🚀 go-pugleaf

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2010/07/july-13-2010.html

About a year ago, the Google Map of India that you see if you use Google
India ... it got a lot smaller. Specifically, the entire state of
Arunachal Pradesh was suddenly represented as being part of China.

As you might imagine, that didn't impress the Indian Government. And it
has also sparked a lot of confusion about the accuracy of maps, the
future of map-making and the power of Google. Stefan Geens joined us
this morning to help explain. He's a blogger who's been covering this
story from his home in Beijing. 

For a sense of how Google Maps is re-shaping the worlds of mapping and -
even geo-politics - we were joined by Michael Frank Goodchild. He's a
Professor of Geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara
but today he was in London, England.

We requested an interview with Google. No one was available this
morning. But we do hope to speak to someone from the company in the near
future.

Since we started the program with a story about Google's influence on
world politics, we thought we'd end it with a song about Google's power
over love. One of the first things people often do when they start
dating is Google their prospective partner. That inspired Japanese
singer Sputniko to write The Google Song. She makes music, movies and
electronic devices that explore themes of technology, gender and pop
culture. We give her the last word this morning.

http://www.sputniko.com/works/sputniko/a-project-from-2008

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See also:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/174205/google_placates_india_china_with_different_map_versions.html

Google has hit upon an interesting way of placating both China and India
over the way its map application displays Arunachal Pradesh, a region
whose ownership is disputed by the two countries.

The Chinese version of Google Maps shows parts of Arunachal Pradesh as
inside China's borders. In contrast, the Indian version of Google Maps
depicts the state as part of India.

But both of those depictions differ from the global version of Google
Maps, which shows Arunachal Pradesh as disputed territory within broken
lines on the map.

In August this year, Google Earth came in for sharp criticism in India
for what Google subsequently described as a mistaken use of Chinese
script to mark areas in Arunachal Pradesh, an eastern state administered
by India.

Google products that have been localized to the local domains of a
region depict that country's official position on the area, a Google
spokeswoman said in an e-mailed statement. The Indian version of Google
Maps represents the official position of the government of India, and
other country-level domains may similarly depict the official positions
of the country's government, she added.

As for the global version on the main Google Maps site, the spokeswoman
said it was Google's standard practice to show all disputed regions
around the world on its global properties. This does not endorse or
affirm the position taken by any side, but merely provides complete
information on the prevailing geopolitical situation to its users, she
added.

The dispute between India and China over Arunachal Pradesh has heated up
recently. China, which claims the state as part of southern Tibet,
protested earlier this month after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
went to Arunachal Pradesh to canvass for his party ahead of elections in
the state.

Google Maps applies the same policy for its depiction of Jammu and
Kashmir, a territory disputed by India and Pakistan. The global version
of Google Maps shows Kashmir as disputed territory, while the Indian
version shows Kashmir as part of India