It seems odd. Though Google Mapmaker is available for all four countries bordering Thailand, including Burma, it doesn't work for Thailand. Why?

I was getting ready to post some interesting destinations on that site, but can't.

Perhaps afraid of Thailand's cyber cops? A user might posts something that the cyber cops don't like and they ban all Google sites. Call it pre-emptive self-censorship.

Perhaps afraid of Thailand's cyber cops? A user might posts something that the cyber cops don't like and they ban all Google sites. Call it pre-emptive self-censorship.

Perhaps so, but it's ironic that Thailand, which attempts to put forth an image of modernity and openness - is out of the loop with Google - when compared to Laos, Burma and its other neighbors which have it. Though it's also interesting that China, that bastion of free press and openness .....is also out of the loop with Google mapmaker.

Not sure what to say. It looks like mapmaker was just launched in the U.K. a few weeks ago (11 April 2013) so maybe it will be launched in Thailand soon?

Streetview is being mapped for Thailand so I doubt this is a censorship/"cyber cop" issue. Google has long maintained that their maps for Thailand are not as accurate as they would like, hence things like Navigation are disabled.

I know you can create private and public maps with Google Maps for Thailand - there are thousands - so not sure what the issue with Mapmaker is...I confess I am not familiar with Mapmaker.

I did see this announcement from a few days ago:

Google Improves Map Accuracy in Thailand, Indonesia

By Chris Crum · April 24, 2013

Google announced today that it has improved maps in Thailand and Indonesia as part of a project called Ground Truth, which it started back inn 2008. The project is simply Google’s initiative to prove more comprehensive and accurate maps.

“Through this project, we use high-quality map data from authoritative sources around the world and then apply a mix of advanced algorithms, supplemental data (including satellite, aerial and Street View imagery), and human input to help create a map that mirrors the real world as closely as possible,” explains Brian McClendon, VP Google Maps and Google Earth.

“For example, the updated map for Thailand now provides more comprehensive information about the Bangkok city center,” adds McClendon. ” So next time you happen to find yourself needing to cross the Chao Phraya River, you’ll be able to see that many ferry routes across the river are now mapped in greater detail, with route names shown and piers clearly marked. You can also pinpoint nearby points of interest, such as the Grand Palace and other sites like Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha).”

http://www.webpronews.com/google-improves-map-accuracy-in-thailand-indonesia-2013-04

Perhaps part of the problem is with addresses. I have 3 parcels in northern Thailand, and only one has an address. Even that one address causes problems when I have a parcel which needs to be delivered. When I take away part of the assigned address, and add a word, then parcels get delivered. Result: my tweaks to the address work, whereas the assigned address from the Thai post office doesn't work. Go figure.

Often, Google gauges where a person's GPS is from a street address. However, if a street address is faulty or non-existent (which is often the case in Thailand), the Google can't find the place. Solution: Thailand needs to update and/or modernize its addressing system so it functions.

Another factor: Thai addresses are cumbersome. I can send a letter to my old address in the US by using 8 numbers only. In contrast, the average Thai address is four or five long lines of script, with a few redundancies. It's like Thai paperwork in a bank or within government: they have many pieces of paper, but they wind up complicating the issue. Perhaps it's their way of keeping the hundreds of thousands of bureaucratic paper pushers busy.