Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => The Knowledge => Ctrl-Alt-Del => Topic started by: rafletcher on 03 January, 2020, 04:42:59 pm

Title: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: rafletcher on 03 January, 2020, 04:42:59 pm
We live in a small village. The main road (well, only road) through the village is, for some reason, without an official name, although fully adopted. The council tend to accept “main road” as appropriate. Of the 40+ properties, only 8 - the terrace of 8 farm cottages in one of which we live - have numbers. So, we’re “8 Model Row, Buckland”. The house opposite is “Coromandel, Buckland”.  Until recently that is. Now, Google have decided that the whole road (which covers 4 postcodes) shall be known as “Model Row”. This is confusing for residents and delivery drivers alike.

Is there any way (or indeed any hope) that I can try an£ get this corrected - even a change to “Main Road” would help. Or do I just shrug and accept that in time the confusion will abate.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: Ham on 03 January, 2020, 04:49:15 pm
The official way is "Send Feedback" from the menu, which allows you to send correcting information. No idea how effective it will be

Linky: https://www.google.com/maps/place/8+Model+Row,+Buckland,+Aylesbury+HP22+5HY/@51.8064563,-0.7150747,19z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x487659003074dd2b:0xeffef5dbde923412!8m2!3d51.8062909!4d-0.7152078!10m2!1e3!2e2
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: fuaran on 03 January, 2020, 05:11:26 pm
You could map it all correctly on OpenStreetMap, then tell the residents to use that instead.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: ian on 03 January, 2020, 05:12:36 pm
There's usually also a 'suggest an edit' button if you click an item.

We had a pub in our garden for a while (I looked and it wasn't there, though I quite liked the idea that the yetis had conspired to build and staff their own drinking establishment). We used to get the occasional person ask where it was. On the other side of town, as it happens. It's back where it should be now, whether in response to my click or just general clean-up who knows.

I think for a while it was the hilarious joke du jour of the uncivilized classes to suggest each other's houses as 'MacStickies Porn Cinema' or similar.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: orienteer on 03 January, 2020, 05:31:57 pm
Hillingdon underground station is shown on Google maps as a National Rail station. Several years ago I informed them of the error, but they have never corrected it.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: FifeingEejit on 03 January, 2020, 06:09:07 pm
My experience of using google's map editing tools was to get in an argument with a moderator. I'll never bother again.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: Basil on 03 January, 2020, 06:46:25 pm
I occasionally get people at our door asking if I cut keys.   ???

I found out why.  If you Google "Key cutting Llandysul", you will find Y Fedwen Locksmiths.
There are 4 photos:
Their workshop
Their van
Their mobile workshop van
My house.  ;D

They are about 5 doors away.  Basically, streetview is looking the wrong way.

Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: Kim on 03 January, 2020, 10:38:43 pm
You could map it all correctly on OpenStreetMap, then tell the residents to use that instead.

That's probably the most effective method.  Google (and others, such as satnav molishers) will likely pull in the OpenStreetMap data at some point.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: FifeingEejit on 03 January, 2020, 10:54:56 pm
You could map it all correctly on OpenStreetMap, then tell the residents to use that instead.

That's probably the most effective method.  Google (and others, such as satnav molishers) will likely pull in the OpenStreetMap data at some point.
Open ride with GPS, navigate to amulree, find the bridges, switch between OSM and Google.

The new bridge was built around 2010 and doesn't appear on googles data but does appear on OSM.


Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: bobb on 03 January, 2020, 11:18:03 pm
I haven't found Google Maps to be too bad. Bing Maps is hopeless.

Here it incorrectly calls the River Can the Wid. This is wrong. The Wid joins the Can about a mile or so west.

(https://www.zaribor.co.uk/raz/pics/wrong.jpg)

What's worse is that when you switch to Ordnance Survey it still calls the Can the Wid but that mile or so west it calls the Can the Cam! Which of course is a  completely different river in a different county!

(https://www.zaribor.co.uk/raz/pics/wrongness.jpg)

Google Maps gets it right:

(https://www.zaribor.co.uk/raz/pics/correct2.jpg)

As of course does OpenStreetMap:

(https://www.zaribor.co.uk/raz/pics/correct.jpg)
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: hbunnet on 04 January, 2020, 11:05:42 am
You could map it all correctly on OpenStreetMap, then tell the residents to use that instead.

That's probably the most effective method.  Google (and others, such as satnav molishers) will likely pull in the OpenStreetMap data at some point.

