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Behind the "My Location" Errors In Google Maps

Posted by Soulskill on from the i-can-see-my-house-from-here dept.

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."

3 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. Skyhook's implementation really is inventive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

    1. Re:Skyhook's implementation really is inventive by bstreiff · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Skyhook's reliance on wireless APs doesn't work so well when the APs move. I took my APs with me when I moved to a new place, but my iPhone (which uses Skyhook's assisted-GPS) thought I was always at my old place for months until I realized what was going on and that I should submit my AP MAC addresses to correct their location.

      It's possible that it sees an AP near you that's recently been moved.

  2. Re:I hate this 'location-based' crap by marcansoft · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I get that in Spain, but that's okay, since you can change the Google preferences to English easily enough.

    However, what I don't get is the non-advertised, hidden, mandatory biasing of search results based on the Google UI language. Results vary depending on what language is picked for the Google UI (and no, this isn't the "show only results in such and such language" feature, as it still shows results in multiple languages - it's just biased in preference of the UI language). Why isn't there a checkbox to turn it off, and why is it hardcoded to use the UI language? Very often, if I'm using Google in spanish I find that the most relevant results for obvious queries (say, some well-known open source software) are in 4th or worse place, and the first few spots are occupied by some random sites about it that happen to be in Spanish. I get the idea and why some people might like it, but I don't see why they will not explain it or offer an option to turn it off.