Google Maps Now Open for Editing in U.S.

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Got a problem with the placement of your favorite pizza place on Google Maps? Fix it yourself.

Google Map Maker, an editing tool for Google Maps and Google Earth, is now available for the United States. Google’s pitching this as a way to add local landmarks and businesses, map college campuses and mark bike lanes, but you can also add new roads and adjust attributes, such as speed limit and road conditions, for existing routes.

Still, don’t get any ideas about scribbling your name all over town. Each edit is subject to review, and if you poke around under the “Community Edits” section of Map Maker, you can see that there’s already lots of collaboration going on. Google Earth users can watch these edits in real time. Once approved, edits appear in Google Maps within minutes.

The tool was previously available for 183 countries outside the United States. New features, added globally, include Street View directly in Map Maker and advanced search options such as the ability to view all railroad tracks.