Google Maps unveils photo upload function

With a camera-enabled smartphone or mobile device and Google’s Android operating system, a citizen mapmaker can now add photos and other substantive data to a map of a place he or she has visited —even while on the go. Google on Thursday (Manila time) added a photo uploading feature while improving its “Places" and “Latitude" functions for Google Maps for Android. “You can now attach your photos to Places, and yours may even become the profile picture for that page. If you want to view or delete any photos you’ve contributed to Places, you can manage uploaded photos in the ‘Photos for Google Maps’ album on your Picasa account," product manager Benjamin Grol said in a blog post. Grol said that the new feature may be handy in helping other people decide on what places to visit. “When deciding on a place to go, people often want to know what a place looks like in addition to seeing ratings and reviews. You can now contribute photos to help others get a sense of places," he said. Also, Grol said Google Maps has ported to its mobile platform its new features for descriptive terms and “My Places." Descriptive terms appear in search results for Places to inform the public about the products and services that businesses are known for. On the other hand, “My Places for mobile" provides quick access to starred and recent Place pages one had looked at. “My Places" can be accessed by pressing the phone’s menu button while in Google Maps. Google Maps also allows one to add a new Place ‘on-the-go’ for check-ins, and to add a Place when checking in, if needed. The update to Google Maps for Android requires an Android OS 2.1+ device and can be used anywhere Google Maps is currently available. — TJD, GMA News