Tianditu

Tianditu (Chinese: 天地图; also Map World in logos) is China's official free web mapping service. It was launched by China's State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM) on 22 October 2010. Tianditu seeks to offer functions similar to those provided by Google mapping service. The creation of Tianditu is seen as part of the Chinese government's strategy to squeeze Google out of the China market, eventually making Tianditu the main source of geographic information for Chinese users. This objective is also expressed in various government publications that describe Tianditu as the 'authoritative' source for online geographic information. For example, SBSM Director General Xu Deming expressed that the ultimate aim is to create 'one web, one map, and one platform', offering the most authoritative and comprehensive web mapping services to Chinese citizens. Xu Deming also emphasized that Tianditu would be a 'reliable and excellent national brand' in the field of online mapping services.