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How Google Builds Its Maps

theatlantic.com

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Re: How Google Builds Its Maps

#101

Post by icefox »

milkbikis wrote: post #65
icefox wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is funny how much effort google is putting into their maps and yet their interface to the maps (maps.google.com) could still use basic improvements like how 99 out of 100 times I want directions it is to or from my house and yet I have to type in almost my entire address before it appears in the drop down. Considering I am logged into google, have confirmed my address and type in the same address over and over you…

You can do that by clicking on "My Places".

If I am looking at an address and want directions to it clicking on 'My places' only shows me "my places", it does not give me any obvious way to get directions from the current address to one of "my places". Clicking on any of "my places" will change the map to view that place, causing the user to lose the address of the place they want to go to/from.

Edit: I see that "my places" now has a "Home address" which isn't pre-populated with my google account confirmed home address for some reason.... But if I set it and then try to get directions and type in the first letter of my address my home address pops up in the auto complete. This is a big improvement, but of course auto setting the home address from your google account and remembering the last five in the auto complete would make a lot more users happy as that would work by default v.s. forcing the user to do something, most of which will not. The number of people that will set their home address is probably only a bit larger than the number that were using my grease monkey script to add a home button.

Re: How Google Builds Its Maps

#102

Post by abruzzi »

no_more_death wrote: post #55
rogerchucker wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does that mean by the time Google had decided to work on the iPhone-like Android interface, they had been planning to work on a turn-by-turn navigation system using Google Maps for Android as well?

Android has had turn-by-turn navigation at least since 2010. Having a GPS is irrelevant if you've got an Android.

Actually it depends on how you use GPSs. Its certainly possible to write a mapping/GPS app for a smart phone that is competitive with the more advanced features of handheld or dashmount GPSs, but I simply haven't seen one yet. None of the features I need are big ones, but rather a bunch features that add up to a much better user experience for a GPS geek. A couple of those hard to find features are: multi point routing (or some way to allow me to tell the GPS the route instead of the other way around), ability to build routes on PC/Mac and upload to the GPS, off-road routing, track to route conversion, etc..

Re: How Google Builds Its Maps

#103

Post by rogerchucker »

glenjamin wrote: post #85
rogerchucker wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A mapping service with directions on a device that is supposed to be with you all the time is supposed to be mostly handy for driving purposes (at least from my perspective). That's a fundamental requirement. Lack of voice turn-by-turn makes it incomplete, not "may not be perfect". I questioned why it was neutered the way it is now - not why it was created. I buy Apple products for wholesome user experience and the G…

Have you ever walked somewhere? Driving is not the only mode of transport. And SatNav is not the only type of useful map. Paper maps are useful - an equivalent to a paper map that holds data for the entire world, can put a pin in my exact global location, and can tell me where the nearest Starbucks is? Yeah, I can't see any use for that at all.

I don't know where you live but where I do, driving is the main mode of transportation and especially the only one where directions matter.

Re: How Google Builds Its Maps

#104

Post by rogerchucker »

paganel wrote: post #92
rogerchucker wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I freaking hate the Google maps app on iPhone - I don't have any need for a map app on a mobile device unless it has turn-by-turn voice navigation along with re-routing capabilities. It's only good for looking up locations/directions when I am stuck somewhere for traveling. If I'm home, my macbook's google map is good enough to serve that purpose. So I have no clue why on earth Apple created such a neutered mapping a…

> I freaking hate the Google maps app on iPhone - I don't have any need for a map app on a mobile device unless it has turn-by-turn voice navigation along with re-routing capabilities Really now? As another anecdotal point, I freaking love it, and I'm saying this as a an almost-Apple-fanboy. I'm a pedestrian living in an Eastern European city of 2-million people, and I've used the maps app countless times. Not that I…

I don't live in a big city and my main mode of transportation is driving and especially the one where directions matter. Walking around inside the mall/plaza or my university campus don't require me to look up directions. It has been handy a few times when I visited cities but those add up to at max a week in a year. So yeah, it is pretty useless for me and thank goodness something like Waze exists on iPhone.

