Design Google Maps
What is Google Maps?
Google Maps is a navigation and mapping service that helps users find locations, get directions, and explore geographic areas through interactive maps.
The core functionality includes rendering maps at various zoom levels, searching for places, calculating routes between locations, and providing real-time traffic updates.
Users can view maps in different modes (road, satellite, terrain), get turn-by-turn navigation, and discover points of interest like restaurants, gas stations, and landmarks.
Popular Examples: Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, MapQuest, HERE WeGo
This system design problem tests your understanding of geospatial data handling, efficient data structures, graph algorithms, and real-time systems.
In this chapter, we will explore the high-level design of a mapping and navigation service like Google Maps.
Let's start by clarifying the requirements: