal businesses in slums. I feel like taking the time to add them to the map and to share it out over social media is giving these people a level of visibility and connection that can make a real impact in their lives. Here are some of my favourite contributions and photos:
- Comunidad Sucusari - This is a remote indigenous village in the Peruvian amazon. This community is unbelievably inspiring; they are doing such good work to preserve their homelands and protecting their endemic wildlife, to share their traditional language and to focus on development to improve lives while at the same time, maintaining their way of life.
- Colegio Lluscapampa - In the Peruvian highlands of Cajamarca is the small town of Lluscapampa (Yu-shka-pam-pa). The school is the heart of the community and has the most wonderful atmosphere. More than that, it may also have the most jaw-dropping view of any school on earth! Proof that money isn’t the only factor in quality education.
- Modas Violeta - This is what I love about Google Maps! The fact that we can add incredible places that would otherwise go unseen to a platform that is seen by a billion people everyday! This is my seamstress Violeta’s small business. She does the most incredible work and is a wonderful person too! Now I can send her more business very easily by sharing her maps entry with my friends and colleagues when I recommend her.
Entries like these are examples of how Google Maps can be used to lift people from poverty, make incredible work visible and connect important ideas and projects to the global community. I hope you found them inspiring as well!