In January I speculated Google’s Streetview Data be could used to replace TeleAtlas. One of the elements missing from this scenario was that TeleAtlas also provides Google with routing information and Google had not yet developed routing capacity.
Well it appears now that Google has internally developed directional routing and has released it in their Map Maker product serving the many markets world wide not covered by TeleAtlas or NavTeq.
From the Google Lat Long Blog announcement:
Over the past few months, users have created rich and comprehensive maps in 164 countries around the world. Today with our newly launched feature on Google Map Maker, you can get driving directions in regions where this was not previously available.
Interestingly, consistent with the wiki nature of Map Maker, this feature allows for user correction and editing of the routes:
In the spirit of Map Maker, you can correct the directions as appropriate. Note that for every turn in the directions, you can edit the intersection details such as name and whether turns are allowed or not (known as turn restrictions).
It appears to me that this feature is one more way stop on the way to Google’s complete control over the Maps data set and the cutting out of TeleAtlas from the process.
