Google to plot UK river and canal routes as mapping goes wild

When Apple announced it was ditching native support for Google Maps from iOS 6 the search giant appeared rather unmoved by the news, merely stating it would continue developing its own services as it has now been doing for several years.

The latest update on this work was announced on Tuesday when it was revealed the firm will set about mapping some 2,000 miles of canal towpaths to add to its services in an effort to encourage people to get out and explore the waterways of the UK.

The firm is undertaking the project in conjunction with the Canal & River Trust, which is responsible for the UK's water systems, and wants to highlight the existence of canal path routes through towns and cities by adding them to Google Map searches.

Ed Parsons, a geospatial technologist at Google UK, said this should help people discover new parts of their local area they may never have known existed.

"Canal towpaths offer green routes through our towns and cities and by working with the Canal & River Trust we're adding towpaths to Google Maps and encouraging people to discover their local waterway," he said.

The move is just one of a number of ways Google will be hoping to maintain its lead as the dominant mapping provider after Apple's announcement to partner with TomTom.

It comes after it recently announced plans to take its Street View service into remote locations (pictured below) and to the air with 3D aerial imagery of major cities set to be unveiled in the coming months.

19 Jun 2012