Google Reveals How It Keeps Google Maps Relevant and Accurate

All this data is powered by human beings just like us, as Google Maps has a userbase that’s large enough to contribute to a very complex yet fairly efficient review platform.

The reviews posted by users are therefore supposed to be informative, relevant, and accurate, though it goes without saying that not all of them always follow the guidelines.

And today, Google explains how it manages to block inappropriate content to make Google Maps a better service.

First and foremost, Google Maps uses machine learning to moderate content, so the moment you post a new review, a computer is in charge of determining if it should be allowed or not. There are several factors that are looked into, including whether it contains offensive or off-topic information, the history of the poster, and the recent reviews posted for that specific place.

Based on this information, the machine learning system can make an informed decision and act accordingly. But at the same time, Google Maps also uses a team of employees whose purpose is specifically to analyze the reviews that are posted on the service and act as a second protective layer to make sure everything is relevant and accurate.

The flagged content is therefore inspected by human operators who can decide what to do next. In some cases, the taken actions include not only removing the review completely but also suspending the user account or even pursuing litigation.

Google says there are over 1 billion people using Google Maps every month, so the company has promised to continue to polish this system to make sure only the most relevant information ends up becoming available to others.