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As Google Maps Renames Neighborhoods, Residents Fume (nytimes.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: For decades, the district south of downtown and alongside San Francisco Bay here was known as either Rincon Hill, South Beach or South of Market. This spring, it was suddenly rebranded on Google Maps to a name few had heard: the East Cut. The peculiar moniker immediately spread digitally, from hotel sites to dating apps to Uber, which all use Google's map data. The name soon spilled over into the physical world, too. Real-estate listings beckoned prospective tenants to the East Cut. And news organizations referred to the vicinity by that term.
"It's degrading to the reputation of our area," said Tad Bogdan, who has lived in the neighborhood for 14 years. In a survey of 271 neighbors that he organized recently, he said, 90 percent disliked the name. The swift rebranding of the roughly 170-year-old district is just one example of how Google Maps has now become the primary arbiter of place names. With decisions made by a few Google cartographers, the identity of a city, town or neighborhood can be reshaped, illustrating the outsize influence that Silicon Valley increasingly has in the real world.
"It's degrading to the reputation of our area," said Tad Bogdan, who has lived in the neighborhood for 14 years. In a survey of 271 neighbors that he organized recently, he said, 90 percent disliked the name. The swift rebranding of the roughly 170-year-old district is just one example of how Google Maps has now become the primary arbiter of place names. With decisions made by a few Google cartographers, the identity of a city, town or neighborhood can be reshaped, illustrating the outsize influence that Silicon Valley increasingly has in the real world.
Are they "official" names for neighborhoods?
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
How is that better than one name the same everywhere?
They randomly changed Mystreet Street to Mystreet Ave. You don't realize the amount of services that rely on Google for address verification until it starts throwing you errors about an invalid address. Fuck you Google, it still says Street on the signs and even on your goddamn streetview images.
You know the name of your own neighborhood, right?
Why does it matter what the Internet calls it?
"It's degrading to the reputation of our area," said Tad Bogdan, who has lived in the neighborhood for 14 years.
He should be happy they didn't decide to call it Poop Map!
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
Google can just give every SF neighborhood a really awful name. West gash, Buttfungus grove, Trashpile drive, Stank avenue, etc, lowering property values until housing is affordable for mere mortals again!
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Rincon Hill, South Beach and SOMA are all distinct neighborhoods, not different names for the same area as the article insinuates.
Real estate agents here try to rename areas all the time into 'micro neighborhoods' for out of towners who would, for example, rather move to 'Eureka Valley' than 'The Castro'. This isn't anything new and I would question whether Google did this and real estate agents followed, or if it's the other way around.
People that actually live here now and have lived here for any mount of time would never deign to utter the words "South Cut". That's just a stupid name in and of itself and has no meaning.
Residents Fume?
They should be glad it's not worse. I can imagine much worse names than East Cut which Google could give to a neighborhood.
I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
I am living in a rural area where a whole number of places, particularly intersections are called names that you cannot find on any map, usually based on some business or proprietor that has gone away decades ago. In contrast, few people would know the street names of relevance. If there is some newsworthy event, the local newspapers refer to it by the local name that isn't on any map.
I tried entering a few of those into Google Maps, including an explanation of why I did that. No dice. None of them were ever accepted in spite of being in common use (outside of official channels).
In contrast, this report points to people just inventing names out of thin air and Google runs with them.
How dare anyone question Silicone Valley! All hale the geeks! I mean, these are the GOOD GUYS that are going to save us with their new whiz-bang way of doing things. Like just dropping motorized bikes on a city and letting them deal with it. Or making an expensive juice squeezer. Or getting everyone onto a social platform so all your information can be sold to evil-corp!
Disrupting things is good, right?
God, I feel like things like this I would read about in a cyberpunk dystopian novel.
It's so weird that tech companies, which are generally staffed by left-leaning people who claim to be for the betterment of mankind, work for companies like Google, Facebook, Tesla and others that are doing everything the evil corporations in cyberpunk do.
I'm having a really hard time working up any sympathy for those afflicted by this. I'm trying but in the great scheme of things, it seems like something I really don't need to give a crap about. Maybe someone should call a Whaaaahmbulance.
s/Cupertino/Fruit Market/
google renamed the street I grew up on by eliding a t. some time later, when the city went to remake the street signs, I'm guessing they checked google maps for the spelling rather than the records and suddenly Patterson became Paterson. At one point my mother had collected a 19th century city registrar book that had all the properties delineated, (and the street name correctly spelled...)
there was even a short period of time when you could use street view to look at an old and new street sign within a block of each other and see both spellings in the wild.
-- it's ridiculous how many people misspell ridiculous... (damn, damn, damn...)
Could have called it "East Cunt" with a slip of the keyboard.
Here/Navteq maps have been using township names in my area. Not towns, townships. The township I live in has an obscure name that is completely unrelated to the town name. If it wasn't on my tax bill, I would have no idea it existed. However, Navteq uses that instead of the town name.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
If they had done any research they would have found out that the community benefit district for that area, a local government agency, had renamed the area to the East Cut over a year ago.
They spend tax money on advertising it and probably went to google to get the name to reflect what the city wanted.
This was not some sudden change caused by google, nor an example of how google is a final arbitrator of names.
it is just another daily example of how the new york times is worth for journalism and its only value is in wiping down the street of San Francisco.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/ba...
