Burgess COMMENTARY
I am a Beta tester of a major update for Google Maps ... this is some feedback I have given them:

My first impression of the new Google Maps is quite good ... somewhat more complicated to use and apparently more functionality that might be useful. I immediately started to wonder how the Google infrastructure and the related BigData could be mobilized not merely to show pictures but to facilitate knowing about the quality of life in every place on the planet. I have been working on what I call TrueValueMetrics to help society break out from the tyranny of the terrible trio of money metrics: (1) money profit for business; (2) stock prices for investors; and, (3) GDP growth for policy makers which define how we all play the game of life. Surely a better metric would be one that addressed quality of life, and the impact economic activity has on people, place and planet. We need to be able to quantify value ... which we can do, though not particularly simple. We need to have focus on performance of people, place (community) and planet just as much as performance of an organization or project or program and the investor class. WOW ... what is possible is VERY exciting! Integrate the concepts of TrueValueMetrics into Google Maps and the world would really be a better place!