How to Find People Through Maps

Online maps and GPS have revolutionized how we find people and places.

There are many different online map sources, and many people have a favorite that they always use. Some of the sites are compositing more and more Web information to make it easier to find locations, businesses and people, all in one place. You can, with just a few minutes online, locate many publicly listed people and their contact information, such as a phone number or address. Try several different map sites to find the one that best suits your needs.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet

Instructions

Google Maps

1. Go to Google Maps and type in a person's name in the following format in the search bar: "Name," "loc:" "Place." So, for example, "Mary Jones loc: Boston, MA." You can type in a city and state, or just a state. Click on "Go," and the results will pop up. Google Maps has integrated with the rest of their search tools to make it easier to find people.

2. Narrow your search further by putting the name in quotation marks, as in "Mary Jones," or by adding a middle name or initial.

3. Search in the businesses option, if you're looking for the owner of a business or someone whose business has their name in the title.

Mapquest

1. Navigate to Mapquest and type in the name you're looking for and click on "Get Map."

2. Click on "See more results" to show the full search list. Add a city or state to narrow it down.

3. Look through the listings for the closest match. Mapquest is best at finding businesses, and if they have an official listing from a business that includes the owner's name, the result will come up.

Yahoo! Maps

1. Type in the name of the person you're looking for in the "Find a business on the map" search bar on Yahoo! Maps. They have integration only for finding specific people affiliated with businesses.

2. Narrow the search results by adding a city or state and clicking on "Filter results."

3. Search for just a last name if you're having trouble finding the business you're looking for.

References

• Skipease: Using Google Maps to Find People