It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since the Local Guides program started.
This milestone is a testament to the amazing community that has grown and flourished, thanks to each one of you. Together, you’ve put new places on the map, sharing hidden gems and neighborhood favorites that help Google Maps’ 2B users explore their world with confidence.
As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Local Guides, we’re also celebrating the 20th anniversary of Google Maps, which twenty years ago started to give people a whole new way to get where they need to go.
Today, we thought it would be fun to kick things off by highlighting just a few of the memorable milestones and accomplishments from all of you, which we’ve experienced together over the last 10 years!
2015:
- The Local Guides program officially launches.
2016:
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Local Guides Connect launches, giving the global community an online destination to come together, connect, share their experiences and learn from each other.
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The first in-person Local Guides Summit (#LGSummit16) is held in California with 75 Local Guides from all around the world.
2017:
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@PaulPavlinovich hosts the “36” photowalk meet-up, helping other Local Guides hone their photography skills. This has inspired 95+ community-led photo walks worldwide.
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Local Guides rally together for Map your World Week, step up to help map hospitals in India and come together to improve accessibility on the Map.
2018:
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The first Euro Meet-up, organized by @TorM, is held in Poland. Since then, Local Guides from 5 continents have come together from around the world to meet in Belgium (2019), Germany (2023), and the U.K. (2024).
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@ErmesT starts the Local Guides Clean The World project. With over 115 clean-up events, the community has taken action to fight plastic pollution. We hear the series is making a comeback!
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The first global Connect Live event takes place in California, welcoming 151 Local Guides from 59 countries for 3 days of fun, connection and learning!
2019:
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@EmekaUlor starts the One Accessibility initiative to advocate for improving the lives of people with disabilities. Since then, more than 100 “Accessibility Uncovered” posts and numerous webinars have inspired others to make accessibility contributions on Maps.
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@JanVanHaver starts the LetsGuide Podcast; to-date he’s hosted over 50 episodes!
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Indian Local Guides come together in New Delhi to host the Asia One Summit.
2020:
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@Denise_Barlock and @Kwiksatik start the #StateChallenge, showcasing each U.S. state with the help of other Local Guides. This became the longest running virtual meet-up series, eventually extending to other countries like India, Kenya and Canada as the #WorldChallenge.
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@AdamGT brings some friendly competition to Connect, creating the first Leaderboards. Today, there are more than 200 posts and thousands of Local Guides registered from 100+ countries. Check out the latest edition, celebrating 2024’s top 100.
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Accessibility Champions @JaneBurunina and @KashifMisidia organize a series of virtual meet-ups to discuss accessibility contributions and empower others to host accessibility events!
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@AdrianLunsong and 22 of our awesome moderators hosted Community Live, a two-day virtual event including 15 sessions in 5 languages, covering topics like accessibility, contributions, photography, and supporting small businesses.
2020 - 2022:
- We celebrated the Guiding Stars of cour community, shining a spotlight on those who go above and beyond to help their communities and make a difference on Maps!
2023:
- Initiated by @SholaIB, the TRAC (Thousand Roads Added Campaign) campaign has mobilized more than 30 Local Guides who added an incredible 212,000+ roads to Google Maps in just 12 months!
2024:
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More than 200 Local Guides from Bangladesh come together to celebrate their 10th year of sharing on Google Maps.
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Local Guide @Rahul001 starts a series of more than 50 “Celebrate…with me” posts highlighting how to contribute on Google Maps in creative ways during national and international holidays and celebrations.
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The Connect forum celebrates 8 years of community and friendship by re-launching with a brand new look and feel.
And that’s just a few of the highlights. Some truly incredible accomplishments from an incredible group of people.
Local Guides, what are some of your most memorable community moments? And what are you looking forward to for 2025?
We’ll be commemorating this anniversary here on Connect throughout the year, so be sure to check back in often!
Hip Hip Hooray! What an incredible journey we have all been on. I’m so happy I have been a Local Guide for 9 years. I have met and made friends with some of the most incredible and interesting people from all over the world. It has been a true joy.
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), connecting with awesome Local Guides worldwide, being a Guiding Star in 2020 and 
Accessibility Champion.
