eli5: How can Google maps know many small and recent businesses’ locations so accurately?

Question

I’ve realised that most businesses (even small kiosks) are seen on Google maps. Where and how do they get that information?

In: 2928

Answer 1

I work on Google maps and it is a combination of things. The main one is the street view cars capturing imagery. They prioritize locations based on how many times regular vehicles drive the road. So major cities get refreshed more than smaller towns. And business/urban areas get priority. This is also why street view cars don’t refresh residential areas.

For areas that do not have vehicle access, people with the trekker backpacks go collect.that imagery.

After that it is a pot of 3rd party data, direct contact with businesses and users making adjustments.

And it is advantageous for small business to update Google maps as soon as possible.

Hope this helps!