As a computer scientist, Google Maps for me is just a marvel of software engineering, creativity and talent. All gathered at one place. Google Maps is an amazing tool.

Pretty incredible technology. I rely 100% on Google Maps for navigation to unknown places. But with convenience and free use comes the consequence of giving up 100% privacy.

It's insane how this is made possible. Modern technologies really is the modern version of alchemy.

People don't realize how magical google map is. It would be the first software I would pay for if it were being sold. But alas, it is free, for a small compromise of privacy. I have worked in Saudi Arabia for more than 10 years and at the time that there was no smartphones, all we could do was ask strangers for direction. Being an introvert, asking people was one of my most dreaded things to do. Fast forward around 2012 and I didn't have to ask strangers anymore even if I was in the middle of the desert.

A huge thank you to Google Maps! I would have missed out on a lot of meaningful, social experiences in my life if not for that app. It has been a fantastic way to discover local interesting places to visit. Additionally, satellite view makes me feel more connected to the land around me than the default layout has.

As a software engineer, google maps has always facinated me, more so than their search. We learn the basics of routing algorithm or image geotaging or storing geo data in grids, but this is at such massive scale... I don't know how they do it.

cannot imagine life without GoogleMaps. There are even days that I checkout places and traffic situations in different cities even though I'm not planning to drive there.

I'm an avid Google Maps user. I regularly contribute data to the platform in the form of business information (hours, menus, reviews) and imagery (photo spheres and photos). I have willingly allowed location access to the app for the last 2 or so years, so they know roughly where I've been in all of that time since. Why do I do this? I like being able to see where I've been in my adventures and travelling. I won't say that Google probably doesn't use this data against me, but tech giants are gathering this data anyways through other sources, so I'm okay with sharing it firsthand.

Google Maps is hands down the best application.

Its interesting hearing tech developers talk about privacy concerns and issues, because so often it seems to be something that never even occurred to them that people might be uncomfortable with. Not in a way that they're being malicious, but rather they didn't cinsider that people would have a problem with the data collection. Its a very different mondset than most ofther people seem to have

I remember being so blown away by the satellite imagery when I saw my city on Google Maps back in 2007. I was also blown away a week ago when I realised my city had a 3D view on Google Earth.

I think this is one of the most important technologies humankind has developed in history and I think the tech behind this is incredible, and all of this in a simple app you can use anytime! I travelled do another country for the first time, few years ago, and when I arrived, in no time I was driving to my hotel, using maps... When you stop to think about it. It blows your mind

As a Google Streetview Photographer, I love seeing more creative content being created around Google Maps. Now it's time for businesses to capitalize on the Immersive view once it's available.

I love google maps satellite view ❤️❤️

THE MAN BEHIND THIS IS GENIUS I NEVER ASK FOR LOCATION WHEN AM LOST NO MORE. Congrats for documenting this.

Google maps is a project of the century, those people truly changed the world for good.

I totally remember traveling around the world using GOOGLE EARTH when it first came out!! it was so much fun exploring random cities outside the USA

I can say that Google maps is like a travel guide for me whenever i visit any new location, it is fantastic tool huge thank you to Google team for this amazing unbelievable tool. 👍👍

Google maps gives me confidence in front of my parents. I got this, Mom!

And it's still getting better. Those engineers deserve a raise

I still remember printing out directions on MapQuest. How far we've come !

Google Maps is probably my fave app for traveling!

We all are getting tracked every second of our lives. Congratulations 🎉🎊🍾🎈

I honestly couldn't give two sh**s about whether some guy at Google knows where I have been or whether I like to go to Starbucks in the morning. Google Maps is an incredible technology that has saved me hundreds, if not thousands, of hours. I will gladly give up some data for me to be able to use that service free of charge.

I love to just look at random cities and places on Google Maps. So interesting! Can't believe that it's free.

Google Maps is one of the best things out there. It changes how people transport and travel

Gotta LOVE Google and it's engineering

I've said it many times and I will say it again, Google is the ONLY company that I gladly share all my data to keep on progressing these life changing technologies and programs. I'm actually old enough to remember getting lost with a book map and it wasn't fun😤 Google, you have a Data Volunteer for life! 🙌🙌🙌🙌💖💖💖

Nothing's changed life like Maps. It is wildly amazing

Worth watching “The Billion Dollar Code” (on Netflix) to understand the early history of Google Earth. Suspect WSJ doesn’t reference in the story as Google is an active contributor to the story.

What an insane kind of intelligence these people have. It's easy to use maps, even easier to criticize Google but we shd think the unimaginable, magical work they have done bringing the world so near.

