The World Bank is excited about a partnership with Google to empower what Caroline Anstey, one of the Bank’s managing directors, calls ‘citizen cartographers‘. People on the ground in some 150 countries will be able to use the technology, called Map Maker, to plot, well, just about any social infrastructure. The idea is that this collective effort it will help the bank, and other development agencies, spot gaps, improve delivery of services, fight corruption and track resources. And we commend it. China, however, is not one of the 150 or so countries signed up for the project. So no unauthorized plotting there.
Footnote: The World Bank has used the technology for pinpointing its projects in China (and elsewhere). China’s portfolio is one of the largest in the Bank. That can be seen on its Mapping For Results page.
China Bystander 