Thessaloniki has made a “footstep” on Google Maps, as it is the first city in Greece to “upload” updated data from its historic center. This was done in the context of the ability recently given to Greek users to add data to these digital maps via Google Map Maker. What will change from now on? Those who use their mobile phone and are looking for, for example, a restaurant, after they have finished their tour of the White Tower, enter the map and see what is nearby.
"It's a tool to highlight your business and your city by showcasing points of interest, and without having to pay for it," Panagiotis Tzinis, founder of GDG Thessaloniki, the Google developer community that organized the event, told APE-MPA.
More than 50 people, divided into four teams, “plowed” the city center on Saturday and took almost 1600 photos. Wearing special Community T-shirts and having attended a relevant seminar a week before, they recorded as much data as they could while walking for five hours through the city streets.
The teams worked in four areas: Aristotelous, Nea Paralia, Limani (along with Ladadika) and the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF).
Kyriakos Poursanidis, a student of Computer Science at the Technical University of Serres, was responsible for the Aristotle team: “We registered more than 300 businesses, with photos and relevant information. This was of course done with the consent of the owners. It was an unprecedented experience even for us. People showed great interest,” he said. “Those who knew more about Google Maps also had the most enthusiastic response, as was the case with a central hotel in the city,” he noted.
The initiative of GDG Thessaloniki (which was supported by Helexpo-TIF) was attended by volunteers, most of them related to the subject of Information Technology. The participants received special certificates and the right to participate in a competition that will end with the opening of this year's 79th Thessaloniki International Fair. There, according to Mr. Tzinis, the winners will receive their prizes from a leading Premium Developer, who will talk about the next dimension of Google Maps.
“The support of the Community in the process of collecting and registering data offers greater reliability and is approved in less time than information that a user registers on their own,” emphasized Mr. Tzinis and added: “Every piece of information that is uploaded goes through a “review” an evaluation process and takes some time to be approved and “uploaded” to the system.”.
“It is very important to have correct information and to help the visitor, tourist and in general, any interested party, to find what they want”, he added.
“For example, for the first time, correct information was entered for the places in the port, such as the cinema museum (where it is located, opening hours, program, etc.) or detailed information for the TIF pavilions”, Mr. Tzinis underlined.
The data will be available in both English and Greek.
“This was just the warm-up,” says the GDG founder with a smile, as the Community awaits with great interest the arrival of the Street View system, which “clicks” onto digital maps and offers three-dimensional images, in Thessaloniki.
Special trekkers (camera systems mounted on cars or helmets) will record images and capture a three-dimensional image of the environment.
Today in Greece, an example of how three-dimensional imaging of a space is applied is the Acropolis Museum.
Street View, which is now systematically being put into action, managed to get approval from the Personal Data Protection Authority last November. The terms include the blurring of faces and license plates.
More information about Street View in Greece will be provided at an official event to be held on June 5 at the Zappeion Megaron by Google Hellas.
Source: tro-ma-ktiko.blogspot.gr
