Policies Internal operating policies
Vertical Map Policy
Defines how EatMap, RealMap, PetMap, LawMap, EventsMap, DeafMap, CivicMap, and other verticals use the same Pin data without duplicate-content or trust issues.
- Version
- 0.1.0
- Effective
- May 20, 2026
- Last reviewed
- May 20, 2026
- Review cycle
- every 12 months
- Master Policy Index entry
- §4 #22
Policy text
Vertical maps — EatMap, RealMap, PetMap, LawMap, EventsMap, DeafMap, CivicMap, and others — are filtered views of the same underlying Pin data. The Vertical Map Policy defines how these views inherit from the canonical Pin record, how they avoid duplicate-content problems with search engines, and how they keep trust signals consistent across verticals.
It applies to engineering teams building vertical maps, to the SEO and Public Indexing Policy that governs their indexing, and to partners whose data populates a vertical. Each vertical is a view, not a separate source of truth.
Principles this policy enforces
- Visibility is not for sale
- Public data and personal data are not the same thing
- Community benefit must survive scale
What it requires
- Treat each vertical as a filtered view of canonical Pin data.
- Apply canonical URL handling to avoid duplicate-content penalties.
- Keep trust signals consistent across verticals.
What it forbids
- Do not let verticals become independent data sources.
- Do not allow trust signals to diverge between a vertical and the canonical Pin.
How it applies
- Engineering teams building verticals
- SEO and content teams
- Partners populating verticals
References
- Map.ca business plan — vertical maps as filtered views
Related policies
SEO and Public Indexing Policy
What Map.ca exposes to search engines, what stays out of public indexes, and the controls users have over indexing.
Discovery Fairness Policy
Explains how search and discovery work: no paid ranking, no hidden sponsorship, results based on location, tag relevance, and quality rules.
Tag Governance Policy
How Map.ca's structured tag system is created, governed, deprecated, and used as signal rather than label.