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Google Maps' Moat

justinobeirne.com

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Re: Google Maps' Moat

#541

Post by rconti »

2 funny things here:

1. None of the images loaded the first time I opened the page.

2. I was actually just griping about how bad google maps is the other day. I was searching for a business, and (at least on iOS) the surrounding businesses are all unlabeled. Apple Maps did a vastly better job of providing CONTEXT for what was around the business I was looking for. I was actually 99% sure I knew where the business was, but at a glance it was very difficult to tell on Google Maps, where on Apple Maps it was far easier -- the emphasis on structures rather than labels hurt them quite a bit in usability in this context.

Ordinarily I'd agree, Google maps is "better" but I use Apple Maps most of the time because it's the default on iOS and wrks well enough.

Re: Google Maps' Moat

#542

Post by kogepathic »

makomk wrote: post #446
oakesm9 wrote: post #400

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They added offline support for POIs last year I think. Offline navigation works too, but it's not always as good as it lacks traffic data.

Last time I checked, offline navigation on Google Maps seemed to be car-only for some reason.

> Last time I checked, offline navigation on Google Maps seemed to be car-only for some reason.

To be fair, HERE Maps only supports offline navigation for driving, biking, and walking. You cannot get public transportation navigation in offline mode.

Also HERE Maps driving navigation includes speed limits and a speeding warning based on GPS measured speed. Very useful for when there are speed cameras installed (as is the case in most of Europe). I have never seen Google Maps Navigation showing the current road's speed limit.

Re: Google Maps' Moat

#543

Post by jrnichols »

jessaustin wrote: post #454
chmaynard wrote: post #431

Earlier this year, Google Maps was directing people traveling to my newly-constructed home to a different location several miles away. I reported the problem to Google via their app, which prompted me to indicate the correct location on a map. The new location was in their database within a day or two, and I received a thank-you email from Google. Amazing.

They've definitely gotten better at accepting corrections. Five years ago we just had to tell customers not to look for a driveway that didn't exist a mile away from our actual business. Now it's easy to correct any problems one notices.

Apple has too. I've submitted corrections, added places, changed location details, etc and they've all showed up within a couple days. I wonder if Apple has a user reputation thing going on.

TomTom on the other hand... different story. They have a map editor tool, that I have yet to get to even load.

Re: Google Maps' Moat

#544

Post by ashark »

kbart wrote: post #289
ehsankia wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just tried checking my house on Here. It says there's a McDonald next to me and there most definitely isn't. Also my entire apartment complex is completely blank on there (and I'm in Silicon valley, not some rural town). Seeing that Google Maps also has offline mode, I don't see a single reason why you'd prefer that over Google Maps.

There is no perfect map (at least for now), I've had the same experience with every map app I tried. You just have to choose which one works best on a given location.

Mapping seems like a great candidate for a nation-state level project. Make the data open and free (or cheap) to download, add an API with a lowish fee. Governments at every level already collect tons of this data—satellite imagery, utility, street openings/closings/maintenance, address mapping, and so on. Unify it, open it, and let businesses compete over who has the best interface and value-add instead of everyone making their own maps (or licensing from one of several companies that have). Seems like a lot of wasted effort for something that would be a pretty good fit for a government-provided service.

Re: Google Maps' Moat

#545

Post by ucaetano »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #390
ucaetano wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Time from volunteers" isn't enough to buy satellite images, cars with cameras, airplanes with cameras, etc. We're not talking about a bunch of people pitching in some time as they feel about doing it, we're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars (probably more) spent on this. But, as you wouldn't invest your retirement funds in such a company, why would you expect others to do so?

You're missing the point, I'd guess on purpose. We, humans, currently spend the resources on those things through the medium of fiat currency. Remove the necessity for profit, the need to pay a lot of people in that system incredibly more than they require - take a couple of dozen 8-figure mansions, a few 9-figure yachts, several hundred 6-figure cars, gold-plated taps, diamond-encrusted tiaras, etc., etc., and the r…

> You're missing the point, I'd guess on purpose.

No. You're missing the point:

> And there's no reason not to have a competitive element, you don't need profit to create competition.

