The next time you come across a road that simply does not exist in Google Maps, you can add it to the service yourself. Google said it’s introducing a road editing tool to desktop that will allow users to report road changes by drawing new or missing roads right on the map.
“Add missing roads by drawing lines, quickly rename roads, change road directionality, and realign or delete incorrect roads,” Google said in a blog post.
The new road editing tool is an improvement over the current method of reporting road changes. Currently, if you want to report a missing road, you can only drop a pin where the road should be, then type in the road’s name to submit that information to Google.
The goal of the new road editing tool is to make Google Maps a better tool for navigating the world through crowd-sourced updates. Google said that it will vet suggestions and edits to make sure they’re accurate before publishing them. The feature will be available over the coming months in more than 80 countries, Google said.
The new road editing tool is part of three new Google Maps features designed to make sharing and finding local recommendations and information easier. One of the new features, available on Android in the U.S., is a nationwide challenge called “Local Love challenge” that will encourage Maps users to leave helpful reviews, photos, and updates for businesses.
Image: Google
Google Maps is also rolling out a new content type in the coming weeks that will allow users to easily share recent photos of a business without leaving a full review. With the feature, you can go to the “Updates” tab where you can upload images and also see photos that merchants and other people have shared.
The latest tools arrive just as Google Maps is adding hyper-accurate street details in four major cities.
Google Maps – Navigate & Explore (Free, Google Play) →
The post Google Maps update will let you draw in new or missing roads appeared first on xda-developers.