Editing Google Maps (section)

=== Google Maps in China ===
Due to [[restrictions on geographic data in China]], Google Maps must partner with a Chinese digital map provider in order to legally show Chinese map data. Since 2006, this partner has been [[AutoNavi]].<ref name="Lee-2012" />

Within China, the State Council mandates that all maps of China use the [[GCJ-02]] coordinate system, which is offset from the [[WGS-84]] system used in most of the world. google.''cn''/maps (formerly Google Ditu) uses the GCJ-02 system for both its street maps<ref>{{cite web|url=http://google.cn/maps/@31.2423,121.4914,20z|title=Google China street map uses GCJ-02 coordinates|author1=Monument to the People's Heroes|author-link1=Monument to the People's Heroes (Shanghai)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525200300/http://www.google.cn/maps/%4031.2423%2C121.4914%2C20z|archive-date=May 25, 2017|access-date=April 8, 2015}}</ref> and satellite imagery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://google.cn/maps/@31.24228,121.49142,137m/data=!3m1!1e3|title=Google China satellite imagery uses GCJ-02 coordinates|author1=Monument to the People's Heroes|author-link1=Monument to the People's Heroes (Shanghai)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525200729/http://www.google.cn/maps/%4031.24228%2C121.49142%2C137m/data%3D%213m1%211e3|archive-date=May 25, 2017|access-date=April 8, 2015}}</ref> google.''com''/maps also uses GCJ-02 data for the street map, but uses WGS-84 coordinates for satellite imagery,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@31.2423,121.4914,267m/data=!3m1!1e3|title=Google.com satellite imagery uses WGS-84 coordinates|author1=Monument to the People's Heroes|author-link1=Monument to the People's Heroes (Shanghai)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118150131/https://www.google.com/maps/@31.2423,121.4914,267m/data=!3m1!1e3|archive-date=November 18, 2015|url-status=live|access-date=April 8, 2015}}</ref> causing the so-called [[restrictions on geographic data in China#GPS shift problem|China GPS shift problem]].

Frontier alignments also present some differences between google.''cn''/maps and google.''com''/maps. On the latter, sections of the Chinese border with India and Pakistan are shown with dotted lines, indicating areas or frontiers in dispute. However, google.''cn'' shows the Chinese frontier strictly according to Chinese claims with no dotted lines indicating the border with India and Pakistan. For example, the [[South Tibet]] region claimed by China but administered by India as a large part of [[Arunachal Pradesh]] is shown inside the Chinese frontier by google.''cn'', with Indian highways ending abruptly at the Chinese claim line. Google.''cn'' also shows Taiwan and the [[South China Sea Islands]] as part of China. Google Ditu's street map coverage of Taiwan no longer omits major state organs, such as the Presidential Palace, the [[Constitution of the Republic of China|five Yuans]], and the Supreme Court.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/streetview/understand/|title=Where We've Been & Where We're Headed Next|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928204734/https://www.google.com/streetview/understand/|archive-date=September 28, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=January 2, 2018}}</ref>{{additional citation needed|date=April 2022}}

Google.''cn''/maps does not provide My Maps. On the other hand, while google.''cn'' displays virtually all text in Chinese, google.''com''/maps displays most text (user-selectable real text as well as those on map) in English.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} This behavior of displaying English text is not consistent but intermittent – sometimes it is in English, sometimes it is in Chinese. The criteria for choosing which language is displayed are not known publicly.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}