Was it just a few months ago when Google pulled the editing ability for its Map Makers due to some stupid users who made “attacks” (and some racist ones too) on the poor, hapless longitudes and latitudes? Well, hopefully, Google has managed to get things under control because they just announce that they be reopening Map Maker for edits starting this August. But they will be doing so with a new model, with some moderation still being done by Google operators, but now giving freedom to regional mappers as well.

Google will be selecting mappers from each region, since these are the people who truly know their areas. Invitations will be sent to some of the mappers, offering them the opportunity to apply and become the Regional Lead. Their “job” would be to review the edits made in their region, together with Google’s automated moderation systems. Their human Google operators would still occasionally moderate some of the edits, but the bulk of the responsibility would be on the leads themselves.

Google has come to implement this model because they noticed that whenever someone would try to vandalize the maps, users themselves reacted and acted to stop the digital defacing. This means there is a strong sense of ownership among mappers when it comes to their respective areas. They are hoping this will translate into a better Map Maker interaction with this new model.

The reopening of Map Maker will be done in phases, with the invites to possible regional leads being sent out by the first week of August. Whether this new model will work, in this age of hackers and trolls, we’ll find out once it is in full effect.

SOURCE: Google

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