Even though two people may literally "look at the same map", their experience of it will be completely different. They will both have different places to call home and work; they will have their own mental no-go zones and various other associations. If this article is correct, it seems Google recognises this and is taking it to its logical next step: literally changing the map for the individual.
As far as Google is concerned, services like this are very clearly what they are most interested in offering; convenient personalised digital experiences based on all the data we're willing to feed it. And, hell, they are getting pretty damn good at it!
Which is not to say that local community engagement is not a valid problem to solve. Just that, it's one for a different organisation.