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Turn Right at the Burger King: Google Maps Begins Using Landmarks To Help With Guidance (techcrunch.com)
Most navigation apps give you instructions based on streets or distance. But it's arguably in contrast to how people usually provide directions -- some usually point to landmarks that are easier to spot. Google sees some merit in that. The idea is that Google Maps is highlighting some landmarks and other points of interest (fast food restaurants) to help with guidance. TechCrunch reports that some users are already seeing this on Google Maps. And maybe to Google, this opens door for some business opportunities as well. Only time will tell.
Google Maps use her as landmark!
And maybe to Google, this opens door for some business opportunities
Seriously? Of course that's the plan. Google is an advertising platform.
it's in adwords beta
Instead of saying "turn right in 1/2 mile", why not calculate the time it would take to reach that point from the current speed and say "turn right in 1/2 mile, or 45 seconds based on your current speed". I find myself doing this calculation in my head whenever I'm following turn-by-turn instructions.
They did a test years ago. They found that women are better at directions based on color, buildings, names etc and men were better with left/right/street names. I use to dispatch 911, and it was comical sometimes, before the ability to know the address location before even picking up the phone, trying to wrestle the location of the person in a rural area. 1 mile could be anywhere from a couple hundred feet, to several miles. Left/right depended on which way they THOUGHT you would be coming. It's just habit for me. I always still to this day, say take road x south, turn west, or right on road y, and it will be the 3rd house on the north, or left side of the road. Also, I will give the description of a location, and anything like a fence, cars, color or anything else because it just makes it easier.
But first, wouldn't you like to stop for a tasty Whopper? Mention ad code 3XCDF8578S and receive a $1 discount at this Burger King, valid for the next 20 minutes only.
For a fee, your business can be a landmark used to help give directions on Google Maps.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
"Turn right at the Dunkin' Donuts"
Misses turn because Dunkin' Donuts shop is hidden behind the Eiffel Tower.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I wonder how much Booger King and Diarrhea Queen are going to pay for brand placement now.
(*ducks*)
Sure thing Google.. what happens if they eat the cow??
Only 5 years behind my Garmin. I definitely prefer the convenience of my cell phone, so I'm glad they are finally bringing this
I wonder if we'll eventually see "go down the road a piece, and turn left where the market used to be. Then go summat further and turn right where old man Smith's barn was before it burned down. Caint miss it."
Um, can you give me directions using landmarks that actually exist now?
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
In general for driving it is handy, because often road signs are hard to see (Upscale neighborhoods love to make them earth tones, often with flower pots having them hang over them.) , And sometimes are placed rather confusingly Sure the sign for the street is at a right Angle of the street, but your street is approaching it at a 45 degree angle. Or it forks into 2 other streets.
Also things like a major fast food chain, has nice big signs, that you can see a quarter mile away (further if you live in a flat land area) So you know to keep at speed limit until you get close enough to look for the street.
However if you miss a crazy street it would be nice to say if you see this, you probably had missed your turn.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Give me a break. This is all about the ad money for Google. It might be easier to give directions if you're writing it down, but you have a map with the roads on it and it's speaking to you. How more dummy down do you need?
Next it will be:
Turn right at the Burger King, Home of the Wopper, 2 for 6$!!
Money.
Turn Right at the Burger King...
What if the Burger King can't be located because it's been moved or simply demolished?
I can see a fella looking for the Burger King, failing to see one ( because it doesn't exist), then igniting mayhem for those following behind.
Instead of saying "turn right in 1/2 mile", why not calculate the time it would take to reach that point from the current speed and say "turn right in 1/2 mile, or 45 seconds based on your current speed". I find myself doing this calculation in my head whenever I'm following turn-by-turn instructions.
yes indeed now google can predict in advance exactly how long it will take for the old man with the walker to cross the street so that you can just turn the wheel blindly without even looking
Because the time it takes to get somewhere is much more volatile than the distance it takes to get somewhere.
Turn right at the Burger King, Woopers just $1.99, turn left at Best Buy...
Distance is fixed. Time to travel is not. It might take driver A 5 minutes to cover a distance, driver B might make it in 3. The distance is the same for both. Also, changes in traffic pattern may also alter the time. But distance will remain the same. I can totally see why Google Maps prefers to give you the distance to your turn.
Because people don't navigate like this. No one estimates when they need to turn by time passed. People look for streets or landmarks from their current spot. It's easy to overengineer this though.
I can see this being useful in specific circumstances like places without street signs. Around here there are numerous streets that seem to be without street signs for some reason (either stolen, fallen down and not replaced, or so faded they're illegible) so when the directions say "Turn left on West St." but the sign for West St. hasn't existed in 5 years, that's a problem. Of course the odds that something like a Burger King is going to be there forever are pretty slim, so maybe they'll have to update it to "Turn left at the thing that used to be a Burger King but is now a Coney Island" or something like that.