I mapped my son's house in a new developement, I made it a bit larger than it is and a different shape for the lols. Google have copied it.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: vorsprung on 04 January, 2020, 12:30:02 pm
It could be worse, you could be Palestinian

https://www.972mag.com/mapping-occupation-how-google-erases-palestine-from-its-maps/

Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: Mr Larrington on 04 January, 2020, 01:19:44 pm
They appeared to respond to my correction about the location of the Super 8 motel in Battle Mountain.  That the meatspace address is 825 Super 8 Drive should have been a clue.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: nextSibling on 04 January, 2020, 02:00:23 pm
You could map it all correctly on OpenStreetMap, then tell the residents to use that instead.

This, but you probably don't even need to redirect them. Additions and corrections I've made to OSM have soon appeared in Google Maps. I suspect they're frequently scraping.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: fuaran on 04 January, 2020, 02:16:08 pm
Google Maps shouldn't be copying from OpenStreetMap, as they are not complying with the licencing. Google want to own all of their map data, and control who can use it (and charge for it).
Though maybe they are copying indirectly, ie using OSM to find places that need updating. Then using other sources to add it to Google Maps.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: Ham on 04 January, 2020, 04:35:42 pm
I haven't found Google Maps to be too bad. Bing Maps is hopeless.

Here it incorrectly calls the River Can the Wid. This is wrong. The Wid joins the Can about a mile or so west.

(https://www.zaribor.co.uk/raz/pics/wrong.jpg)

What's worse is that when you switch to Ordnance Survey it still calls the Can the Wid but that mile or so west it calls the Can the Cam! Which of course is a  completely different river in a different county!

(https://www.zaribor.co.uk/raz/pics/wrongness.jpg)

Google Maps gets it right:

(https://www.zaribor.co.uk/raz/pics/correct2.jpg)

As of course does OpenStreetMap:

(https://www.zaribor.co.uk/raz/pics/correct.jpg)

There's no excuse for you not providing a link to this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYoogY-UGio), though
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: Wowbagger on 04 January, 2020, 04:51:49 pm

There's no excuse for you not providing a link to this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYoogY-UGio), though

On the contrary - there are plenty of very good reasons.

I have heard from various persons that map-makers put deliberate errors into their maps so that they can prove copyright when someone is in breach. I'm pretty sure that there's an obvious error on one of the Essex OS maps which shows 2 churches on a site where there is only one, and I'm not thinking about the Willingale churchyard, where there are two. I'll try and find it.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: Greenbank on 05 January, 2020, 11:45:43 am
I have heard from various persons that map-makers put deliberate errors into their maps

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_street

Seems to come up here every 6 months or so. The mention of it usually triggers a bunch of people to post a bunch of examples.
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: ian on 06 January, 2020, 09:51:24 am
Google Maps shouldn't be copying from OpenStreetMap, as they are not complying with the licencing. Google want to own all of their map data, and control who can use it (and charge for it).
Though maybe they are copying indirectly, ie using OSM to find places that need updating. Then using other sources to add it to Google Maps.

I'm not sure that's correct, OSM is CC-BY-SA and Google retain that for OSM data, just not other data streams (which have their own licensing). Disambiguating which data comes from where is, of course, more complicated since they're mashing up a variety of proprietary and non-proprietary sources each with their own licensing (and much of that data overlaps).

(Google did actually help with some of the OSM development back when it wasn't so evil.)
Title: Re: Correcting Google Maps / Earth
Post by: fuaran on 06 January, 2020, 10:36:15 am
Google Maps shouldn't be copying from OpenStreetMap, as they are not complying with the licencing. Google want to own all of their map data, and control who can use it (and charge for it).
Though maybe they are copying indirectly, ie using OSM to find places that need updating. Then using other sources to add it to Google Maps.

I'm not sure that's correct, OSM is CC-BY-SA and Google retain that for OSM data, just not other data streams (which have their own licensing). Disambiguating which data comes from where is, of course, more complicated since they're mashing up a variety of proprietary and non-proprietary sources each with their own licensing (and much of that data overlaps).

(Google did actually help with some of the OSM development back when it wasn't so evil.)
OpenStreetMap is now ODbL, but same sort of idea. It still has the 'share alike' clause. If you edit the data, or combine it with other data, you have to publish the new database under the same licence. Yes, you could use OSM as a separate layer, without combining data. But it won't work for routing etc, unless you connect up the road networks.

Yes, Google have supported OSM in some ways. Maybe they will use it other countries, where they have less of their own data. They like to keep their options open.