Pinoys welcome community-built maps on Google’s dynamic, collaborative geographic platform
March 12, 2009, Manila, Philippines – Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today formally announced that tens of thousands of edits made by Filipinos on Google Map Maker can now be seen on Google Maps. Google Map Maker—an application that allows users to edit Google Maps data—was launched in the Philippines in October last year to provide local map enthusiasts a means to personally contribute to the building and updating of online map data for the country. Now millions of Google Maps users around the world can see more accurate and updated online maps of the Philippines including new roads, points of interests and regions all over the country.
Since the launch of Google Map Maker in the Philippines, hundreds of users have contributed tens of thousands of edits, reflecting the overwhelming enthusiasm by Filipinos to collaborate online and share their knowledge of their neighbourhoods with the rest of the Internet community. Google Map Maker edits have come from a diverse group of Filipino users all over the country including civil engineers, business executives, programmers, entrepreneurs, and students. Through a moderation and verification process, most of these edits, which include street-level data, landmark tags and business establishments, can now be seen on Google Maps.
“Congratulations to the thousands of Filipino users who have successfully contributed to Google Map Maker! The Philippines is one of the most challenging places to map because of the diverse topography of its more than 7,000 islands—this is why there is a dearth of accurate map data available online. Because of the collaborative efforts of local map enthusiasts, we are beginning to see the “physical face” of the Philippines getting clearer over time for the global community to see. This is a great start, but know there is much more to do, so we encourage you to join your fellow Pinoys and contribute to Google Map Maker to give the Philippines an accurate virtual country map to be proud of,” said Derek Callow, Head of Marketing, Google Southeast Asia.
“I’m passionate about editing maps and Google Map Maker’s interface is very intuitive and user-friendly. I started adding streets and establishments in Tuguegarao, where I was born, and Baguio City, where we lived when I was growing up. Then I quickly moved on to editing municipalities and cities,” said Wayne Manuel, one of the Philippines’ top contributors to Google Map Maker with several thousand edits. Manuel is a Chemical Engineering Filipino student currently studying overseas at the National University of Singapore. “It started out like a big jigsaw puzzle with many pieces missing. But when I saw the roads, street names and landmarks coming together on Google Map Maker, I felt really happy for my country and it encouraged me to contribute even more,” Manuel said.
“Seeing that the edits—including the ones I did—have been pushed to Google Maps means the Philippines is more and more on the global map, and that we put it there through our own Pinoy passion! It was personally satisfying for me. The reason I set out making edits is because I wanted to help promote the places that I grew up in and the country as a whole to the rest of the world. The mission continues and I hope even more Filipinos will join us on Google Map Maker to improve the online map of our beautiful country,” said Bernard Arellano III, another top contributor to Google Map Maker in the Philippines. Arellano, who works as a call center agent, made several thousand edits on Guimaras and Iloilo.
”I think it’s important that local users keep the edits coming in because having accurate map data helps promote the country’s viability to foreign investors and tourists,” said Dante Varias, a 56-year-old civil engineer who is also among Google Map Maker’s top contributors for the Philippines. “The Google Map Maker interface is so user-friendly you don’t need any specialized training before you can start editing.” Varias said that he had been looking for map-making software prior to the launch of Google Map Maker late last year. “When I discovered Google Map Maker, I immediately started enjoying the process of editing the map tiles of Cavite, so much so that after only 37 days, I had already added over several thousand edits on my own.”
Here are some screenshots and videos showing the amazing contributions of thousands of users of Google Map Maker in the Philippines:
Manila (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnTEzprTobo)
Cebu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7cpMO6O67w)
Davao (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7cpMO6O67w)
download whole picture file here
Showing posts with label Philippine tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philippine tourism. Show all posts
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Revisiting the Philippines through the eyes of Amorsolo
Celebrating the best of the Filipino, His Art, Our Heart: Amorsolo Retrospective captures the values Filipinos should always be reminded of. A phenomenal project organized and strongly supported by various groups in different industries, in the hope of reliving a sense of Filipino pride for our rich culture, history, and people.
The Department of Tourism is actively part of this meaningful endeavor to remember one of the most influential Filipino artists of all time. And this reminder is important in breathing fresh hope for looking at our country through the eyes and the handwork of Fernando Amorsolo.
Tourism Secretary Ace Durano is enthusiastic about the DOT's participation in the retrospective. "Our first national artist truly paved the way in making us see the beauty of our country's 7,107 islands. His paintings retell the events of the past that we can all learn from," he said.
Through this huge campaign, the Department hopes to spread the vision that a country with people who love and understand their nationhood is the best quality to attract others to visit.
