Now it's easier than ever to submit changes and additions to Google Maps

Google has done a great job of mapping the globe down to street level, but it's not perfect. You've almost certainly encountered errors and omissions on Google Maps, and starting today the company is making it easy to point out missing and incorrect data from the comfort of your mobile.

Crowdsourcing the collecting of map data is a great way to ensure that Google Maps is kept constantly up to date. It means that as businesses close down, change names, or open up, users can submit feedback to Google straight away so the information is available to everyone as quickly as possible.

In a blog post Google explains all of the tools it has introduced, including the ability for iOS, Android and Google search users to suggest edits to existing business information, or to submit details of new businesses. In addition to this, Android users can go into much more details about the specifics of individual businesses. In the case of restaurants, for instance, you can provide feedback about the types of cuisine that are available, add pricing details, and so on.

As with any form of crowdsourcing, there is the potential for abuse, and Google is well aware of this. To try to combat the problem, users are invited to verify edits and additions that have been suggested by others to ensure that only correct information makes it through. Google says:

For places that have pending suggestions, you’ll see a notification stating that "Someone suggested new info." If you click or tap that notification, you’ll have the option to verify whether the suggestion is accurate. Once enough votes are received to be confident that the suggestion is accurate, it’s published to the map. This feature is available to Android users on the Google Maps app and both Android and iOS users on mobile Google Search.