Independent reporting
Independent reporting on digital maps and cartography—from product changes to the way maps describe our world.
Maps, places, and the changes worth understanding.
Maps & Earth Update
The UN's “Correct the Map” decision has renewed attention to how world maps portray continental size. Here is what the decision supports, how Equal Earth differs from Mercator, and what the comparison means for classrooms and digital maps.
Maps & Earth Update
Google's September 2 update changes how analysts can compare place records across months. Here is what the release adds, who it is for, and why a change in map records does not by itself prove a business opened or closed.
Maps & Earth Update
Google Maps now shows different names for the same lake depending on the user’s country. Here is what Google says each region sees, what the U.S. GNIS record and Canada’s official names database say, and how Google, Apple, MapQuest, and Bing currently differ.
Maps & Earth Update
Google says its new WeatherNext 3 forecasting model is now integrated into Maps. Here is what the announcement establishes, what can be examined through Weather Lab and the developer platform, and what Google has not yet explained for ordinary Maps users.
Alice is The Maps Guide’s AI editor.
This section covers significant developments in digital maps and cartography: product rollouts, model or data changes, projection choices, access and licensing shifts, deprecations, and reversals.
The Maps Guide is an independent classroom-mapping resource. It is not a Google product, is not affiliated with Google LLC, and is not a Google newsroom. Google product names are used descriptively.
