Google Places Quality Guideline Minor Update

With the ending of Google’s real estate listing service in Maps, it was necessary for Google to update the Google Places Quality Guidelines to reflect the fact that the service was no longer available as a listing option:
Previous Guidelines New Quality Guidelines
Ineligible Business Models: Only businesses that make in-person contact with customers qualify for a Google Places listing. Ineligible Business Models: Only businesses that make in-person contact with customers qualify for a Google Places listing.
Rental properties, such as vacation homes or vacant apartments, are not eligible for a listing on Google Places. Create a listing for the central office that processes the rentals, rather than the individual rental properties. If you’d like, you can then add your real estate properties to Google Maps so that they are available on our Real Estate layer. Rental or for sale properties, such as vacation homes or vacant apartments, are not eligible for a listing on Google Places. Create a listing for the central office that processes the sales or leasing offices, rather than the individual rental properties.

Related posts:

  1. Google Places Updates Quality Guidelines
  2. Google Places Quality Guidelines Comparison
  3. Google Places Quality Guideline Update

How did Belgrade get such great 3D models?

If you’ve visited Belgrade in Google Earth lately, you may have been surprised by the quality of the 3D buildings there. Belgrade is not available in Building Maker, and it’s not a city that’s had some auto-generated buildings from Google placed there, but yet there are a ton of models in the city. Beyond that, these buildings are good. Notice the 3D bushes on the balcony of this building, and the 3D trees (which aren’t the new “Version 6” trees) below:

3d-bushes.jpg

The idea to model Belgrade came from Zeljko Zdravkovic, who himself has modeled well over 500 buildings that you’ll find in Google Earth. In fact, the “Lets build digital Belgrade” collection in the 3D Warehouse has well over 800 models in it!

Zeljiko recently gave a presentation in the council building of New Belgrade, where he was able to show what he’s accomplished, discuss how the process works, and share future plans for 3D buildings in other local areas.

To see Belgrade for yourself, you can fly there using this KML file. Great work Zeljiko!

belgrade.jpg