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India Launches New Digital Maps Service to Replace Google | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Google Maps. (AFP)


London – The Indian government urged people against using the digitila maps service provided by Google.

“Google Maps” can be used to determine the locations of a restaurant or a coffee shop, but not for looking for important addresses, explained the government.

CNET.com reported that while many users think they benefit from Google Maps, the Indian government has a different opinion.

According to Business Standards daily, India’s mapping and survey organization, Survey of India (SoI), is calling Indians not to use the Google Earth and Google Maps, because they are not authenticated and unapproved by the government.

To encourage this, SoI made its own maps available online for citizens to use at no cost.

“Google Maps is not authenticated and widely used by consumers to find restaurants and parks only,” the surveyor-general of India, Swarna Subba Rao was quoted by the Economic Times as saying.

He said the service cannot be trusted when seeking addresses that require high levels of accuracy.

It is not the first time that India has found fault with Google Maps.

Previously, Cambodia and India had protested over how borders are being presented on the service. Google consequently released different versions of the service in each country to comply with regulations.