The developers of Google Maps, the Internet behemoth’s mapping and navigational service, announced Thursday that Cambodia was one of 54 nations added to the Web site’s cartographic database.
The mapping search engine allows users to pinpoint locations on maps created with satellite imagery and create point-to-point itineraries.
Cambodia was joined by Laos, Brunei, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia as well as countries in the Middle East and Latin America.
However the Cambodia map on Goggle Sunday appeared to have few capabilities. While several provincial capitals could be located, in Phnom Penh it displayed only national roads and no streets, and could not locate addresses or provide directions.
“We have better detail for some countries than others but this is just the beginning,” Product Manager Dave Barth wrote on LatLong Blog, the Google maps production team’s Web log.
“In the coming months, we’ll be working tirelessly to add more detail to the existing countries.”
Tim Smyth, managing director for Indochina Research in Phnom Penh, said Sunday that when and if Google does provide greater mapping capability, it may prove useful to various businesses in Cambodia, even though many do not yet have access to the Internet.
“This type of information certainly shows its usefulness in different types of markets,” he said. “It’s one of those things where you build it and they will come,” he added.
