Hello,
my name is Saad and I am a level 5 local guide from Saudi Arabia.
Let me start off by saying my memory is not that great. I would always forget shop names and directions to get there after about a month. This was really frustrating especially when you find a hidden gem or you simply can't remember the name of that amazing dish that you had at a restaurant.
I was always a fan of Google products and Google Maps and as you all know maps are not perfect. A long time ago, I was wondering if there was a way to edit and improve Google Maps. After a little bit of researching and digging around, I came across Google Map Maker and I was thrilled at the prospect. However, it was yet to be available in Saudi Arabia yet, so I had to keep coming back to it in the hopes that it had been made available.
When it finally did, I started getting involved in improving Google Maps. I worked my way up from a few edits from familiar places to becoming one of the Regional Leads for Saudi Arabia. My the time the Map Maker program was closed about a month ago, I had made over 63,000 edits including listings, parks, land masses and roads. My main focus was to lay down the infrastructure so that more sophisticated information (including listings details and pictures) would be helpful. I loved seeing the map getting better and better and also the interaction of users with the Points of Interests that I had listed or corrected.
As the map for my area became more accurate, I started recommending to friends to only stick to Google Maps for navigation and such since I knew the were up to date. I did connect with amazing mappers all over Saudi Arabia online, however, as this is a somewhat of a "specialty" thing to do, and so there weren't a lot of mappers in my area. One day, I received an email recommending that I join this new program from Google called Local Guides and I joined. As I got more and more involved, I saw how this was a natural evolution of the Map Maker program with a focus on social and genuine tips from locals. Also, the LG program was less intimidating to new users and played off the desire to compete and play. The program was structured to engage the user as a game and achievements.
Even though the community is still small where I am, it is growing by the day and I hope that this be a venue for me to keep improving Google Maps as well as make long term friends.
2022
