Ten Years Ago This Week: Google Maps Turns 10 (and now its 20)

To celebrate 10 years of Creator Weekly, I’m sharing tech highlights from 2015 that still resonate 10 years later. This update was for the week ending February 8, 2015.

On February 8, 2015 Google Maps turned 10. That means, of course, that Google Maps turned 20 this week. 

It's amazing to think an entire generation has had the ability to easily access maps and real-time navigation from a device you can carry in your pocket. It has literally been life changing. 

Google Maps launched in February 2005 on desktop and was available on mobile phones by April. 

Some of the big updates leading up to Maps 10th anniversary: 

• Google Earth launched in May 2005
• Street View launched in May 2007
• Google bought Panoramio, with photos with exact geographical locations, in May 2007
• Google Map Maker launched in June 2008
• Google Map Maker launched the Regional Expert Reviewer Program in September 2011
• Google acquired review company Zagat in September 2011
• Google launched Google+ Local in May 2012
• Google acquired crowd-sourcing traffic site Waze in June 2013
• Google My Business, which let business owners share business information on Search, Maps and Google+ (RIP) launched in June 2014.
• Google acquired satellite imaging company Skybox Imaging in August 2014. 

Lots of acquisitions. There were some major updates to come in 2015. 

Google Maps in 2015

Google Maps started rerouting navigation in real time.

Maps didn't pause on its 10th birthday. There were a number of notable feature updates that year, including: 

• Real time traffic and rerouting while navigating in May 2015
• Real time transit information in June 2015
• Your Timeline in July 2015
• Offline navigation in November 2015
• The most popular times to visit a business in December 2015

I have a terrible sense of direction. I use navigation all the time. It is incredible to have Google Maps reroute when I miss a turn, and to be able to continue navigating even if I lose my mobile data connection. 

Local Guides

Local Guides interface in November 2015

From early on, Google has relied on user input to improve accuracy and enhance map listings with information, reviews and photos. 

In 2009 Google Maps incorporated photos of landmarks from Panoramio (which it had acquired in 2007) and geo-tagged public photos in Picasa Web Albums.

Map Maker, launched in 2008, allowed users to add features to maps including roads, rivers, businesses and more. 

But in 2015 there was a minor scandal when it was discovered someone in Map Makers had added an image of the Android bot peeing on the Apple logo to the map. Google temporarily shut down the program, then reenabled it several months later, with additional moderation. 

It's within this context that Google Local Guides launched in January 2015, and expanded the program the following November. Guides were (and are) given points for uploading photos, reviewing businesses and submitting places (like landmarks or businesses). It does not include Map Makers more powerful features to correct maps such as adding roads, rivers or parks.

Picasa Web Albums shut down in 2016 (largely replaced by non-public Google Photos in 2015), as did Panoramio. Map Maker shut down in 2017. 

All that's left is Local Guides. 

Embedding Maps

Google highlighted SFMOMA's embedded Google Map in late 2014. 
Today they use Leaflet+OpenStreetMap.

From a blogger's perspective, one of the cool features of Google Maps was the ability to easily embed a map on your website or blog. 

Map embedding launched in 2013. In 2014, the Google Maps Embed API launched ("free and without limits"), adding more features and making it easier to embed the maps.

That pretty much ended in 2018, when Google Maps Platform launched. It offered the latest features, like real time data. But it also was no longer free. While Google did allow $200 worth of free monthly usage, they required setting up a Google Cloud Platform Billing Account with your credit card. 

Interestingly, next month, in March, Google is expanding access to its map-related APIs and allowing up to $3,250 of free usage across products. The cost calculation is kind of complicated, but it appears to include 10,000 free monthly calls to dynamic maps. That isn't that much for a popular site, but OK for a personal blog, if you are willing to give your credit card information.

If you don't need to include navigation, real time traffic and other such features, you can still use Google My Maps to create customized embeddable maps, like the one on my PE Program page. 

Google Earth also lets you create shareable projects, including slide shows, but the projects don't have the option to be embedded on a website. 

References

Google Blog February 8, 2005: Mapping your way

Google Maps Blog February 8, 2015: Today we turn 10!

Google Earth Blog June 29, 2015: Google Earth Turns 10 Today

Google Maps Blog December 31, 2015: A look back at Google Maps in 2015

9to5Google March 28, 2017: Google removes location sharing from Google+ as it appears for more Google Maps users

Google Maps Blog May 30, 2017: Cheers to Street View's 10th Birthday 

Keynote Google Blog February 6, 2020: Google Maps is Turning 15! Celebrate with a new look and features. and A look back at 15 years of mapping the world.

Keynote Blog February 6, 2025: 20 things you didn't know you could do with Google Maps and 20 years of discovery with Maps: Food, fun and lots of photos

Stock images and video used in my video

Andre Moura @ Pexels: A Hologram of the Earth from a mobile phone
Alex Barnes @ Pexels: Photograph of a man with holographic glasses