MapMyIndia tops Google Maps with address search capability

By | 13 June, 2011

Mapping India poses its own challenges. It typically is landmark driven. Quite a few companies have struggled to map and digitize India and place it on the Internet, but there is quite some work left. India’s maps on both Google and MapMyIndia simplified life a lot, but address match with house number search or the last mile connection is still a distant dream. MapMyIndia is making that dream a reality for at least 18 cities by adding millions of house and building numbers.

MapMyIndia has marked house numbers on the map. You can search and go to the last level of the detail and find the house number. From there you can get directions to and from – which provides a door to door address mapping. For Delhi and Mumbai, maps show the footprint or the built-up area. This could turn out to be a potential tool for people fighting against encroachment.

Cities with house numbers include New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Mohali and Panchkula. In addition to these 18 cities, MMI covers 1,027 cities at street-level and 5,76000 towns and villages at highway level.

MapMyIndia’s user interface looks much slicker than Google Maps. With its new address search Google maps will soon be passe. Of course, Google has Street View up its sleeve with its vans traversing nooks and corners of Bangalore. Getting Google Street View for the whole of India or at least 18 cities would require a lot of effort and diesel.

For the most part, a three dimensional view isn’t required. All you need is a neat little map with proper directions and big balloons.

In addition to the address search, MapMyIndia (MMI) also offers a ‘useful places around here’ feature which is a neat little add-on to find a gas station, ATM or a post office. OK. Finding a post office is a joke as the need for post office is unofficially outdated and bordering on becoming antediluvian.



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