Google Maps is ruining us • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Maps is ruining us

#51

Post by defrost » Wed, Jul 24, 2024, 6:52 AM UTC

prmoustache wrote: post #50

jszymborski wrote: post #6

I was that dumb foreigner in Japan that got lost in a forest on an island off the Shimanami Kaido (I think it was Setoda IIRC). I had to get to a bus stop near a highway in a very rural area, and Google Maps led me through a (albeit gorgeous) winding path through farms and forests, until the underbrush started taking over the road. With the last bus time quickly approaching, and having to get to the next island over…

> The path ended with a gate, looking nothing like what Google was telling me the path should. Really? Did you look at the satellite or street view? The regular map view only shows roads the way they are classified by the local administrations. If a dirt path is considered the same as a small rural road in that country, it will be shown the same. However you will see it if you take the time to check satellite view. A…

> Also, if there is no street view available, it also means that the operator of a google car choosed not going there

If there is StreetView available though it doesn't mean a route is driveable.

https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/the-track-now-on-google-st...

Re: Google Maps is ruining us

#52

Post by prmoustache » Wed, Jul 24, 2024, 8:06 AM UTC

defrost wrote: post #51

prmoustache wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The path ended with a gate, looking nothing like what Google was telling me the path should. Really? Did you look at the satellite or street view? The regular map view only shows roads the way they are classified by the local administrations. If a dirt path is considered the same as a small rural road in that country, it will be shown the same. However you will see it if you take the time to check satellite view. A…

> Also, if there is no street view available, it also means that the operator of a google car choosed not going there If there is StreetView available though it doesn't mean a route is driveable. https://www.bibbulmuntrack.org.au/the-track-now-on-google-st...

But you can actually see it.

Re: Google Maps is ruining us

#53

Post by akolbe » Wed, Jul 24, 2024, 12:09 PM UTC

prmoustache wrote: post #49

potbelly83 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ha... It's not that they can't do it now, it's just Google fear the uproar the woke brigade will inevitable make about how dare Google classify poor black neighborhoods as unsafe. But yeah I agree with you, that feature would be damn helpful, especially for someone like my wife driving home at night.

I think it is unrelated. Regardless of how dangerous is an area, there are still people who libe there and have to go there or through there for various reasons. It is not like life stops when places have an higher crime rate. Peoole still conduct business, have family outings and whatnot. Besides the feeling of safety is totally subjective and some white neighborhoods you might consider safe as a white person might…

Absolutely. Same with the favelas – locals are safer than strangers.

Incidentally, the UK government website contains specific warnings about using GPS navigation in Brazil:

---------

The security situation in many favelas is unpredictable. Visiting a favela can be dangerous. Avoid all favelas, including favela tours marketed to tourists and any accommodation, restaurants or bars advertised as being within a favela.

You should:

– make sure the suggested route does not take you into a favela if you’re using GPS navigation

– avoid entering unpaved, cobbled or narrow streets which may lead into a favela - tourists have been shot after accidentally entering favelas

If you’re unsure about a location, check with your hotel or the local authorities.

---------

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/brazil/safety-and-s...

Re: Google Maps is ruining us

#54

Post by jszymborski » Wed, Jul 24, 2024, 4:13 PM UTC

prmoustache wrote: post #50

jszymborski wrote: post #6

I was that dumb foreigner in Japan that got lost in a forest on an island off the Shimanami Kaido (I think it was Setoda IIRC). I had to get to a bus stop near a highway in a very rural area, and Google Maps led me through a (albeit gorgeous) winding path through farms and forests, until the underbrush started taking over the road. With the last bus time quickly approaching, and having to get to the next island over…

> The path ended with a gate, looking nothing like what Google was telling me the path should. Really? Did you look at the satellite or street view? The regular map view only shows roads the way they are classified by the local administrations. If a dirt path is considered the same as a small rural road in that country, it will be shown the same. However you will see it if you take the time to check satellite view. A…

I was using neither street view nor satellite, just the road map directions (I was walking, so using the walking directions). Judging by the overgrowth and fallen vegetation, I would guess the road fell out of use, was fenced off for safety, and the map wasn't updated.

Re: Google Maps is ruining us

#55

Post by snakeyjake » Wed, Jul 24, 2024, 5:22 PM UTC

dang wrote: post #42

snakeyjake wrote: post #18

>And it was all Google Maps’ fault. No, it was your fault. Paper maps can be, and almost certainly all are, wrong. It is normal to blame a paper map if you sail off the edge of the Earth where the map says there ought to be more sea? Even if you run into an island where there should be no island, or drive into a space that should be fit for cars but is not, your hands are on the wheel and your feet are on the pedals.…

Please don't cross into personal attack. It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

That was not a personal attack it was an evidence-based assertion.

What I wrote is not, has never been in any context, and will never be for all of time until the heat death of the universe, a personal attack.

I can provide an example of a personal attack, if so required.

Re: Google Maps is ruining us

#56

Post by dang » Wed, Jul 24, 2024, 8:18 PM UTC

snakeyjake wrote: post #55

dang wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't cross into personal attack. It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

That was not a personal attack it was an evidence-based assertion. What I wrote is not, has never been in any context, and will never be for all of time until the heat death of the universe, a personal attack. I can provide an example of a personal attack, if so required.

"Something is wrong with this person's brain" is obviously a cheap personal internet swipe, and that's not allowed here.

Please edit those out in the future, as the site guidelines ask.