Map World is China’s attempt at bringing their own mapping service to the net. The new site launched on Thursday and can be found at either www.tianditu.cn or www.chinaonmap.cn.
The service features both two and three dimentioanl mapping solutions and allow users to search for local business and keep up to date with traffic conditions.
Map World is going up against local map providers such as Baidu, Alibaba, Sina and Tencent who have all received mapping licenses from the State Bureau of Surveying. Google’s mapping solution is still number one on the list to beat, however they have yet to apply to the SBSM for a license.
The SBSM introduced new legistlation earlier this year making it more difficult for companies to offer maps of China. Any company wanting to do so have to follow strict rules to get a mapping license.