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Level 7

Building footprints

Id like to learn more about how building footprints are added to Google Maps and whether there are any ways users can request that one be added.

 

I am not referring to floor plans.  I understand that there is a separate and lengthy process for adding them and I do not have any floor plan data files to provide.   Please make a separate discussion topic if you want to discuss floor plans or 3D buildings.

 

So, footprints.  If I want to request that Google add the footprint of a particular place what info would I need to tell them?  Do all footprints have to have names?  Do all footprints have to have street addresses?  

 

Do footprints for buildings that are occupied for certain categories, like hospitals, medical clinics, or shopping centers, get a higher priority than others, like homes and small offices?

 

Is there anything else that you know about footprints that you think we should know?

 

Thanks

3 comments
Level 8

Re: Building footprints

Hi Jim,

 

Building footprints are mostly if not all added by automated systems now. To my knowledge there is no way to make a specific request that a footprint be added.

Google Maps Platinum Product Expert, Top Contributor for Google Map Maker (Product Retired) and Regional Lead (Product Retired).
Level 10

Re: Building footprints

Hi @sputnikjim, Google has a partner program through wich they accept (among others), vector data as well. These building footprints should be prepared as vector data. Now if you wish to provide this vector data, of course you should also have all the copyrights or at least usage rights to it. On this page, where you can "tell more" about your data, there is also a checkbox for building footprints so I guess you can also add them. I used to model 3D data for Google Earth until 2012 (or so?) when crowd sourcing of this sort of data was stopped by Google. I even have all the vector footprints for much of our city and many 3D buildings, too. The program from which they still accept vector data is SketchUp whose free version is perfectly able to create this data. 

 

Now I have to admit that I have never tried this partner program myself so do not know the details of the process but sending and requesting info to/from Google is free, isn't it?

Level 7

Re: Building footprints

No, I have no footprint data to provide.

 

In one particular case, I'm seeing imagery dated 29 Oct 2016 in Google Earth that shows a medical clinic which opened about two months earlier.  

 

I am wondering what I can say or include in a feedback request that might give the greatest chance that this building's footprint is added soon.