Google India has announced Mapathon 2013, first of its kind event in India where anyone living in India can participate in the event and edit Google India maps. Mapathon 2013 starts from Feb 12 and ends on March 25 2013. The event is open to anyone living in India. Users can register at this site to participate.

Users can use Google’s Map Maker application to update maps. Using this application, user will be able to do following:

Add:

• Place: Point of interest such as schools, hospitals, restaurants, hotels
• Roads, rivers, railways, walking path, biking path
• Building outlines
• Natural features and political boundaries: Parks, lakes, villages, cities and town

Users will also be able to edit all of above and edit directions.

Google Map Maker project was first conceptualised in India in 2008. This project was led by Lalit Katragadda, Country Product Head executed along with a team of Googlers in India. In November ’12, Nokia launched Nokia Here maps that has similar features to Google Map Maker.

Jayanth Mysore, Google’s Product Manager comments about Map Maker project and Mapathon 2013,

“The core belief was that users know their neighbourhoods, villages, and back yards better than anyone else, and so we designed Map Maker as the tool people could use to update these details onto a digital map. Map Maker is now used across the world and today, what started off as an initiative by the Google engineers is now a project that citizens across India can participate in through Mapathon 2013″

All activities (add / edit) performed by users will be reviewed individually and approved by Google.

This event will definitely make Google India maps better. Top contributors in Mapathon 2013 will be awarded with loads of goodies: 10 Samsung Note 800 Tablets, 40 Samsung Galaxy SII Mobiles, 50 Flipkart vouchers worth Rs 5000 each (US 100), 1000 Google Mapathon Tshirts and certificates.

One thought that amazes us is the way in which Google has executed this whole thing – Maps is for the people, by the people. And, it works.

Google Maps is on a constant update mode. Earlier Google launched a completely refreshed Maps that has voice enabled navigation.

What Google gets out of Mapathon 2013:

• Obviously, better updated and rich maps that people can benefit significantly
• Google’s Knowledge Graph will learn more new stuff, hence providing better search results
• Google Hotel Finder is going to be mapped better