The tourism chief added, "The industry is very much supportive of this endeavor as it hopes to spark a growing interest and reawakening for our own history and culture."
Executive Director Evelyn Lim-Forbes is convinced that "It is a multi-layered movement to strengthen a sense of pride and dignity of the Filipino people. Amorsolo's works rekindle our love for our own and reminds us of the values we should never forget as a people. His works showed that the Filipinos can weather dismal times, and through this, grow together."
Amorsolo's works highlight various facets of our stories as a nation; community life coupled with a deep sense of dignity for hard work; the collective strength of our people showed in how our elders and the nation fared in the face of tragedy.
Fernando Amorsolo was known for his illuminated landscapes; his timeless capturing of Filipino barrio life that was integral in building a 'sense of nation' for our countrymen. His works are timeless reminders of the importance of Filipino values.
Art critic Santiago Albano Pilar said it so succinctly in the Amorsolo Retrospective catalogue, "A visitor from another country will probably not fully absorb the actual spiritual or emotional intent of Amorsolo's themes, but he or she will soon learn to distinguish the attractive tell-tale marks and even the merits of his expression…" His style has been characterized by his vivid interpretation of Philippine landscapes; a colourful portrayal of the Filipino community.
Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque, Jr., Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions, agreed very much to this remark. "Fernando Amorsolo, through his celebrated works, reminds us of the importance of looking within us to remember who we are; our values as a people and the traits that make us unique from the rest of the world," he said.
Undoubtedly the most distinguished and the most popular artist of the Philippines in the twentieth century, Amorsolo was known as the "painter of Philippine sunlight" because his works captured the brilliance and shimmer of the Philippine sun. He also painted the glow from within – Filipino values, character, and soul.
His genre paintings that feature women draw inspiration from the lives of ordinary folk, portraying their industry, integrity, and resilience. The important theme of nationhood as embodied by his portrayal of the Filipino woman will be portrayed in Amorsolo's Women Conceal and Revealed, at the Ayala Museum.
The GSIS Museum exhibition aptly entitled, SALIW: Rituals in Amorsolo's Art, features his masterpieces that deftly capture the uniqueness of Filipino character in various ritual settings, not only the spiritual but also the secular day-to-day rituals that reflect Filipino culture.
In Tell-Tale: The Artist as Storyteller, Amorsolo as Co-Author, on-going at the Lopez Museum, highlights his humor in expressing his perspectives on pressing issues during his time.
Another in-depth look at his most-prized works are on show at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, entitled bayANInanding: The Motherland and the Harvest of Maestro Amorsolo. His landscapes and genre paintings that depict the cycle of rice production and consumption, and the local traditions and lifestyle this engenders. The exhibit looks into the shared fundamentality of rice and Amorsolo in Philippine society.
Days of Drawing, Portraits of Passage, on-going at the National Museum of the Filipino people, highlight an angle of the artistic practice of Amorsolo through drawings, portraits, and memorabilia. The exhibition at the UP Vargas Museum entitled Capturing Anxieties: Amorsolo, His Contemporaries and Pictures of War, focuses on how Filipinos withstood conflict, while Mukhang Tsinoy: Portraits by Fernando Amorsolo, is a unique collection of his works on portraiture.
"His works are still relevant to Filipinos today, for they reflect the timeless beauty of the country's landscapes, the value of hard work, and a shared expression of being one in the community. Through his masterpieces, we get a glimpse of the Philippines through his eyes. From these valuable lessons from the past, we have reason to look to a bright future ahead and together strengthen our country's sense of place, "Jarque explained.
DOT's active participation in this unprecedented campaign to promote the best of the Filipino through Amorsolo's art is significant and integral not only in its marketing efforts to promote the Philippines abroad. It carries a much deeper meaning of promoting love and appreciation of the country to Filipinos themselves.
His Art, Our Heart: Amorsolo Retrospective is currently running until April 2009 in the mentioned major galleries. The exhibitions are also for the benefit the CRIBS Foundation, the participating museums, and the Fernando Amorsolo Art Foundation.
The Department believes that seeing his works encourages looking beyond and visiting the actual places, the warm people, and the unique culture that inspired his priceless pieces. Filipinos only need to look deeper to appreciate the best things in the country.
"After all, the best way to encourage other people to come visit the Philippines is to make it a country you would love to visit yourself," Jarque noted.
The Department of Tourism is actively part of this meaningful endeavor to remember one of the most influential Filipino artists of all time. And this reminder is important in breathing fresh hope for looking at our country through the eyes and the handwork of Fernando Amorsolo.
