expertSEM

In partnership with Google, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today that NYC will be launching a new website an information center. This center will be located at 810 Seventh Avenue, between 52nd and 53rd and will make it easier for both residents and tourists to explore and map out the city.

This new travel center will provide giant touch screen monitors that let visitors plot out everything to do in the city. Once a trip is planned, users can then see it play out on the giant flat screen monitor powered by Google Maps API for Flash. This information can also be printed, emailed or sent to mobile devices. In addition to the information center, a website www.nycgo.com is being promoted to become the official online resource for tourists and residents looking for an activity or place to go. The web site uses Google Maps to help users find their destinations, as well as providing directions.

This initiative is both intriguing and concerning. The new “Official New York City Information Center” is sure to become the newest NYC attraction, but what interest me are Google’s future developments with this. Will these new map ‘kiosks’ start popping up in all major cities? If so, businesses of all sizes need to pay immediate attention.
It’s no secret that Google gives business owners the option to claim ownership over their listing and make enhancements. However, the percentage of business owners that have actually done this is very small. This means that the majority of business owners are not only depending on Google to accurately display their location details, but also to correctly categorize them as well.

I personally use Google Maps as my primary source for local searches and directions, but have to say I have ended up in some strange places sometimes following their directions that have led me off course. This shouldn’t and doesn’t have to happen if the owner of this particular business had claimed their listing and verified the address.