Maritime Pacific's Jolly Roger Taproom in Ballard is still listed at NW Leary Way in Google Maps. The pub moved to 1111 NW Ballard Way in February, a location that Google Maps marks correctly in the image below.

Google is hiring an army of 300 temporary workers in Kirkland as part of a yearlong campaign to improve the accuracy of Google Maps. The search giant is working with temp staffing agencies to find “computer geeks” familiar with geographic information systems and mapping software.

The online job postings don’t identify Google, but the company confirmed it’s behind the Kirkland project. The workers will be part of a one-year initiative to correct mistakes in Google Maps — errors that have spawned online chatter about missing roads and recommendations for car trips over bodies of water.

On a more serious note, the government of Vietnam recently asked Google to change the depiction of a border line under dispute with China.

The correct location for Maritime Pacific's Jolly Roger Taproom in Google Maps.

Accuracy is no more a problem with Google Maps than with competing services, said Jim Friedland, a senior research analyst at New York consultants Cowen and Co. But Friedland said it’s not surprising that Google would seek to improve Google Maps, which offers extras such as walking, cycling and transit routes and has a big lead on competitors such as Microsoft, Yahoo and MapQuest.

“This map correction team sounds like Google is again investing in ways to widen the gap,” Friedland said.

Mapping services attract consumers — and advertisers wanting to reach them — by plotting trips, locating restaurants and tracking news events. Google Maps Engineering Manager Paul Rademacher recently launched a page that lets users compare the size of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill with that of their hometown.

But all those functions require a lot of upkeep. The search giant is working with temporary staffing firms Randstad and Aerotek to find 300 “visual data specialists” to improve the product.

Jordan Newman, a Google spokesman, acknowledged that the California-based search giant is hiring temps to work on Google Maps in Kirkland. Kirkland and Seattle together form one of Google’s main centers for developing Google Earth and Maps.

Much of the Google Maps work will be focused on data management, said Newman. That includes keeping current on new business listings and the latest information on things like bike trails.

The temp positions are for people with at least a high school diploma and data entry experience. The pay is $14.25 an hour for full-time assignments of up to one year. Newman said Google has been hiring aggressively throughout the company. Locally, Google has been hiring software engineers and sales people.

Google has about 400 employees at its Kirkland campus that includes a fitness center center with personal trainers. The campus also has a climbing wall and a “FooBar” fruit bar within the “Sudo Cafe.”

Google had 20,600 full-time employees worldwide as of March 31, according to a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Since Dec. 31, the company reported hiring nearly 800 workers. Google said it expects to significantly increase its rate of hiring this year.

Greg Lamm covers marketing & media, sports business and tourism & hospitality for the Puget Sound Business Journal. If you are hiring or have employment-related news, contact Greg at greglamm@bizjournals.com or 206.876.5435.