Google Maps (for a time named Google Local) is a basic web mapping service application  and technology provided by Google, free (for non-commercial use), that powers many  map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google  Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API. It offers street maps, a route planner for traveling by foot, car, or public transport and an urban business locator for numerous countries around the world. According to one of its creators (Lars Rasmussen), Google Maps is "a way of organizing the world's information geographically".