My love for Google Maps started even before Local Guides was launched. Back when Maps was introduced in the Philippines, I enjoyed going places virtually by zooming into satellite images and following routes around my city and nearby areas. I discovered a lot of things in our community that way, most especially that a lot of geographical features have not been mapped yet or have been mapped incorrectly, like towns, schools, roads etc.
Then came Google Map Maker. As soon as it was launched, I immediately signed up. I joined a community of mappers that was dedicated in mapping our cities as accurate as possible, reviewing and complementing each other’s work. I was adding new roads, unmapped barangays, schools, establishments and all sorts of fun stuff.
Soon Map Maker had to close down to give way to Local Guides. A lot of mappers were so sad to lose the level of mapping ability from Map Maker, but I believe Guides made it a lot easier to contribute to Maps. I am able to add places by only using the Google Maps app on my phone and share my local knowledge to users. Hopefully soon we can edit road features in the Philippines like before but until then, I will always contribute! #mapPHL