MapmyIndia.com, the 2-year-old online maps portal for India has unveiled v-2007, its easier-to-use, futuristic version. MapmyIndia v-2007 exploits the Web 2.0 platform to introduce a number of features, not yet offered in India.

The portal provides detailed maps at different zoom levels on the Net and blends them with futuristic offerings—such as Mapsearch, eLocation, Driving Directions & Local Search—to offer location-based solutions centering on India.

Rakesh Verma, managing director at CE Info Systems, the parent company of MapmyIndia.com, said, "The new version brings online mapping closer to the consumer expectations. It is a manifestation of our efforts to make MapmyIndia an accessible, usable and valuable proposition for users."

MapmyIndia v-2007 allows users to drag the maps (at all zoom levels) to explore adjoining areas not currently on the screen. In the v-2006 version of MapmyIndia (now called as MapmyIndia Classic), the users need to click on tabs bordering the map eyeview, leading to a fresh reload of the page, resultant delay and a distinct break to the continuity of the user's map exploration process.

Rohan Verma, the 21-year-old Stanford student who conceived the portal said, "The new version provides a seamless experience, infusing fun into the online map usage activity."

The users now need to simply slide the zoom bar up or down to zoom in or out, respectively.
"When we first tested the new version internally," says Rohan, "we found it a delightful experience. The sheer ease of travelling anywhere in India on the web, without needing to click the mouse even once, made it an awesome experience."

MapmyIndia v-2007 allows the user to draw his/her own route on the map from the closest landmark. "This visual depiction completely eliminates the hassles of going round and round, seeking directions in the last-mile lap of the journey," said Verma. "It makes reaching the destination that much easier."

Enhancing the Driving Directions application, MapmyIndia v-2007 shows the route for inter-city and intra-city directions on the map along with the textual, turn-by-turn directions. With the new right-click option, users can now also visually mark-out their start and destination points on the map to get directions.

The new version details numerous categories of landmarks and points of interest (PoIs) to enable a precise search of any location in India. These PoIs are segmented category as well as location-wise.

MapmyIndia v-2007 provides all its consumer services completely free of charge on the Net. "Our decision to provide these services at no charge aims to empower Indians to find their way around on their own," said Verma. "All the good things come free at MapmyIndia."

MapmyIndia is in the process of integrating the map usage with mobile devices too. "Our bouquet of services would ensure that mobile users benefit practically from the location-based services of our portal," said Verma. "This service is being launched very shortly."