Google Maps starts to use landmarks for directions... in India

Online mapping sites have pretty much changed the way I get directions. I don't take an atlas with me when I hit the road. Instead, I print out some directions and take a sheet or two of paper with me in the car. And I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this. Step by step directions make it incredibly easy to get from place to place without trying to follow a line on a map.

But the whole system can break down if you miss a turn and wind up going to a place that isn't covered by your printed directions. And it's incredibly easy to miss a turn if you're in a place where streets aren't labeled, or where the street signs are easy to miss.

Of course, there's been a solution to this problem since time immemorial. When people give one another directions, they almost never say "turn right onto Slartibartfast road after traveling 2.3 miles." They say, "turn right at the gas station after the third traffic light." Landmarks like that are easier to see, and to remember.

Now it looks like Google Maps is set to become one of the first services to use these folksier directions. Google says there's a particularly high incidence of unlabeled streets in India, so the company is experimenting with the use of landmarks for spots where there are no streets.

Right now Google is just testing landmarks in India, but I wouldn't be surprised if the company soon rolled out directions with landmarks in other areas soon. As Google points out, there are a few different situations where people use landmarks: to orient themselves when looking for a direction (ie: which way is north, or which way are you facing when you come out of a subway stop), to describe a spot to turn, and to confirm that you're on the right path. And those situations are hardly unique to India.

Tags: directions, google maps, GoogleMaps, india, landmarks