Slashdot Mirror
Catching Satnav Errors On Google Street View
Barence writes "Most of the satnav companies allow users to report errors with their maps, but do they ever get fixed? PC Pro's Paul Ockenden uses Google StreetView to highlight glaring and dangerous flaws in Tele Atlas maps — which are used by TomTom and Google Maps itself — but the company has failed to respond to numerous reports of map errors posted over the course of several years. 'About half a mile from where I live, a Tele Atlas-based satnav will instruct you to turn off at a junction where there's only an on-ramp,' Ockenden reports. 'I've witnessed some confused and dangerous driving at this junction as people try to find the non-existent exit, so I wouldn't be surprised if major mapping errors like this are a danger to road safety.'"
There's got to be a better way to confirm the existence or non-existence of such must-avoid intersections.
Live traffic data I suppose. Traffic signals will calculate degree of saturation from dwell times on induction loop vehicle detectors. In most systems that data is passed up the chain to the software which does strategic traffic management. I have been out of the area for a while but I assume the live data is extracted at this point and aggregated into these live traffic data sets.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
Yep. Live traffic senors would solve the puzzle... but they're just not there yet.
That's why I always like to use the satellite photos on Google Maps, to make sure that access roads on the map are actually there. Streetview helps too, especially since the map doesn't indicate whether an intersection with a major road has a full traffic light, or if I'll be stuck on a dinky little road trying to turn onto a six-lane highway with my view blocked by overgrown bushes.
...You know. Those colorful paper diagrams your parents used?
Maybe y'all should learn to use them instead of driving into people's houses just because the GPS said "turn right".
Because cars are not driven by computer, any driver that is remotely conscious of his surroundings would be able to spot the difficulty with trying to utilize paths that are clearly not intended for anyone to utilize.
And any driver who is liable to cause an accident because of this sort of thing is likely already a public menace for driving without due care and attention in the first place, so I do not think that this creates any significantly additional opportunity for traffic accidents beyond what already exists.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
I find your claim a somewhat incredible. How did they know when these companies were coming? And then how did they cause traffic disruptions? Did the residents take turns parking on the road for hours on end? Did they fake car accidents? That seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through, with considerable risk of police intervention, just to reduce tourist traffic on a nearby highway. What is your source for this information?
If you submit an error in the mapping system it has to be confirmed - your complaint simply can't be taken at face value
True, but there has to be a class of errors that can be confirmed with good accuracy just by looking at the "satellite" view on Google Maps
Imagine instead: people driving less.
-josh
Of course, he's hanging back about 6 car lengths on a left turn lane that's about 8 car lengths long. Two more cars want to turn left and all of a sudden you're backing up left turn traffic into the regular lane which causes a huge jam. Your dad is jamming up traffic.
Other problems:
People think that because he's so far back that he has a disabled vehicle and thus move in front of him, causing a dangerous situation.
People realize that he's a fucking moron and cut in front of him, causing problems.
People think that he's drunk and call the police, taking up their time.
-1 disagree is not a modifier for a reason. -1 troll, flaimbait, redundant, overrated are NOT acceptable substitutes.
When I got my drivers license, they asked me to take a right and a left and _I_ had to decide if I should drive straight-on if they said nothing. If a person next to me says that there is no traffic on his side of the car when crossing, it still is _MY_ responsibility as a driver.
When driving with my satnav on, I KNOW it will be wrong at times, so I still look at traffic signs and what not outside.
When I look at articles like this or this I get a bit angry. Again something where people try to blame others for their own stupidity.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
I figured they were probably all relying on gps and can't find their way out of a wet paper bag on their own.
I think it's six of one, half a dozen of the other.
The company wants to pay as little as possible, and so ends up hiring idiots, or people who resent being paid peanuts. The idiots don't have a brain to engage, so can't find your place unless a machine holds their hand all the way to the door. The rest realise they have an excuse to be able to save themselves a few minutes work, and hence they can go home early (or actually on time), or just take their day a little easier.
The company will have demonstrated they don't give a shit about employees by paying fuck all, or doing the other bull shit companies do (expectations of unpaid over time, double standards on time-keeping (arrive for work late, bad. Leave work late, good), etc.), so it is no surprise when employees do as little as possible for the company in return.
True, but this data is usually a small nonexistent alley or something. I doubt they add or remove highway ramps or do other things that harm the navigation. On purpose that is.