Geekisms!

Google India will be holding a competition titled 'Mapathon 2013' which is aimed at increasing the level of detail and content on Google Maps. Those who register for the competition will be required to combine their knowledge of places in India with Google's Map Maker web tool to update the existing map information. And that's not all, the top 100 contributors will stand a chance of winning Android tablets and smartphones, Google Play vouchers and other merchandise.

Awesome right!

Such an opportunity benefits both Google and the users of its services. Imagine thousands of people uploading new information about business locations, street names, tourist attractions, relaxation spots. Work that Google employees don't have to do. As a result of this, anyone using Google Maps after this will benefit from the improved selection of street names and locations.

Sadly, the competition is limited to India and all the information uploaded will be limited to their location only, leaving their mapping experience richer. Google how far? What about Naija? We could definitely benefit from such an initiative.

While Google Maps provides one of the best mapping experiences in Nigeria, it is far from perfect. There's not voice guided navigation, some street names are incorrect and lacks quite a few places of interests (POIs). The quickest way of remedying this is to crowd-source the mapping process, which is why Google Map Maker exists. I've used it a few times and its typical Google fashion it's pretty easy to use. However many in Nigeria don't know about it, just a few geeks and nerds and other curious folk. Nigerians like competitions with awesome prizes and if proper

Therefore I believe that by doing something similar, Google can greatly improve the maps situation in Nigeria. So Google, when you finish in India you'll be coming to Nigeria to organize another competition abi? Na good business for you o! #NoDulling