I was using Google Maps yesterday to navigate and when it said I should go past Taco Bell, I was surprised. I hadn't heard that before. But overall I was pleased. Signs for Taco Bell and Burger King are much larger than road signs. It is a good move.
Turn right where the Burger King used to be before it burned down in 2015.
Please Google, make it happen.
Distance is fixed. Time to travel is not. It might take driver A 5 minutes to cover a distance, driver B might make it in 3. The distance is the same for both. Also, changes in traffic pattern may also alter the time. But distance will remain the same. I can totally see why Google Maps prefers to give you the distance to your turn.
Hence the "at your current speed" proviso included the verbal time reference. And it could use a rate of progress calculated via a running average of speed per unit of distance relative to the distance remaining to be traveled. And it can use the rate of progress of other drivers for the same segment this driver is traversing to make the calculation even more precise - Google already uses this information for their color-coded traffic maps.
Not if you have a TARDIS
I take no responsibility for what I say. Even though I'm never wrong
The above reasons, and because your suggestion takes so long to say that the time changes drastically (is it 45 seconds from starting to speak, from saying "forty ... five ...", or from finishing the sentence?), and if you're navigating particularly narrow streets you might overshoot because the GPS wasn't done yakking.
KISS applies to what the GPS should be saying.
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
"Next left" is much easier when you're in a new location, which is where you'd most likely need directions.
Straight to pub X then left and straight to pub Y, then right after the second pub on your left. It's called Global Pubs System Navigation.
Turn left at the place that used to be a pizza hut
http://usedtobeapizzahut.blogs...
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
I absolutely agree. I'd also like to see something like "turn right in 1/2 mile / 45 seconds, and then turn left in 3 miles". I like to think two or three steps ahead to cover things like being in the correct lane for turns, and Google Maps does that part really badly. If you miss a turn because there were five lanes of traffic to cross and you only got 10 seconds of notice, the directions have failed.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
I'd just love it if they could say "Take the *next* right" rather than tell me how far away it is. They do that with rotaries/roundabouts/traffic circles. Why not with normal streets?
I was in California on vacation and I heard it much more frequently. I imagine that's a testing ground since it's close to home. I immediately refused to go to any location that they mentioned to punish them for advertising to me like that. Also, they told me to turn at some fast food place that was tucked behind other buildings so I would have missed my turn if it wasn't for their more conventional reminders like distance or street names. Boo...
What about turn left at the next memorial for some event that you personally don't like?
I already do that. I look at streetview, and then I tell myself to make a right turn as soon as I see the white cat sitting on the garbage can.
I find it interesting that women seem to give directions based on landmarks where's men seem to give distance and Street names.
Yes landmarks are easier to see but far wise when you're trying to figure out where and how you took a wrong turn.
I can barely do those calculations when I'm sober. How am I supposed to do them when I'm driving?
You are welcome on my lawn.
Take a Right at Starbucks. No not that one. No Farther down.
Like the fifth one from the next one on the right.
and use landmarks that aren't there any more. "Well, ya go about a mile down the road, then take a right where that big tree blew down last summer. Go about another three and a half miles, and take another right where the schoolhouse used to be. Then in about three quarters of a mile, take a left at the old Johnson place. Name on the mailbox says 'Palmer' but those are the new people who bought it 20 years ago, everyone still calls it the Johnson place. Then go kinda-sorta-right but not hard right at the kid selling flowers, and you're there."
1. This has been in Google Maps for awhile now, and
2. Garmin was doing it before
Will it say the folksy names for the landmarks. As an 8 years long Atlanta GA dweller, I'd like to hear google maps utter the words "Turn right at the Big Chicken on to Cobb Parkway", as I was told many, many times by the old timers, when I lived there. I did not notice that it was a KFC location, for a long long time.
__________
The more I know people, the more I love animals
...how long until they start misusing landmarks. I mean if 'south two blocks, then east two blocks' gets you there the same as 'east two blocks then south two blocks', but the business one one corner has paid a cent more in ad revenue than the other??? Or worse, you get routed out of your way just to pass a higher ad revenue block?
There's no point to missed-it directions. As soon as you miss it, the GPS recalculates and gives you new instructions.
I'd never consider this before, but I wonder how google handles misses turns in very far out areas. Usually it just routes you to the next street or exit, but if that's really far off and u-turns are legal on that road, I wonder what it suggests.
Got instructions to turn left at the (live) elephant. Apparently there all day every day.
I agree with most, this is a useful feature, and yeah obviously it's for advertising. Please, though, do not use Starbucks as a landmark! There are way too may of them too close to each other and it will get confusing!
I think you may be fairly unique, I've never heard anyone else say they do this or heard any human give humans directions in terms of estimated time..
As others mentioned, while you could extrapolate a guess, particularly at 1/2 mile away the likelihood of an unpredictable momentary traffic condition completely ruining that guess is very high.
