Pinoy wins Google Map Maker tilt

MANILA, Philippines - Google recently announced that Filipino Wayne Dell Manuel has won the company’s first Google Map Maker Global Competition, which encouraged users around the world to map universities, schools and hospitals in their home countries to help humanitarian organizations do their jobs better.

Manuel bested more than 700 other contestants from around the world to win a $50,000 donation from UNICEF for the Philippines. The donation will benefit projects that empower the Filipino youth through technology.

The Google Map Maker Global Competition was launched to encourage the use of technology for community development by asking users to map universities, schools, hospitals and medical clinics in their home countries.

The goal was to help humanitarian organizations better deliver services, respond to crises, and adapt to change in the countries they operate by enabling access to accurate digital maps.

The entries were judged based on the quality and quantity of map edits and moderations.

Manuel added more than 1,500 qualifying map features and made hundreds of moderations in Google Map Maker to win the competition.

His edits, which were primarily of local public schools, were judged to be the most numerous and accurate entries in the contest.

Manuel hoped that mapping these schools, many of which also serve as evacuation centers during natural disasters, could help relief organizations centralize and distribute aid to displaced persons during calamities.

“I’m so excited to have won this global competition because it represents a win not just for me, but also for the Philippines,” he said.

“To be frank, I entered the competition to win the $50,000 for our country, and I hope that my win encourages more Filipinos to contribute to making the online map of our country even better,” he said.

“We Filipinos are known for our spirit of bayanihan, and this is a great way for us to come together in the Internet era to make life better for our fellow kababayans by literally putting their communities on the digital map,” he added.

“We heartily congratulate Wayne Manuel for winning the first Map Maker Global Competition,” said Jennifer Mazzon, community organizer for Google Maps.

“His contributions to the Philippines’ online map are invaluable to everyone who relies on it for geographic information, from tourists and everyday commuters, to rescue and relief organizations who respond to natural disasters, as we saw in the aftermath of typhoon ‘Ondoy’ last year,” Mazzon said.

“Even though the contest period is over, the mapping effort for the Philippines is only beginning. There are still many places that are in need of accurate details and we hope that even more Filipinos will use Google Map Maker to share their knowledge about their hometowns with the world,” she added.

“We are delighted that Google is supporting UNICEF’s efforts to help build a world fit for children,” said Gerrit Beger, leader of UNICEF’s innovation drive focusing on youth.

Manuel will receive a VIP tour from UNICEF officials of the projects that will benefit from the $50,000 donation.

Manuel, who turns 24 this March, is a software developer at the National Telehealth Center of the University of the Philippines. He started using Google Map Maker in 2008 and initially edited streets, establishments, and municipalities in his home cities of Tuguegarao and Baguio.

Later, he added most of the roads in the cities of Tarlac, Angeles (Pampanga) and Tacloban (Leyte).

He has been recognized globally as one of the top 10 all-time ‘mappers’ with nearly 35,000 map edits under his belt.

“We know that mapping is a proven method to enhance community development. Google Map Maker is a powerful tool to create better situational awareness for both young people and communities at large. It will enable organizations like ours to better deliver services, respond to crises and adapt to change,” Manuel said.