Tourism Secretary Ace Durano is enthusiastic about the DOT's participation in the retrospective. "Our first national artist truly paved the way in making us see the beauty of our country's 7,107 islands. His paintings retell the events of the past that we can all learn from," he said.
Through this huge campaign, the Department hopes to spread the vision that a country with people who love and understand their nationhood is the best quality to attract others to visit.
The tourism chief added, "The industry is very much supportive of this endeavor as it hopes to spark a growing interest and reawakening for our own history and culture."
Executive Director Evelyn Lim-Forbes is convinced that "It is a multi-layered movement to strengthen a sense of pride and dignity of the Filipino people. Amorsolo's works rekindle our love for our own and reminds us of the values we should never forget as a people. His works showed that the Filipinos can weather dismal times, and through this, grow together."
Amorsolo's works highlight various facets of our stories as a nation; community life coupled with a deep sense of dignity for hard work; the collective strength of our people showed in how our elders and the nation fared in the face of tragedy.
Fernando Amorsolo was known for his illuminated landscapes; his timeless capturing of Filipino barrio life that was integral in building a 'sense of nation' for our countrymen. His works are timeless reminders of the importance of Filipino values.
Art critic Santiago Albano Pilar said it so succinctly in the Amorsolo Retrospective catalogue, "A visitor from another country will probably not fully absorb the actual spiritual or emotional intent of Amorsolo's themes, but he or she will soon learn to distinguish the attractive tell-tale marks and even the merits of his expression…" His style has been characterized by his vivid interpretation of Philippine landscapes; a colourful portrayal of the Filipino community.
Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque, Jr., Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions, agreed very much to this remark. "Fernando Amorsolo, through his celebrated works, reminds us of the importance of looking within us to remember who we are; our values as a people and the traits that make us unique from the rest of the world," he said.
Undoubtedly the most distinguished and the most popular artist of the Philippines in the twentieth century, Amorsolo was known as the "painter of Philippine sunlight" because his works captured the brilliance and shimmer of the Philippine sun. He also painted the glow from within – Filipino values, character, and soul.
His genre paintings that feature women draw inspiration from the lives of ordinary folk, portraying their industry, integrity, and resilience. The important theme of nationhood as embodied by his portrayal of the Filipino woman will be portrayed in Amorsolo's Women Conceal and Revealed, at the Ayala Museum.
The GSIS Museum exhibition aptly entitled, SALIW: Rituals in Amorsolo's Art, features his masterpieces that deftly capture the uniqueness of Filipino character in various ritual settings, not only the spiritual but also the secular day-to-day rituals that reflect Filipino culture.
In Tell-Tale: The Artist as Storyteller, Amorsolo as Co-Author, on-going at the Lopez Museum, highlights his humor in expressing his perspectives on pressing issues during his time.
Another in-depth look at his most-prized works are on show at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, entitled bayANInanding: The Motherland and the Harvest of Maestro Amorsolo. His landscapes and genre paintings that depict the cycle of rice production and consumption, and the local traditions and lifestyle this engenders. The exhibit looks into the shared fundamentality of rice and Amorsolo in Philippine society.
Days of Drawing, Portraits of Passage, on-going at the National Museum of the Filipino people, highlight an angle of the artistic practice of Amorsolo through drawings, portraits, and memorabilia. The exhibition at the UP Vargas Museum entitled Capturing Anxieties: Amorsolo, His Contemporaries and Pictures of War, focuses on how Filipinos withstood conflict, while Mukhang Tsinoy: Portraits by Fernando Amorsolo, is a unique collection of his works on portraiture.
"His works are still relevant to Filipinos today, for they reflect the timeless beauty of the country's landscapes, the value of hard work, and a shared expression of being one in the community. Through his masterpieces, we get a glimpse of the Philippines through his eyes. From these valuable lessons from the past, we have reason to look to a bright future ahead and together strengthen our country's sense of place, "Jarque explained.
DOT's active participation in this unprecedented campaign to promote the best of the Filipino through Amorsolo's art is significant and integral not only in its marketing efforts to promote the Philippines abroad. It carries a much deeper meaning of promoting love and appreciation of the country to Filipinos themselves.
His Art, Our Heart: Amorsolo Retrospective is currently running until April 2009 in the mentioned major galleries. The exhibitions are also for the benefit the CRIBS Foundation, the participating museums, and the Fernando Amorsolo Art Foundation.
The Department believes that seeing his works encourages looking beyond and visiting the actual places, the warm people, and the unique culture that inspired his priceless pieces. Filipinos only need to look deeper to appreciate the best things in the country.
"After all, the best way to encourage other people to come visit the Philippines is to make it a country you would love to visit yourself," Jarque noted.
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