Google Pulls Back the Curtain on its Secretive Maps Program

Alexis C. Madrigal get exclusive access to "Ground Truth," Google's project to develop the most accurate maps in the world. But why is the master of the virtual world so intent on documenting the physical world?

2 minute read

September 7, 2012, 12:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


As Madrigal explains, Google's commitment to documenting the physical world serves two purposes. First, it fits within the company's core mission to organize all the world's information. "'If you look at the offline world, the real world in which we live, that
information is not entirely online,' Manik Gupta, the senior product
manager for Google Maps, told [Madrigal]. 'Increasingly as we go about our
lives, we are trying to bridge that gap between what we see in the real
world and [the online world], and Maps really plays that part.'"

The last item mentioned by Gupta plays into the project's second purpose: to compete with Apple over who will control the future of mobile phones. "If you're at all like
me," says Madrigal, "you use mapping more than any other application except for the
communications suite (phone, email, social networks, and text
messaging)...Whereas Apple's strengths are in product design, supply chain
management, and retail marketing, Google's most obvious realm of
competitive advantage is in information. Geo data -- and the apps built
to use it -- are where Google can win just by being Google."

What follows in the article is a fascinating peek inside the process to collect, engineer, and make operative the complex set of information hidden behind every Google Map. 

"As we slip and slide into a world where our augmented reality is
increasingly visible to us off and online, Google's geographic data may
become its most valuable asset," concludes Madrigal. "Not solely because of this data alone,
but because location data makes everything else Google does and knows
more valuable."

"Or as my friend and sci-fi novelist
Robin Sloan put it to me, 'I maintain that this is Google's core asset.
In 50 years, Google will be the self-driving car company (powered by
this deep map of the world) and, oh, P.S. they still have a search
engine somewhere.'"

 

Thursday, September 6, 2012 in The Atlantic

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Bird's eye view of manufactured home park.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing

Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

March 25, 2025 - Shelterforce

U-Haul truck on road with blurred grassy roadside in background.

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?

Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

March 27, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Rusty abandoned oil well and equipment with prickly pear cactus next to it in West Texas.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage

Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

March 31, 2025 - Pennsylvania State University

Aerial view of schoolyard in Oakland, California with newly planted trees, sports courts, and playground equipment.

Greening Oakland’s School Grounds

With help from community partners like the Trust for Public Land, Oakland Unified School District is turning barren, asphalt-covered schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces that support outdoor learning, play, and student well-being.

April 2 - FacilitiesNet

Power lines at golden hour with downtown Los Angeles in far background.

California Governor Suspends CEQA Reviews for Utilities in Fire Areas

Utility restoration efforts in areas affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be exempt from environmental regulations to speed up the rebuilding of essential infrastructure.

April 2 - Los Angeles Times

Green roadside sign with white text reading "Entering Nez Perce Indian Reservation" against grassy field and blue sky.

Native American Communities Prepare to Lead on Environmental Stewardship

In the face of federal threats to public lands and conservation efforts, indigenous groups continue to model nature-centered conservation efforts.

April 2 - The Conversation