Editing Google Maps (section)

=== Acquisitions ===
Google Maps first started as a [[C++]] program designed by two Danish brothers, [[Lars Rasmussen (software developer)|Lars]] and [[Jens Eilstrup Rasmussen]], and Noel Gordon and Stephen Ma, at the Sydney-based company Where 2 Technologies, which was founded in early 2003. The program was initially designed to be separately downloaded by users, but the company later pitched the idea for a purely Web-based product to Google management, changing the method of distribution.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/google-mapper-take-browsers-to-the-limit/|title=Google mapper: Take browsers to the limit|publisher=CNET|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026035210/http://news.cnet.com/Google-mapper-Take-browsers-to-the-limit/2100-1038_3-5808658.html|archive-date=October 26, 2012|url-status=live|access-date=January 3, 2013}}</ref> In October 2004, the company was acquired by Google Inc.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jun/17/google-sergey-brin|title=Secrets of a nimble giant|last=Kiss|first=Jemima|date=June 17, 2009|access-date=October 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219023109/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/jun/17/google-sergey-brin|archive-date=February 19, 2014|url-status=live|publisher=Guardian|location=London}}</ref> where it transformed into the web application Google Maps. The Rasmussen brothers, Gordon and Ma joined Google at that time.

In the same month, Google acquired [[Google Earth#History|Keyhole]], a geospatial data visualization company (with investment from the [[CIA]]), whose marquee application suite, Earth Viewer, emerged as the [[Google Earth]] application in 2005 while other aspects of its core technology were integrated into Google Maps.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/28/google_buys_keyhole/|title=Google buys CIA-backed mapping startup|last=Orlowski|first=Andrew|date=October 28, 2004|access-date=April 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211040159/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/28/google_buys_keyhole/|archive-date=February 11, 2017|url-status=live|publisher=[[The Register]]|author-link=Andrew Orlowski}}</ref> In September 2004, Google acquired ZipDash, a company that provided real-time traffic analysis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.siliconbeat.com/entries/2005/03/30/google_acquires_traffic_info_startup_zipdash.html|title=Google acquires traffic info start-up Zipdash|first=Michael|last=Bazeley|date=March 30, 2005|work=SiliconBeat|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102125451/http://www.siliconbeat.com/entries/2005/03/30/google_acquires_traffic_info_startup_zipdash.html|archive-date=January 2, 2008|url-status=dead |access-date=January 8, 2008}}</ref>