Google Maps has revolutionized how we see and navigate the world. While this application is vital to people and businesses all over the planet now, it's hard to believe that it didn't exist until 2005. So, on the 20th anniversary of Google Maps, let's take a few minutes to learn about how it came to be and the incredible feats the team behind it has done to ensure that we are always heading in the right direction.

How Google Maps started

From application to execution

Google Maps had its inception in 2004 by founders Lars Rasmussen, Jens Rasmussen, Noel Gordon, and Stephen Ma, although at the time, it was known as Where 2. Where 2 was a startup based in Sydney, Australia. After losing their funding for the project, the team was put in touch with Larry Page, the co-founder of Google.

Where 2 started as a mapping technology by the name of Expedition. It was planned to be developed as an application, but after the idea was pitched to Google, Larry Page infamously stated, “We like the web,” and asked for a web-based version of the idea to be built instead. The team was given a deadline, and in August 2004, they delivered a working beta, after which they signed a contract for an undisclosed amount.

Afterward, Google acquired Keyhole, a company that focused on satellite imaging of the Earth (which would later become Google Earth), and Zipdash, which focused on real-time traffic analysis. Together, these three companies would form the basis of what we know as Google Maps. In the beginning, Google Maps could only do three things: go to a location, find a business, or get directions.

The team decided to focus only on big cities at launch but quickly realized they would have to expand from there on. Google Maps was leaked on February 7th and drew in over 10 million views after being officially released the next day, on February 8th, 2004. After its initial success, the site would go unappreciated for the next year before gaining worldwide adoption.

After gaining popularity, Google would later go back on its decision and create an application for mobile devices rather than only using it as a web-based platform. This decision made Maps much more convenient for users to use and also allowed people to get directions or help on the move instead of needing to use the website on their computer. Google would later sell its map data to other companies, which helped create platforms like Uber, DoorDash, Tripadvisor, and many more.

How Google made their maps

From cars to camels

Google Maps uses various different ways to create its maps using real-time data, and sometimes, it has to come up with creative solutions to map hard-to-reach places. It gives you a traditional map view, a 360 degree panoramic view and even allowing you to ‘walk’ along streets and see what the area looks like.

When Google first started creating its maps, it used cars with large cameras on the roof to map out the street view of cities. Having access to Keyhole satellite imagery, they created their satellite view for the browser, which led many people to search for images of their homes. For areas that couldn't fit cars, Google employed people to walk around with camera backpacks to map the locations. More recently, they can rely on user-submitted data from images and videos submitted by users themselves.

In some cases, Google had to get creative to accurately map locations, the most notable example being when they used camels to transport cameras across the Liwa desert. They also used sheep to map the Faroe Islands, an archipelago that has more sheep than people on it. But they didn't stop there, they used scuba divers to map parts of our oceans, boat cameras for going over the water. Astronauts were used to showing people on Earth a first-person view of the International Space Station, and they even used ziplines to rappel cameras over active volcanoes.

An indispensable tool for everyday users and businesses

While Google Maps is mostly used to help people get from point A to Point B, it is also an impressive tool for helping people see real-time imagery from around the globe. This allows them to learn about new places, see things they may never have the chance to see in real life, or plan routes and holiday trips that they would usually have had to buy guides for. Google Maps has changed how we see the world and continues to be an indispensable tool for users worldwide.