Re: How Google Builds Its Maps

#105

Post by rogerchucker »

spaghetti wrote: post #73
rogerchucker wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I freaking hate the Google maps app on iPhone - I don't have any need for a map app on a mobile device unless it has turn-by-turn voice navigation along with re-routing capabilities. It's only good for looking up locations/directions when I am stuck somewhere for traveling. If I'm home, my macbook's google map is good enough to serve that purpose. So I have no clue why on earth Apple created such a neutered mapping a…

I forgot about the lack of turn-by-turn driving instructions. It's strange but I've actually never had any desire to use that feature on any product. When I use maps I just look once, memorize the major pieces of the trip (freeways, exits etc) and then just go and try to find my way.

I came to iPhone from Android and have since severely missed turn-by-turn on the default map app. I depend on Waze and sometimes on Mapquest although the latter uses a stupidly outdated map.

Re: How Google Builds Its Maps

#106

Post by jonknee »

taligent wrote: post #70
twelvechairs wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> far exceeded them in others (3D). Actually Google and Apple have pretty similar systems for 3d maps. Apple are in beta with their new version for ios6, which will have slightly better resolution than (the current, been there for a while) Google Earth, but not hugely so. See for comparison http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/iphone-news/3d-maps-comparison-... Nokia are producing similar 3d maps, although again slightly low…

Actually we do. Apple supports 26 cities. Google supports 13.

All things equal, Apple doesn't support any cities yet since their mapping program hasn't been released.

Re: How Google Builds Its Maps

#107

Post by beej71 »

rmc wrote: post #81
molmalo wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or... Google could open source their software, leverage the thousands of volunteers and let a giant leap be made by both, their own projects and OSM-related ones.

Google could let OSM users trace from their aerial imagery or from their street view data. That would be a massive boost to OSM. Microsoft let OSM trace from aerial.

In certain cases the Bing data is better, and in most, I think it's on par for my region (Northern California). Half of the Sierra in the newest Google images is snow-covered... not so useful.

But you're right—more would be better. I'm a little surprised MS went for it, but I doubt Google will.

Re: How Google Builds Its Maps

#108

Post by te_chris »

Tichy wrote: post #86
taligent wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually Google should be the same as local street directories since that is where they get there data from. I live in Australia (hi, neighbour) and it is Sensis (Yellow/White Pages) who supply data to Google. As for quality of maps it is about 80% as good as Google and has been getting noticeably better over time.

I was under the impression that Google has their own places product, so I suspect they combine several sources.

AFAIK they maintain that by buying a lot of commercial place data.

Re: How Google Builds Its Maps

#109

Post by sjwright »

rburhum wrote: post #21

Live edits of OpenStreetMap http://live.openstreetmap.fr/

That is the most awesome thing ever invented anywhere. Though it would be nice if it showed a clearer diff, perhaps having the before and after renderings displayed intermittently in a tick-tock manner.

Re: How Google Builds Its Maps

#110

Post by ZeroGravitas »

a3_nm wrote: post #77
femto wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd anticipate that OSM will get machine vision in the future. Consider that that a typical phone/tablet now has a GPS, camera and decent computing resources. It's begging for a machine vision application, which records video and automatically extracts mapping information, ready for uploading to OSM. Begging to the point, where I think it's just a matter of time. As an aside, are there any efforts afoot to decentrali…

> It's begging for a machine vision application, which records video and... A simpler use case for computer vision I could think of with Openstreetmap would be to automatically extract roads and building shapes from satellite imagery (though I hope that the license to use Bing would extend to something like this). > As an aside, are there any efforts afoot to decentralise OSM? Well, even Wikipedia's not decentralized…

Automatic tracing of roads from Bing provided aerial photos, with code provided by MSFT, 18 months ago:

http://youtu.be/LR0WV2dGIRc

http://magicshop.cloudapp.net/Default.aspx

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