Make your mark: Map Maker users can change the name of this road, name the building across the street and even say that this road is not congested.  pic/sameer markande

You can now change the name of any road in Mumbai or anywhere in the world in a simple one-step procedure. For instance, you can rename Nepeansea Road to say, Aditya Anand Road, or Paris' landmark Champs-Elyesses to Rue Aditya. All this, through Google's new baby, Map Maker, which was launched worldwide yesterday.

Map Maker provides geographical content online by you - the user. "From marking changes in the movement of traffic (roads that have become congested), changes from two-way to one-way, users can now even rename old road names to match new ones," said Dr Lalitesh Katragadda, the Bangalore-based software engineer and the creator of Google Map Maker. Earlier, it was not possible to edit google maps.

Google informed that mapping was particularly relevant for India, where maps change on an everyday basis given the rapid pace of infrastructure development. If a road is closed for repairs, you can mark that on the map. You can even mark potholes on the map.

Developed entirely in India, Google Map Maker also allows users to add or edit features, such as new roads, malls, parks, schools, residential buildings, and more. "The purpose is to ensure the maps have all the details that only a resident of the area can provide," Katragadda added.  Said Dr Prasad Ram, head of Google's R&D Centre, Bangalore, "Google Map Maker empowers the user to value add to the map, to the minutest detail."

According to Google India, Mumbaikars knew their neighbourhoods well.

"In Mumbai, most addresses are near xyz or opposite abc bank. The user can now add all these details to the map, using the Map Maker."

However, users who plan to use the Map Maker purely for trivial reasons - eg. renaming roads with their own name - there are other users who can review and alter the changes to ensure accuracy.

Google will also act as a watchdog, especially in areas, places, where there are frequent changes are made.
Apart from India, Google Map Maker is available in 57 countries.