As an industrial realtor .... Can't imagine life without gmaps and earth 🌎

Google maps was my tour guide in Japan I did not encounter any problem at all even with using the local trains ❤️❤️❤️

It’s very important to talk about GoogleMaps’s accuracy in predicting traffic. It’s a shame that WSJ didn’t mention one word about it 😖

I like the data on if a place is busier than usual or not

while Apple maps interface is so smooth, i still prefer to use Google Maps due to it's accuracy and able to map locations almost everywhere. like literally even when i climbed mt fuji,lol

While I don't agree with Google's privacy practices in general, Maps is the only product I am ok with giving my location and privacy details because it's so helpful and it gives me so much in return. Especially if you move to a new country and you have no idea about places, locations, streets where you need to go. I also try to contribute when Google asks me about locations I've been to or visited. It's made life so much easier and makes me feel like not being lost in a new country.

Proud to be a contributer

I love that they filmed this in South Africa

It's rather disingenuous of Google to downplay (to the point of not mentioning it) just how much of the Google Maps base layer is made up of contributions from individual people. In this article it is suggested that the base layer map, i.e. the map composed of lines and polygons denoting roads, buildings, land uses, etc to which everything else 'snaps', is generated from the measuring and comparing of what can be seen in the satellite photography and extrapolated via photogrammetry. This is not the case. Every line on Google Maps has been drawn by hand, and almost every person who drew those lines is not an employee of Google. This was originally done via the Google Map Maker Program which was abruptly closed down after a tiny handful of participants 'sabotaged' the map in some mildly humorous ways. That program gave authorised participants full access to edit the base layer map but since it's closure the only way to edit the map is via the 'report a problem' feature which is, whilst being extremely limited in its functionality, is at least available to anyone and everyone. My personal contribution, albeit small in terms of the global scale of the mapping exercise, was to effectively build the map of Scotland's major cities (except Dundee which I never got the time to get to before Map Maker's closure). When I started it the map of the largest city in Scotland was unusable for navigation with entire districts being without mapped roads, often even when there were roads they had no names or numbering, major motorways were missing or had on/off ramps missing, and Street View coverage was resultantly poor. The map of Scotland, and indeed anywhere you look on Google Maps, is a result of individual people drawing it, not some magical algorithm that makes it all happen. The Google guy in the vids commute is only possible via Google Maps because someone else drew it for free. It would have been nice for him to acknowledge that. Anyway, should you like to test out what I've said go on to Google Maps and find a place that has good Street View coverage, now look for a part of the map that hasn't mapped existing public roads (the roads might have been built or reconfigured since the last mapper who looked here). Now drop a pin on that unmapped public road and report a data problem, follow the steps to suggest a missing road, draw the missing road in the screen provided, submit the edit, and wait for approval. If approved you will now see Street View data 'snap' to that road thus demonstrating that without user contributions it doesn't matter how much other data Google has - they can't utilise it if you haven't drawn the map for them.

One cannot underestimate what Google Maps did for us all. Thx Google!

The time to destination is like 99% always right for me, even with traffic. It's so usefull.

Notwithstanding the economic crisis and global pandemic (lockdown) ravaging the world 🌎... multiple income streams is the best way to survive the current hardship and recession.the poor Masses needs to spend and invest wisely.

This is so interesting. I can only imagine how complex it is to combine all those sources of information and make them work seamlessly.

Maps use to be domain of Kings and Nobles. Now it is available to anyone with an easy swipe and is accurate to the minute. We need to appreciate it rather than let authorities add more restriction to it.

Amazing technology and creativity. Great solution for daily life problem and its free. Love it!

I remember having to use paper maps back in the day, having to stop the car every 5 minutes to check where I was. And then having to buy a new map book every year. Yikes.

I use google maps for so many things, as a developer working on a app which involves location data, google maps is the best, there API is powerful and easy to use. Thanks Google

This video truly saved my life

my favourite app of all time. If I’m bored, I just casually browse Google Maps to see the world

It's literally the most important technological invention we've done in the past few decades. It's not just software, it's the whole system and the quality of life improvement it offers.

Remember the days we would use a Tom Tom or Mapquest ?

Can't imagine being on a street without google maps

Maps became my best friend as a New Yorker back in 2011-2012 going to HS and track meets. I saw the slow popularity of using such tool

Last 12sec.. awesome camera angle and music.. was on repeat

firstly I would like to wish you well and to say a huge thank you for uploading these videos as they have been an invaluable resource to

I seem to remember these layers being available back in the 1990's with ARC/INFO although without the same level of detail. And of course, "streetview" was unheard of back then. But as with so many innovations, Google may not have been the first but they sure picked up the ball and ran with it.

