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Google makes it easier to create and share your own maps
Google has had tools for creating custom maps for a while, but they haven't been very accessible -- especially not if you've wanted to find your friends' creations. It should be easier to track down those hand-made tourist guides and trail markers after today, though. Google has relaunched Maps Engine Lite as the much catchier My Maps, and has expanded the Google Maps Gallery to include everyone's projects, no matter what their focus. So long as you want to make your cartography public in the first place, anyone can find it sitting alongside the Gallery's usual historic and government info. Google will transition every Maps Engine Lite user to My Maps by the end of the year, but you can upgrade early if you just can't wait to share your favorite bike path with the rest of the world.
Google's new web gallery helps you find public map data
A number of organizations offer public map data through Google Maps, but finding it can be tricky -- if you even know it exists. That may not be an issue now that Google has just launched its Maps Gallery. The web portal showcases location info from both Google and a slew of its Maps Engine partners, ranging from the World Bank's internet usage stats to National Geographic's historical overlays. This is really just the start of the search firm's map discovery efforts, though. Google tells TechCrunch that it wants to surface public maps in regular search results, and it would also like to draw attention to Maps Engine Lite data created by amateur cartographers.
