Nigerian "google Map"

Nigerian information and technology experts in the UK developed an online interactive street finder for Lagos in Nigeria. The UK based Nigerian experts who worked on several Google Maps and software development programmes established the online street finder website, which allows users to search any street or business in Lagos.

According to Vanguard, the developers aimed at providing Nigerians with the benefits of digital technology, stating that the website could be described as the Nigerian version of the Google Map website.

Mr. Ireti Ajala, initiator of the project and map and GIS specialist in the UK, said that MapNTL.com can show the precise location of over 50 000 businesses in Lagos. He noted that the database contained over 400 000 routable Lagos digital streets, measuring over 5 400km in length equivalent to more than two-thirds of the earth’s equatorial radius.

The report stated that some of the companies who have their business locations and their logos on MapNTL.com include Mr Biggs, Tantalizers, Tastee Fried Chicken, Zenith Bank, First Bank, Intercontinental Bank, Oceanic Bank, UBA, ETB, FCMB, Spring Bank, Skye Bank and GTB.–Natalie Grobler.

good idea promoting your stuff Ireti. . .not bad

Question, how good and accurate is it?
House numbers are not indicated etc. . .if you want to be the best, then be the BEST.

Thanks for the thumps up. The definition of "accuracy" is very relative. MapNTL.com is not a house or adress finder but a street finder. We simply want people to be able to search for a street and see where it is situated in Lagos -this to me is a good first step. Being able to map an address down to a house in Nigeria is currently  impossible to implement principally because there is an abscence of an advance adress mailing system.

The abscence of functional postcodes for instance in Nigeria makes our address system very primitive and prone to error. How do you differentiate between 2 houses both carrying number 14 situated at  2 different areas of lagos but with the same street name? Actually it is outside the remit of any private company like ours to define and provides the conceptual framework for this system. This is the responsibility of the Government represented by NIPOST.

Once NIPOST wakes up to this responsibility like Royal Mail is doing in the UK, then creating a location application to geocode addresses is like moi moi.

I have an idea for MapNT: how about a state-nationwide phonebook!

great job man,but me thinks the interface could do with some sprucing up,i can help with that if you like, 07028383143 holla!

Rome was not built in a day. This is a good starting point. I believe the service will only get better as more people make use of it and give constructive suggestion on how it can be improved. Kudos

Very good work Iretia, thumbs up, BUT, your interface needs revamp.
it's like a FrontPage built site, beside the navigation is not too good. When ever you zoom in or out, the whole page reloads. why not make it web 2.0 like so that only that section of the map reloads on the background.

Also the adverts are too cluttered. Your adverts should maintain aspect ratio. i.e an image or company logo should not be shrunked or stretched. it deforms and looses taste. Even your own company logo was shrunked on the solutions page.

Your company's good in the backend and not front end but you know what? Features mean nothing to the user, it's a coherent user experience that matters. Please out source your UI to a good company that can render your interface using web 2.0 like Flex or Ajax. Check out sites like Zenith, Mtn, GTB etc and pick one of their designers and talk to.

Am also thinking if you guys can open up your API, it will help other sites connect and make search using your platform. This means more reach for you cos your adverts on he maps will have more mileage, not just on your site.

It will also be nice if you can port same application to mobile devices like Symbian Series 40 and 60, J2ME and Windows Mobile, leveraging technologies like Flash-Lite, kunerilite etc, as most people will find it needful on the move. I want to search for streets on the road or in my car most likelier than at home or office on the PC, that way it's more handier. You can sell the mobile versions as installable software over-the-air (OTA) and make good money through OEMs or Mobile Operators. Your car device is good, but that will sell to people who are "rich", there are more people down the pyramid who use a Nokia 6300 than those that can afford a 50k for a special navigating device. Why not tap into that pool, even if for just 2k, you'll have hundreds times more sales than those specialized devices.

Kudos! u can go places,
Olumide

i hope my crib in AJ city in on that map, anything short, its FU

Thanks bro.

for real my street is on that map. good job

Am glad you found it useful. Please do tell your friends about MapNTL.com

thanks for the compliment, I'm offering you template if you're are interested

try http://www.anthonioinc.com