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Behind the "My Location" Errors In Google Maps
waderoush writes "Ever since Google added the 'My Location' feature this week to the desktop and laptop versions of Google Maps, allowing Firefox and Chrome users to see their current location on a map, people have been reporting bizarre location errors — Manhattanites, for example, are being told by Google that they're in Austin, TX. Ted Morgan, the CEO of Boston-based location software provider Skyhook Wireless, talked about the problems in an interview Friday. Skyhook's Wi-Fi-based location-finding technology was passed over when Mozilla adopted Google's own location services toolkit for Firefox 3.5 in April; Morgan says that was unfortunate for Web app developers, because Google's 'crowdsourced' database of Wi-Fi access point locations is far less reliable than Skyhook's."
The initially war-drove around, mapping APs. Then when users connect to those APs in the database and query the location, they also send back a report on other nearby APs. This allows their database to grow and become more accurate over time, without them having to keep war-driving previously established areas.
I've been looking in Google Maps for this mythical "My Location" feature and I can't seem to find it. What am I doing wrong? I've got my default location setup, but I'm pretty sure that's not what they referring to.
Bryan
the little blue button that shows you your position on a map--is now available to people accessing Google Maps from their laptop or desktop computers as well (as long as they're using the latest versions of the Firefox or Chrome browsers).
We have so little privacy as it is, why are you taking away the few shreds we have left?
I think that Google needs to look into its error management systems, as this isn't the only Google system to have trouble lately. Google Groups is having some major issues with the search engine- it's next to impossible to find things right now. Searches that should find information find nothing, and the advanced search is especially broken.
Google Groups search was especially useful in finding helpful information on older usenet posts, so it's unfortunate that this is the case. While I'm not saying the problems are related, I do feel that it speaks to a systemic issue that needs to be addressed- if both Google Maps and Google Groups are buggy, then what is being done to ensure this doesn't happen?
Every now and then my G1 will insist that I am somewhere in Oregon. Usually I am clued in by the weather app giving a clearly erroneous temperature on the front screen. Perhaps my phone is just asking for a trip to someplace cool, since Vegas gets pretty hot in the summer. So far the phone has always come to its senses in a few hours.
-- I Am Not A Terrorist.
get a gps dongle, and install google gears if your using firefox (tho i'm not sure if there is one for 3.5 yet), and get improved accuracy.
question is, when can one get automated routing to the nearest pizza place?
comment first, facts later. http://chem.tufts.edu/AnswersInScience/RelativityofWrong.htm
A while ago I was working in Italy: Google would then redirect me to Google in the Netherlands, and Facebook rather kindly switched automatically to displaying its pages in Dutch. Steam usually gets the location right, but won't then let me use my perfectly valid British credit card to buy games when I'm not in Britain.
This is one of the most user-unfriendly ideas to infest the web over the last few years.
As a software developer myself, while still professional embarrassed at any bug that escapes into the wild, I know how today's modern software ecosystem has evolved: iteratively. This obvious defect--pinning the snobby effetes of Manhattan in the alcohol-immersed college town of Austin, Texas--seems almost fitting. Maybe Google My Location is on to something. As I write this, I think I'm in Manhattan but wait--all the license plates are white, with a red star. What's all that green stuff on the ground where there should be concrete and asphalt? Wait a second--where's the subway? (Oh, no local and state taxes = no subway.)
...it's way past time to be making assumptions about a person based on where you think that person may be.
Just because I'm in Germany doesn't mean I want the German language version of anything. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Apart from helping me figure out where to go, I don't see the value of geolocation on the web. All the touted benefits of geolocation other than finding directions seem either naive or sinister to me.
Google did this to me a few years ago with a front page redirect (it thought I was in somewhere in South America). Their ip to location DB is 'ok' but has flaws.
Tell them
http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/request.py?contact_type=ip
It takes about a week to a month and they will correct the mapping.
anyone can shed light on the following mixture;
MAC database with long and lat and IPV6 round the corner.
Lets just think about DRM alone for a sec....
It's in quotes because the person in the article (the CEO of a competing company) is trying to imply that crowdsourcing is inherently inferior to whatever his stuff does. You can almost see him sneering as he says it. Quotes like that are used to denote derision and sarcasm, such as: This 'article' really shows what passes for 'journalism' these days.
It used to be very good. When I was at work (in downtown LA) it would not only identify the building I was in correctly, but it would also identify which side of the building I was in). When I was home it gave my location as being less than a block away from my real location.
But bizarrely, it is getting worse. Nowadays, it is not unusual for it to be way off. Right now I tried my location on my cell phone and my true location is just outside of the blue circle "my location" gives out.
So that is rather unusual. Google services usually get better over time, not worse. I wonder about this crowd sourcing stuff. What information are the crowds putting in the system exactly? Because it seems like there may be saboteurs working among those crowds. There are many companies that really need google's "my location" to be unreliable (such as those providers that want to charge you a monthly fee for their map app.)
so Google had vehicles driving around doing a far harder task with streetview and you are telling me THEY didn't war drive for wifi and cell tower signals?
Just cant admit to it due to patent issues i guess.
The article says Google is crowdsourcing their data, but if so, where's the input? When I click on "My Location", I just get a message that "Your location could not be determined" - I don't see any followup on "so where are you, so we can add this location/wifi-signal pair to our database".
For what it's worth, Loki gets my home location exactly right, while Google doesn't even venture a guess.
In parts of Africa, GPS coordinates in Google Earth are off by hundreds of miles.
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
The difference is that while it is unclear what method Google use, Navizon clearly states they will PAY users who have GPS installed in their phones, to roam around and collect Cell ID, APs, etc. and submit it to them. At the SAME time you get maps to see where you are, Buddies to see where your friends are, etc.
So in this instance, Navizon is paying for the crowd to submit the latest/updated data all the time. So if I drive around an area, and an AP that was there yesterday is no there anymore, you won't get the same error as Google where you suddenly appear to have gone to a different city/state/whatever, as I just personally updated the AP landscape.
Great stuff, and to get paid as well... I guess it is cheaper for Navizon to pay users a $10 or $20 dollars for a few hours of "driving" rather than run their own vans around trying to update APs all over the world, and this way the database is likely to stay very, very fresh!
**FREE** Track and view your phone's via CellID and/or WIFI and/or GPS
The odd thing IMO is that I've been using the GeoIP db for years and it is pretty reliable and very easy to use. Why does the browser even need this feature? It's not perfect as some IP addresses aren't correctly mapped but typically they are very close. I use them on my eCommerce sites to give estimates on shipping without asking the user for their location and to present location aware suggested products.
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
What is the link to the "Your guess at my location was wrong: I am actually at" page?
Well, I'd say that a real gps-based database always beats a crowdsourced one. So he may be right, and the assertion may be rightful. Dunno.
But just because he states "This totally wouldn't happen with ours, ours is awesome!", this does not mean that he *has* to be a liar.
I know, I know. A CEO not being a liar. Good joke and all. I could nearly not believe it myself. :P
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
Like, RTFA? But it's only there if you're using Firefox 3.5 or Google Chrome, and if you've got the options set correctly (which doesn't seem to work with my copy of Chrome?) and if you can figure out that the not-very-obvious little circle-in-a-square icon on your Google Map is a "My Location" button (waving the mouse over it seems to invoke Tooltips.)
The article doesn't say if Google Maps works differently depending on whether you're on a laptop vs desktop (or how it can tell) - my laptop moves around to different places, while my desktop doesn't. Maybe if the feature worked better I could figure out whether it cares (e.g. asks every time or whatever?)
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Its still beta ;-)