Editor's note: Meet the Mapmakers is a new series highlighting the people who shape Google Maps Platform. Tune in as our Mapmakers offer their unique perspectives on the platform’s present and future, and share stories about their personal journeys.
My stepfather was a medieval Japanese history professor. Growing up, we had all these Japanese antiques in our house. At the dinner table, we would discuss the different regions of Japan and how they were once ruled by military figureheads known as Shoguns. When I went off to college, I majored in international relations. I was fascinated by different cultures and ways of thinking. Every year, I would buy the World Atlas and devour facts about countries. I’d quiz myself: Which country was the biggest oil producer? Which country had the most rice fields? For me, maps were a visceral way to understand and make sense of the complex world we lived in.
Starting at Google
I joined Google in 2008 through the DoubleClick acquisition. A good friend of mine later became head of product for Google Maps Platform and encouraged me to look into opportunities on the team. I’ve always loved maps, and in 2019 I joined the Google Maps Platform team as a seller. A few years ago, I took on a management role leading sales for our high touch customers.
The magic of geospatial
Geospatial isn’t a word that rolls off people’s tongues. My superpower is being able to translate the magic of Google Maps into a tangible product people can use in their own business. Customers everywhere have a need to understand the world around them. That could be as simple as getting the address for a store, to as sophisticated as understanding underground water levels in a particular terrain. There are so many different ways to use geospatial and geospatial analytics.
Immersive technologies
One of the most exciting geospatial technologies today is immersive technologies, where we’re moving from a traditional 2D map to a 3D map that gives people the ability to really experience what’s around them.
For example, we work with some of the largest travel companies out there. Let’s say your customer is a family of four researching a Caribbean beach resort vacation. Well, they’d want to know things like: What’s around the resort? Can they drive through town? What’s the town like? What kind of restaurants are there? When they can research all that through an immersive experience, it becomes much more powerful and real. And that translates directly into ROI for the business.
Real estate is another industry where businesses are leaning into immersive. There’s this idea of a digital twin, where businesses can build 3D immersive models of the neighborhood and what the buildings look like. A lot of our customers are hiring geospatial experts on their teams to build out these digital twin immersive capabilities. These capabilities are reshaping the way people buy homes. In the past, you had to go see the home in person. Now you can understand everything about the home, even down to the front entrance and backyard, and know exactly what the neighborhood is like, all within a geospatial immersive experience. So prospective buyers might not need to visit the home until the very last minute, or potentially not even at all.
Google Maps: The Lego pieces of geospatial
I always like to tell our customers, Google Maps Platform provides the lego pieces. We do not provide the castle. We give a lot of flexibility to our customers to test and iterate on different ideas and options. You don’t have to figure out how to build the castle right away. Get familiar with our APIs, play around and do tests. Start small and iterate from there. You’ll learn a lot that way.
I’ll give you an example. We collaborated with Domino’s to explore how geospatial could elevate the franchise’s offerings. Domino’s already had a concept called hotspot delivery—essentially delivering pizza to a non-addressable location like a stadium seat. When we introduced our latest mobility solutions, there was this aha moment. Our teams realized we could enhance hotspot delivery by providing more precise location tracking and accurate ETAs. This led to the launch of their new pinpoint delivery service, where customers simply drop a pin on a map to get pizza delivered right to them.
I always encourage businesses to look at their customers and see how geospatial might be able to enhance their experiences. There are so many exciting new developments in geospatial technologies. The maps you use on your phone is not nearly how you might be able to use geospatial for your business. A lot of companies who currently work with a small geospatial provider or a free service might be sitting on a gold mine, if they explored and built out a full geospatial solution.
Advice for my younger self
My advice for my younger self would be to explore and travel. The world you know is only a tiny part of what’s out there. By visiting new places and meeting new people from all backgrounds, you cultivate the ability to look at someone and understand where they come from, and find common ground. And that’ll serve you well no matter where your career takes you.
Ben Waltzer is Head of Americas Sales for Google Maps Platform based in Austin, Texas.
