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Who Makes MapQuest's Maps?
carpoolio writes "TechTV has an interesting story about the company that builds the mapping technology behind popular map services like Mapquest. The company, Navigation Technologies, is decidedly low-tech in its approach to making its maps: two people in a car drive around endlessly, inputting street information and landmarks into databases. Navtech's map databases are used in everything from Garmin GPS units to Alpine in-dash auto navigation systems. So next time you turn the wrong way down a one-way street, know that there are real people behind the controls."
They currently have an opening for Associate Field Analyst in Las Vegas, NV. Good luck finding anyone willing to visit each and every strip club and bar in town, write down their addresses, and get paid while you're doing it.
Apparently they have been looking for someone to do that since June.
...two people in a car drive around endlessly...
And I thought my deadlines were unreasonable.
~ Whence do you come, slayer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?
And badly, at that. Maybe MapQuest can give you directions to the top of the thread next time.
yeah, but what do THEY use for their directions?
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Crudely Drawn Games
-sam
I was just here, where did I go?
With a GPS receiver in many cell phones we need to figure out how we all can collaborate on creating maps.
"Can you hear me now? I'm on Main and First...."
"Can you hear me now? I'm on Main and Second...."
"Can you hear me now? I'm on Main and Third...."
Give mea break, Its hardly a 300 words article and what is so interesting about it ?
I couldn't get anything from the article, the real interesting part is the routing and not mapping. But the only information I found about routing was....
Moss opens up a "Shmem," or shared memory file, and puts in all the new info. When she gets back to the office, the heavy lifting starts.
"Usually it takes about twice the time to code it as it does to drive," Moss says. "There's so much information to put in."
Oh so they use Shmem , wow that's sooooo interesting.
for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
I wonder if these two actually drove around the 5 block circle that second time it appeared in my directions, or just logged it as "known path"?
...sometimes, in order to hurt someone very badly, you have to tell that person terrible lies. - PA
Oh great. I can see the phone calls from my ex now...
Answering machine: "Thank you for calling. Leave a message. (BEEP)"
Ex: "Hello? I know you're there! I just checked your tracking web blog and it says you're there! Pick up the damn phone! I want to talk to you now! Pick it up! Pick it up! God damn you pick up the damn phone now! Your tracking web blog says you're three feet from this answering machine so pick up the god damn phone now!"
Just add {In Space!} to anything.
"I use the pen tool to write down names of roads or explain any significant changes to what we currently have in the database," she says. ;^)
Ghee, that really is some sophisticated technology they're using to solve these problems. Driving around in cars, using "pen tools" to "write down" information. It really smacks of the new millenium!
main(O){10<putchar(4^--O?77-(15&5128 >>4*O):10)&&main(2+O);}
The best part is that this would be a hard job to send overseas! Built in job security!
I think it's pretty obvious you're going to need a sidekick. I have my own costume, and will work for donuts.
- Joe
Tell them to drive through Williamsburg, VA again. I got SO lost last weekend courtesy of Mapquest...
No, no, no, no.
If you want to get bleeding edge maps, hook the suckers into concrete trucks. These are the guys pouring the new roads. Cemex already instruments their trucks. The problem you have to deal with is the trucks go off-road a lot for pours, so some of your "streets" won't be there (yet). Similarly with UPS/FedEx trucks, you'll get an awesome map - of parking lots.
I posted this under a different thread, above, but it fits better here, as it's related:
------------
Back when Yahoo maps was just getting underway, my friend and I decided to do a little test.
We got driving directions and a map from his place to my place. One look at what was on the screen told us their maps were created from normal printed street level maps.
Yahoo told my dear friend to drive down 65th Ave, then make a left onto I-205 Northbound. Problem is, there's an approximatly 30-40 foot drop off the bridge, and no onramp. Not to mention the cars below going 65MPH as you landed nose- or top-down on the freeway.
Since then, I've never really been able to trust online driving directions...
Scroll down about half way to "Subject: Maybe Microsoft owns stock in Canada?".
Google search for "mapquest ferry funny"... link #6 for me. You have to know what you're loking for in order to find it. Isn't it always that way?
This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is... Oops. Frank, I've got your sig again! Where's mine?
--
Evan
"$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
I used to travel a lot with this indie band, Joe 90. While travelling to the nearly non-existant town of Independence, Orgeon, they came to an impossible situation, thanks to the brilliance of Mapquest. Basically, the road just stopped. At the banks of a river. Since they did not have a floating van thing a la Oregon Trail, they turned around, and ended up late for their own show. Always check mapquest against other sources. I believe they even have a disclaimer somewhere on their site suggesting "do a reality check and make sure the road still exists."