Google Maps API Premier now available in PH

MANILA, Philippines—Google Maps API Premier, a web application that allows corporate users to build and integrate fully interactive Google Maps on their public and internal websites, is now available in the Philippines.

“With the growing use of mobile devices for Internet-related services, businesses in the Philippines will find more ways to easily connect and engage with their employees and customers. Google Maps is one way for organizations to get ahead of competition,“ said Calen Martin D. Legaspi, CEO of Orange & Bronze Software Labs, Incorporated (OB), an authorized reseller of Google enterprise products.

Google Maps has been used by Filipinos to locate items, services and shops and also to give information to promote their business or organizations.

Google maps is free and modifiable but for a more comprehensive management of a company’s location-based service requirements, Filipino businesses and organizations can now upgrade to Google Maps API Premier, said Legaspi.

“Location-based services in the Philippines is just starting, and we see a huge potential here. There are quite a number of interesting approaches that we are looking at that utilizes Google Maps, and we expect  these to be implemented soon,” Legaspi added.

“Organizations can subscribe and put Google Maps API Premier for their website. They can make as many maps as they want; they can create their own icons too,” said Butch Landingin, OB Chief Technology Officer,  while showing how he changed a photo map from a website into an interactive map.

The application amounting to $10,000 per year can be useful for mission-critical operations like tracking of shipments, deliveries and supply management said Landingin.

“One of the internal uses that is very valuable for businesses is they were able to find different branches for easy shipping through Google Maps,” said Kathleen Fonacier-Garcia, OB marketing and communications officer.

International websites has been using Google Maps in their businesses, like the Crimereports.com which marks places where crimes were happening, or has happened. “Users can avoid dangerous places where crimes are happening,” Garcia pointed out.

She added that the application also allows connection for people sharing same causes because it was used by environmental websites to mark places where eco-activities are being held. “They can also populate the site with information, and users can locate activities available for a specific area,” she added.

In the Philippines, a real estate search site has been integrated with Google Maps since 2010. “You can only find classified ads on other real estate sites, but our site users can actually see the location, and other important details of an area through the Google Map,” said Edge Dalmacio, founder of Haybol.com

Google Map is  not only for location searching but a tool for marketing, productivity and business intelligence, Dalmacio averred.