Google Maps is a one - stop resourcefulness for geographically peg - taper basically anything . But when it comes to line up a clean privy in a time of despair , the app ’s utility short plummets . In places like India , where blank public bathrooms are n’t an agreeableness usable to everyone , this is a Brobdingnagian problem .
But that ’s why Google is teaming with the Indian government to launch a Toilet Locator App , which will link up you up with a suitable deftness when thing are feel grim .
First cover by the International Business Times India , the pilot project debuts this month in the National Capital Region of greater New Delhi . According to an Indian government functionary , the Toilet Locator goes beyond the pale of helping one find a Starbucks or gas station , and will include toilets in infirmary , subway station and shopping nitty-gritty .
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An official with knowledge of the project explained : " People will first need to spread out Google Maps , and then look for for toilets near them . They can search for a variety of keywords , like ' privy ' , ' lavatory ’ … and Google will show them to the nearest toilette . " A different official said that as the project gains impulse , it will mostly be crowdsourced by different users , who can retrospect commode – which will indeed be a foreign effort . This will finally help oneself people avoid john horror stories , fashion the Toilet Locator App a form of Yelp for restrooms .
To that end , the Locator sounds a piece more like a doodad or update to the general Google Maps app , as it allows one to search for a toilet within Google Maps just like one does a bakery or a post - office . And it definitelyisn’t the first clock time a crowdsourced effort has tackled the world ’s dearth of sanitary public restrooms .
Although the project is still in its nascency , it signify to expand to more of India ’s urban heart and soul and rural territorial dominion . If successful , there ’s no cause that it should n’t expand to more state internationally , because everybody poops .
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Sam Blum is a News Staff Writer for Thrillist . He ’s also a warriorlike arts and medicine nerd who appreciates a ok sandwich and cute dogs . observe his clips in The Guardian , Rolling Stone , The A.V. Club and Vice . He ’s on Twitter@Blumnessmonster .