I personally glance at the map to get a sense for whether or not it's the very next available road in that direction, or if it's the second or third intersection. This also involves some fudging, as I have to make a judgement call about whether the intersection I see is a road that would be on the map or some minor private road-looking thing. This can cut both ways, an unassuming dirt road that I would have guessed would not be mapped would be mapped as well as a nice looking road turning out to be some high end house's driveway. So I'm more looking at the rough general shape than counting or anything I suppose.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
"If you see the Burger King, you are getting close. The cat lady standing on the corner only starts hanging around after sunset. The naked lady, on the other hand, with the tattoo on her left forearm has the number for the precinct. When you hear the call to prayer, and it's late at night, that prayer is for you, and that's a polite way of saying that you really shouldn't be in these parts so late at night. The google mapper vehicle had all four wheels taken, and it was up on cinderblocks next to a chalk outline. Don't ever stop to ask for directions because the last guy that did, well let's just say they didn't even take the canoli.
WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
âoeProceed for four miles. Then, at Plugging Pussies Gentlemenâ(TM)s Club make a right. Proceed for one mile. At the heroin dealer Doctor Bob, turn left. Proceed for five hundred yards to Allahu Akbar. Make a right turn and the destination is in your right.â
As in "Turn left at the big green building with the Circle K next to it, the one that burned down in '93..."
If you see fish swimming by your window, then you've gone too far.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
.... turn right at Albuquerque.
Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
and the signs are usually so close to the intersection that their only use is to inform you that you just missed the turn.
Portland, Oregon is exactly like that - I only live near Portland, not in it, and I hate navigating around with out a moving map so I know when the street I need to turn on is coming up.
It is exactly like you said: you can't even read the street sign until you are so close to the intersection you must pass through it. It's absurd and nearly useless.
It's harder still since my car seems to add about a second of buffering delay when i'm using bluetooth audio, and even that second is quite hard to get used to when you are driving in a city environment.
"In 1.3 miles, turn right up where the Piggly Wiggly used to be."
"Continue (on down the road apiece) for about 10 minutes,
-- THEN -- turn right at the big tree."
"In .4 miles, slight right.
-- THEN -- turn left at Old Man Gaskin's road.
Warning: Old Man Gaskin has a gun."
"At the intersection, take the dirt road on the left."
(already implemented)
"You can't get there from here."
OK Google, Navigate to CVS.
"In one mile, Start thinking about your destination.
In a half mile, You'll get a real fixation.
In a half mile, Soon enough you'll be turning left
In a quarter mile, Your destination will seem like theft
In a quarter mile, Your destination will let you save
Your destination is on the left: buy Burma Shave."
Why do you assume that the current speed will be maintained?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
You deserve a Right Turn Today(tm)
I have used google maps in India. There the directions have always been like, "Turn left at Ganesha Temple, turn right at the Punjab Bank, ..." kind. Was glad it did not end in, "after turning left at the Geetha Cafe, stop, ask the boy Appu selling peacock feather fan, how to proceed". No north, south, road number business.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
It's just past the intersection where the old blinking light used to be.
When you get to the bottom of the hill it's the one that's falling apart next door to the hideous purple painted house.
You should see the crack dealer lookouts hanging out on the corner.
You have arrived at your destination.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
n/t
Why do you assume that the current speed will be maintained?
Newton's first law?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Conspiracy theorists used to think the maintenance barcodes on the back of street signs were some secret code for FEMA trucks to find their way around.
But when you think about it, why not have those 2D barcodes on street signs so that they could be scanned by a smartphone.
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
There was an Amish guesthouse / hotel with turret bedrooms that each had different themes. One was "Swimming with the fishes" and had trunks, fishing nets, boat lamps and other items.
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
Or "Turn right after the Mac Donald's - nope sorry - Taco Bell - nope sorry again - Burger King, I meant".
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
Because then you'll get into an argument about this right or the next right and miss all your rights entirely.
Perhaps they should have altered the term from 'landmarks' to 'advertising marks'. It just never ends with these asshats
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
"Turn right at Pimp Jim's beat-down corner, avoid the Po Po substation on the next light, then hang a right until you get to the Best Little Ho House In Tejas... the destination is on your left!"
I don't think Google would use Burger King after they were trolled so hard last year.
I was in the suburbs once, in an area I know well (I was using Maps to get home), deliberately missed a turn so I could stop for gas, and Google Maps told me to take a U-turn at the next light, despite there actually being a fast backup path by going further up the road.
There is some research on human navigation styles, such as whether landmark or route based, that are exhibited in various human groupings (not necessarily male/female).
Though the biggest innovation in car navigation systems was automatic route recalculation on the fly. Now, there is less screaming between drivers and passengers over missed turns, if you screw up it will still try to get you to your destination, assuming you didn't make an epic mistake...
I have a friend that does. The problem is that when he says, "ten minutes away" it tends to be somewhere between 15 and 45 minutes away.
Don't ask how accurate his 'about an hour away' is..
There exist in the UK an entire cohort of men that can give you directions to any destination within 40 miles (and sometimes beyond) without referencing anything other than the pubs you'll pass on the way.
My former manager is one, it was a marvel to listen to him give directions. Never tried following them mind..