Google gung-ho on mapping biz

The search giant said with directional searches being done more from mobile devices and making it more mainstream, the company saw great potential for businesses such as freight or cab services.

Briefing reporters, Google India Product Manager Manik Gupta, said it is quite easy with products like Google Latitude to connect with nearest available service (currently done using walky-talkies) and ensure customers are served efficiently. As GPRS is becoming available even in low end mobile phones, we expect more use for such things in business environments, he added.

Stating that Landmark service offers direction to places understood by those in India, he said, sensing the Indian way of identifying locations and places based on landmarks, Google collected Points Of Interest (POI) data from its ‘Map Maker’ service and ranked landmarks based on their visibility, importance and how close they are to an intersection. We then allowed them to be searched on our maps, he added.

The service classifies landmarks into conformational and navigational types. While certain POIs convey to the driver that he/she is in the right place, certain others allow them to navigate through the place correctly, Manik said.