One of the best app invented so very useful i discover places

It Worked perfectly after trying other methods this one was the best one, Thanks.

I don't understand these concerns about privacy. We've been talking about them for decades. And for decades, tech companies have been collecting data about us and our behavior, online and off. But in those decades I cannot think of a single time where I have been bothered or inconvenienced by this collecting of my data.

for someone who love geography... i always get on google earth or maps to escape my stressful days.

Thank you Google Maps 🙏

I love Google Maps and use its navigation and business reviews and info on an almost daily basis. I also contribute regularly to the platform, I have uploaded over 2000 photos and they have been viewed over 10 million times.

7:18 why is the phone mount attached to the car screen??

I would be lost in this world without Google maps. I love Google.

Google Maps is one of the most revolutionary developments of the modern era.

Great topic, but I just wished it was more in depth. How do they store this data? Which techniques do they use to automate data generation like the new traffic signs they detect? How do they query this data so fast? Which algorithms do they use for each type of routing? How and how often do they get the satellite vs aerial balloon data? So many fastinating questions.

TNice tutorials was very helpful thankyou.

my favourite app

Does anyone remember the pilots that would fly around and take aerial photos of houses and show up on your doorstep with a glossy 16x24 photo of your house that they would try and sell you? They all went out of business when Maps came about and you could just view, or print (at lower resolution than the photo) the pic of yours house.

I think Google map is amazing, i have to say THANK YOU. KEEP UP YOU GREAT INNOVATION.

Google maps VR is amazing. I can't believe it's still not available on the Oculus Quest.

Amazing technology. As a resident in a developing country, I feel helped with Google Maps to travel to new area.

Google Maps is one of those underated marvelous technologies that changed everything in the last ten years. Along with AR and VR this will be a whole new industry for games, shopping, sports and learning.

Google Maps is peak humanity

7:21 Arent we gonna talk about that phone holder on a complete smart display

These privacy issues need to stop-- collecting data is a very good thing this is why we have the technology today. i welcome data collected from meta platforms and google to enrich the world we live in. the funny thing is that if you read this and disagree your data has already been collected.

One of the best tool ever made for common people. Thanks Google!

the best app in the world google maps

Amazing video again WSJ. I personal love Google Maps and it has helped me many times. Love the new features they continue to add and the easier convience they work on for all users. I do see how the privacy is a risk and that I personal feel they do care and would not be this big of company without knowing they have to protect you. Why do so many people rely on them, if they were not protecting your privacy. I feel they have their standards and policies in place to create the right balance of privacy for all users. I also know the user too needs to be careful on how much they share and needs to keep their information private but keeping their accounts up-to-date with safety and privacy updates.

One of the best service ever made for the mankind. It’s priceless.

Imagine if maps was a subscription service... I will never get to work.

it's finally ti. i'm ready to learn.

Awesome piece Of engineering I use google earth for stress relief

Very cool! The only thing I wish is that you could tell it that you want to bike and take the train/buses. It only gives you a walk option for that. I also would like to see some options for electric personal devices like e-scooters, EUC's, e-bikes, and others. Those are definitely zippier than just walking or riding a normal bike.

This is absolutely incredible

It's really good in most places I've travelled to, but they really need to try harder in Paris.... Just too many businesses either closed showing as open, or wrongly located, plus underground trains that are not in operation, shown as operational, even train station located wrongly... I've even turned to Apple maps because I was so helpless.

We can all agree that google has made life so much easier for us

One of my essential apps

I mean, AFAIK the anonymized location data is differentially private. And the satellite images can be purchased by anyone from imagery providers. Not sure why people are upset.

Through Google and KZfaq, I learned that the true teachers are ordinary people

I support Google Maps. I love Google Maps. Google Maps is good for me and Google Maps is good for you.

Amazing technology , one most of us use everyday

Incredibly knowledgeable and we'll-spoken teacher. Nice tutorials comfortableness with the subject makes starting soft real exciting!!

Everyday I am surprised using it everday at least 5 times. Google makes billions of people save billions of minutes and discover the best places to go. Thanks Googlers!

My finance teacher used Wall Street articles for class discussion. Each student selected an article of their choice to contribute.

One of the most usefull apps!

1:38 key acquisitions: where 2, keyhole 3:27 Street View cameras

Godlike Tutorial THANK YOU

7:22 android auto not always the prettiest but that just kind of messed up that the phone is suctioned on the screen.