Comments on: The Legend of Google Maps

By: Nikmaya John

Nikmaya John — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:19:00 +0000

Google map help me in my journey. That is nice service.

By: James Fee

James Fee — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:22:51 +0000

Ed, they used to use TeleAtlas, but they dumped it for less accurate data. The streets are wrong in many areas and navigation is really unreliable. It is getting better, but it was working before. You may have a second map to confirm while you are sitting at your desk, but on mobile phones it becomes very difficult.

I agree, yes road data can be wrong, but with Google selling this as a navigable solution, I have to question their logic.

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:29:55 +0000

As someone working in the mapping and GIS field in general, I think errors like this can slip by easily. While it’s true that having engineers and geographers run some basic QA/QCs to identify what doesn’t make sense (and they probably do to an extent), errors will always slip by seeing how much of the world an application like Google Maps is trying to map and present as a tool.

Also, I’ve noticed that water features is not a big focus for Google Maps. There are there as a reference more than anything. Their main focus are streets along with high resolution aerial imagery in most metropolitan areas around the world and now in many rural areas too. And even then, errors in streets occur but aren’t their streets from TeleAtlas or NAVTEQ, a different company? Also, at a touch of a button we have aerial imagery that anyone can use to confirm that lake, which is probably another reason they are not too worried about fixing, since you have a “2nd” map to confirm. Who would not love a perfect digital, interactive map?

By: Rickey Lisk

Rickey Lisk — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:25:02 +0000

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By: The Contradiction of Free Data and Business Models | Off the Map - Official Blog of FortiusOne

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:17:57 +0000

[...] been noticing two diverging themes lately when it comes to geo-stuff on the Web. First was all the buzz around Google ditching TeleAtlas and using their own data plus open data to support their base map. [...]

By: Richard Fairhurst

Richard Fairhurst — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:26 +0000

Yeah. My theory is that Argleton comes from data-mining – see http://www.systemeD.net/blog/?post=131 and also Mike Dobson’s recent interview at SearchEngineLand. This is shaping up to be really interesting.

By: David Terrie

David Terrie — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:45:22 +0000

See my comment below. Bing gets my address right. What is stunning about this error is that it is zip code based – zip 95762 has never been in Folsom, CA, or Sacramento County. And yes, they used to get this right.

By: Gus Snarp

Gus Snarp — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:09:18 +0000

Google maps apparently has some even bigger errors, like creating a fictional city:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/11/looking_for_argleton_so_are_th.html?ft=1&f=103943429

By: JB from Dirty Jersey

JB from Dirty Jersey — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:31:03 +0000

Accuracy is overated! (IMHO)

By: David Terrie

David Terrie — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:04:17 +0000

I live in El Dorado Hills, CA, zip 95762, in El Dorado County. Google maps shows Folsom, CA 95762, which is in Sacramento County next to us. Ouch. This is true even if I search for my street address and zip.