Google Crowdsources Map Editing

An anonymous reader notes that Google now makes it possible to edit the map location designated by (almost) any address. Registered Google users in the US, Australia, and New Zealand can move incorrect markers for their homes or businesses to the correct locations. Access to some listings is restricted — hospitals, government buildings, and businesses whose listings have been claimed through Google's Local Business Center. In addition, moving a place marker more than 200 yards (or 200 meters) from its original location requires a moderator's approval before the change shows up on the map. Once a marker has been moved, a "Show Original" link will direct users to the original location.

Comments

I just fixed the one for my new house

[morgan_greywolf]

I just fixed the one for my new house.

-- Hillary

Support openstreetmap instead...

[Anonymous Coward]

http://openstreetmap.org/ is actually open, user generated, user-editable, map content (semi-automated from GPS trails). Why help google when you can help real open source?

Interesting issues it raises

[RobertM1968]

There IS a reason why Google's (and everyone else's) data is incorrect. I'm wondering if Google got their data directly, or wasted money paying for it from TeleAtlas or NavTeq or one of the other companies that gets it for free...

The US Tiger-Line Data it is based off of (SAME errors in data - I know, I've got the whole Tiger-Line set to use for comparison) clearly states in the massive 369 page "Technical Document" (well I think 369 pages is kinda large) that the data is purposefully innaccurate to ensure that it cannot be used to pinpoint the exact location of any residence to help ensure some level of privacy for each citizen.

By allowing users to correct the information, it also means the interpolative data for other addresses becomes accurate or more accurate... for instance, if my neighbor corrects his location pointer, and you look addresses on the street, even if his is in the database as an exception rule, you can easily spot the exception and re-plot the rest of the data.

For reasons of National Security (second reason cited in the Tiger-Line Docs), that also can be bad, because figuring out a pretty near exact location of sensitive areas just requires someone(s) who live on each side to correct their info.

Especially considering the data set works with 6 decimal places of latitude or longitude precision (which is about 13" give or take for most US locations... in Alaska it is far more accurate on the longitude portion at 6 decimal places)...

I'm still up in the air as to whether this ends up being a good thing or a bad thing...

Re:Interesting issues it raises

[Wonko the Sane]

I'm still up in the air as to whether this ends up being a good thing or a bad thing...

Good or bad, security based on hiding location information of fixed, publicly known structures is obsolete.

Add missing data

[Nimey]

Next, I'd like to be able to add locations that aren't in the database yet, for example new housing developments. My house is over a year old and its street and address aren't locatable by anybody's mapping website yet. It's a bit inconvenient when I'm trying to have a friend over who hasn't visited my house yet.