Londoners can now get public transport directions across their city using Google Maps, after Google plugged data published by Transport for London into its mapping software.
In an announcement on Google’s official blog, transit directions manager Thijs van As said TfL was one of the first European transport agencies to open its timetable data to the public.
"We’re strong supporters of open data and bringing information out into the open, and believe that making information publicly accessible can be an enormous engine of economic growth and innovation," van As said.
The news follows an announcement by enterprise software giant SAP that it has partnered with Google to provide deeper integration with the web giant’s mapping services.
SAP will offer improved integration between its Streamwork collaboration software and the BusinessObjects Explorer and Crystal Reports business intelligence tools with Google’s mapping application programming interfaces (APIs).
This will allow SAP customers to apply their own information with Google Maps and Google Earth in a more sophisticated fasion than is currently possible. University campuses and industrial complexes would be able to provide Street View functionality inside their facilities, for example, while broadband providers could map customer complaints.
