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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."

11 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:Can't find My Location by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Right above the zoom buttons, you have a street view icon. Between the street view icon and the scroll buttons, you may see a small circle. Click there.

    Unfortunately, Google has horrible user agent sniffing. I'm on Firefox on Linux, and I need to spoof myself as a Windows user to get that button.

  3. Re:Remind me not to use Firefox 3.5! by General+Wesc · · Score: 5, Informative

    As any sane person would expect, and thirty seconds on Google would confirm, the browser asks permission before sending the location data. Screenshot. No privacy is being taken away.

    Lesson of the day: don't make nutty assumptions, and don't post knee-jerk reactions based on them.

  4. who cares... by hitmark · · Score: 3, Funny

    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
  5. Re:Remind me not to use Firefox 3.5! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please dear god tell me that screenshot isn't from your computer! That's gotta be one of the most disturbing skins I've seen in a long time.

  6. I hate this 'location-based' crap by 0123456 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    1. Re:I hate this 'location-based' crap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Language switching based on guessed location is evil. That's what the accept-language HTTP header is for!

    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.

  7. Re:Can't find My Location by kybred · · Score: 3, Funny

    Addendum: Whois on my own IP also indicates a Virginia location. I can't figure out how they're getting Texas!

    That's because Texas is where you want to be!

  8. I want to help make it better by Plug · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What is the link to the "Your guess at my location was wrong: I am actually at" page?