"Podari" on its maps Google (Google Maps) was made by Thessaloniki as it is the first city in Greece to "update" up-to-date data from its historical center. This was in the context of the recent opportunity for Greek users to add data to specific digital maps through Google Map Maker.
What changes from now on? Those who use their mobile and are looking for, for example, a restaurant, after they have finished their tour of the White Tower, they enter the map and see what is nearby. "It is a tool to highlight your business and your city by promoting the points of interest and without having to pay for it", said Panagiotis Tzinis, founder of GDG Thessaloniki, the Google Developer community who organized the event.
More than 50 people, divided into four groups, "plowed" the city center on Saturday and drew nearly 1600 photos. Wearing the special T-shirts in the community and attending a relevant seminar a week ago, they recorded as much data as they could walk for five hours on the streets of the city.
The teams worked in four areas: Aristotle, New Beach, Limani (along with Ladadika) and Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF). Kyriakos Poursanidis, an IT student at the Technological Educational Institute of Serres, was responsible for Aristotle's team: "We have posted more than 300 business with photos and related information. This of course was done with the consent of the owners. It was an unprecedented experience even for us. The world showed great interest, "he said. "Those who knew more about google maps had the most enthusiastic response, as was the case with a central hotel in the city," he said.
The GDG Thessaloniki initiative (supported by Helexpo-TIF) was attended by volunteers, most of them in the field of Information Technology. Participants received special certificates and the right to participate in a competition that will expire at the beginning of this year's 79 International Exhibition in Thessaloniki. There, according to Mr. Tzine, the winners will receive their awards from a top Premium Developer who will talk about the next dimension of Google Maps.
"Community support in the data collection and filing process offers more credibility and is approved in less time than information a user logs in," said Tzinis, adding: "Any information that goes up goes by reviewing an evaluation process and it takes some time for it to be approved and "upgraded" to the system.
"It is very important to have correct information and to help the visitor, tourist and in general, anyone interested, to find what they want", he added. "For example, for the first time correct data was entered for the spaces in the port, such as the cinema museum (where it is, the opening hours modes, the program, etc.) or detailed information about the TIF stands", emphasized Mr. Tzinis. The data will be available in both English and Greek.
"This was just the warm-up" says the founder of GDG with a smile, as the Community is waiting with great interest for the system to come to Thessaloniki as well Street View that "clicks" on the digital maps and offers 3D images. Special trekkers (systems with cameras mounted on cars or helmets) will capture images and capture a 3D image of the environment. Today in Greece, an example of how the 3D mapping of a space is applied is the Acropolis museum.
