2022
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Reconsider selection criteria for new places
The Goole Maps help section mentions "You can publicly add places, like a business or landmark, to the map", but when you click through to the pages with more details on which types of places exactly can be added, you land on the Google My Business help pages, listing eligible and ineligible businesses. A similar focus on businesses is reflected in the list of categories available to choose from.
My proposal is to move a bit away from this 'businesses-first-focus' and rather consider anything eligible to be added to the map which can be a destination for users of Google maps. Those are not always in search of something they want to buy - there can be lots of other types of destinations. An example would be some types of publicly accessible art forms. Right now there are categories for 'Tourist attraction' and 'Statue' and that's about it. But what about street art like e.g. murals? Those can not really be called a Tourist attraction in the sense you would plan your next trip abroad just to see it, but might very well be a destination for someone exploring a new city. This leads to awkward situations whereby even a very famous one by Keith Haring in Pisa is currently categorized as 'Exhibit'. By the way: if you want to see some really nice ones, check out this post started by HUMVILA.
Another domain where examples can easily be found is health-related POIs, such as
- AEDs, an idea already suggested by AndrewCU (here) davidhyno (here), JMcG (here), RohithaF (here), I_SS_A (here) and Volkert (here) in other posts
- baby hatch, as suggested by TorM (here)
- safe injection sites (another suggestion from RohithaF)
Also various water-related destinations seem hard to map right now, as shown in the post by Shahak_B about canal locks, based on his personal experience, the post by Nick-Hobgood on dive sites, which can be meaningful destinations both from the divers' and from an environmental perspective, the post by Elaa about offshore installations and this post by Arni on water ways. And as AJJvBEEK points out in one of the comments below: lighthouses are also not available as category to select. In another comment (page 9 of the comments) JordanBurleson mentions the new trend in water-related amusement: splash pads (or spraygrounds).
In the field of waste management and recycling, additional categories could be helpful as well, as e.g. illustrated in the posts about
- dustbins by Jaidev_Kalla (here), Sanaidhgupta (here), Jhilikmukherjee (here) and ChandraBanu (here)
- donation boxes by RohithaF (here)
- recycling station by Clemersondesales (here)
And fellow local guides I jxsarlo and DAvagnina point out (here and here) that people practicing outdoor sports will most certainly benefit from having the possibility to add certain types of nature elements. Another nature-related suggestion was made by GEORGECANDERSON in his post on protected trees.
More ideas for Google Maps
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Meeting with friends aids
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Developing Kurdish areas and central Kurdish language
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Time Based Cover Photos on Google Maps
Do you struggle to find an apartment at Night? 😪 It is quite easy to find restaurants and stores at night. How? Because they draw attention with the help of large flex banners, LEDs, and excellent lighting. Whereas apartments, small businesses like departmental stores, or even sacred places don't display giant LED banners, correct? It can be challenging to l...