This is where you're getting things wrong. We need competition to advance. Resources are limited and we compete for those resources. Competition is a resource-allocation system.

Sure, you can advocate for a centrally-planned pipe dream as much as you want, it doesn't work. It has been tried many times before, to horrendous results every single time.

> Why do you think a system where people choose the collective good (having all their needs met) - "volunteering" - rather than personal financial gain can't produce satellites, or any other good/technology we now produce?

For the same reason that unicorns can't fly: they can't even exist.

Re: Google Maps' Moat

#546

Post by ucaetano »

taurath wrote: post #318
ucaetano wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if everyone shared data, they could compete on the UX Why? Google seems to have a gigantic advantage in data, which is highly valuable. Why would they give up that advantage, if they spent millions, if not billions, of dollars creating it? And what would be the incentive to create such data if there's no economic gain from it?

I’m not saying it’s wise for them to give up their advantage - more lamenting that there doesn’t seem to exist an organizational structure that could provide the underlying data as raw resources without a profit motive; we have to hope that the incentives for both the business and the user align (which in maps basic case it does, but with so much user tracking happening for ads I wonder how long until the incentives…

> an organizational structure that could provide the underlying data as raw resources without a profit motive

And who would do that?

Re: Google Maps' Moat

#547

Post by ucaetano »

AnodyneComplex wrote: post #520
ucaetano wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how many approaches do you think there are in mapping? Street View, satellite, 3D modeling from airplane flights, manual mapping, etc. These are all different approaches being used more or less by all players. Think about how mapping was done before Google. Competition is exactly why we have Google Maps, and why Google Maps is continuously improving, instead of just sitting on its advantage. Not only competition…

It seems like we are talking about different things. No one is arguing that there shouldn't be multiple map interfaces, but rather that if the data was shared, you could have more investment in the interesting parts. I'm glad that Nvidia and AMD compete to build better graphics chips, I'm also very glad they both work with a shared, cooperative standard (PCI-E) so I can plug them into my computer. They've chosen to c…

> It seems like we are talking about different things. No one is arguing that there shouldn't be multiple map interfaces, but rather that if the data was shared, you could have more investment in the interesting parts.

Data is the interesting part. And it needs more investment. Data is the valuable part. UX has very little relevance here.

Companies are competing on what matters and what gives them a competitive edge. Map UX doesn't. Map data does.

Re: Google Maps' Moat

#548

Post by userium »

sytelus wrote: post #142

Many people don't realize why Google maps are so much better than anything out there. I would actually give lot of credit to Marissa Mayer who suddenly became in charge of maps from otherwise more higher position. Thanks to her influence in Google SLT and ability to make impressive arguments, she was able to make a case for maps as core pillar in Google's offering and consequently obtain huge investment and large tal…

True. Also, Google has a great Places Search API. You can build so many more things with the Google maps libraries, unlike with other maps. For example just built https://stayintech.com/ with Google Maps API, after considering all the available options.

Re: Google Maps' Moat

#549

Post by jrnichols »

leereeves wrote: post #89
dvt wrote: post #31

I accidentally used Apple Maps once as I was going to a (new) doctor's office. I realized I was using Apple maps halfway through my drive and I joked with myself that it wouldn't bring me to the right place. I was heading to a fairly large medical complex in Orange County (CA) and I sort-of had an idea of where I was going anyway, but boy, was I wrong. According to Apple maps, the doctor's office was literally in the…

Google Maps has sent me astray a few times as well. Strangely, I've had the worst experience with GM in the Bay area. Going to the Golden Gate Recreation Area, Google Maps sent me to a trailhead parking lot instead of the visitor's center. And for a small business near the Bay Model, GM directions stopped about half a mile away, and the map pin was on top of the Bay Model building.

i had bad experiences with Uber and Lyft in the Bay Area, and mostly because of Google Maps and lousy GPS chipsets on the bargain basement phones everyone seemed to be using. GPS that was taking forever to lock on, so drivers were missing turns and having to backtrack.

here in Texas, different story. Although Google Maps isn't always that great with the parallel service roads that we have all over the place.

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