I remember watching this on KPIX (CBS) a while ago. The signs are on pole and Banners. Here is a link:
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/07/18/emerging-san-francisco-neighborhood-takes-new-name/
Is this really Google's fault?
Does the US have no national cartographic survey? Is this libertarianism in action? Having a private corp name your places instead of a public body? Oh well, I guess you must want random Indian call center workers naming your places; good luck Shithole Fuckwit States Of America!
If you've ever been to SFO quite frankly a number of those names wouldn't be descriptively inaccurate, either.
-Styopa
Google Maps has some oddities, that's for sure. I work in a rural location, which is physically close to one small town, but separated by a steep ridge that the road goes around, so we are much closer by road to an even smaller town. That is where the local mail is delivered from, so the whole area around here is associated with that town. No one would argue otherwise. Google, however, thinks that the entire area has some connection to a third small town, which is much further away and would not even come up in a discussion of "places close to where I work". It confuses the heck out of people trying to find us. They also route you strangely through a nearby highway junction (which is a bit weird in itself), in a way that is more likely to cause accidents. I have contacted them about it, but got no response.
East Bumf**k
And the name of your area doesn't change your fucking neigbourhood unless they name it "Shtberg" or "Townofassholes".
Better than naming places which flat out don't exist. There's a piece of land in eastern Utah called Big Park which is not referenced on any state databases or on any other mapping service. It is located out in truly desolate country with no services for miles. Going out there without adequate preparations is likely to get someone stranded or killed.
Google Maps is accountable to no one. That is the problem with these corporations.
Don't forget Needle Row and Gangland Heights.
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
And quite a number of those names would be embraced and celebrated by the weirdos who live there.
I could see a Leather Boy proudly proclaiming he's a resident of Buttfungus Grove and has never been to West Gash or any gash for that matter.
Many of Google’s decisions have far-reaching consequences, with the maps driving increased traffic to quiet neighborhoods
Too bad. It isn't creating traffic it's a redistribution. Public streets are public.
the name is tricia pLace not tricia pIace (that's an i)
Pretty funny to hear, "in 100 feet turn right on Tricia Pee-Yaw-See.
Pull up Google Maps and zoom in on any neighborhood and you see all sorts of names of 'areas' that don't seem to have anything to do with anything. Where the heck are they even coming up with these?
One thing I've noticed about Google...especially lately...is they are adding some historical names to areas. A prime example is a spot out in California I go to which doesn't really have a mailing address, but Google assigns it location name. That name is based off a long-defunct stop on a railroad on a long defunct rail line.
I've seen this locally too. I've noticed some really old names for areas that I've only seen on maps made before the 1920s. I have to wonder if Google is acquiring really old maps in whatever it's licensing and someone had the idea to toss these names in here. There's one place near me that shows up as "[something] Post Office" when the post office has been gone for well over 100 years. Most people have no clue why this name is showing up till I unroll an antique map and show them.
I know where I live..most neighborhoods "advertise" somehow...they'll have nice name markers. IT came as a lot of neighbors' surprise when they started seeing the name of a place they'd never heard of. "Check your tax maps; that entire area was organized as a sub-division in the 70s before it was built and the name is probably on your deed." Pretty much everyone that lives back there has moved in within the last 20 years and actually never bothered looking over the details of their deeds to see "[redacted] Mills Lot [whatever]" on there.
As someone who is fascinated with maps, it makes perfect sense to me.
The NYT article clearly states this if you had bothered to read it instead of just bashing. From the New York Times
"In San Francisco, the East Cut name originated from a neighborhood nonprofit group that residents voted to create in 2015 to clean and secure the area. The nonprofit paid $68,000 to a “brand experience design company” to rebrand the district."
Why, some of those who live in the first world do!
This is only a small neighborhood but the american zionist, trump, google have renamed Jerussalaam and given it to the zionist. Imagine how those people feel, some stupid fat yellow idiot and an IT company gave away their land to another bunch of goons with world dominating ideas and racism.
Massospara Heights
https://www.theatlantic.com/sc...
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
Google can just give every SF neighborhood a really awful name. West gash, Buttfungus grove, Trashpile drive, Stank avenue, etc, lowering property values until housing is affordable for mere mortals again!
Free blowjobs, Stinkville, Smellsbad.
Google Maps shows a town about a mile from where I live. Click on the name and no information about the town shows up. Nobody has ever heard of it and few people live within that area. The area is actually part of the city I live in, so it can't be a city or town of its own. Maybe Google found the name in an old history book where there may have been a community by that name a hundred or more years ago.
That's not the only case. I see it repeated all over the state. These are not "dead towns". I'm familiar with dead towns. I have a book that lists every dead town in the state. They may be old communities that Google "thinks" are towns.
Has anyone else noticed that the Phoenix area seems a bit over the top with the neighborhood names? I live in NYC and don't know Phoenix well, but it seems like every 30 - 100 houses have their own name. People can't really use these, right? Just take a look Pueblo Hermoso, for instance, looks like it's about one building, and appears to be some kind of a strip mall. I'm used to NYC, where even a small ("newer," some would say fictional) neighborhood like NoHo might have 5,000 residents, and 100+ buildings, with stores and restaurants in it. Obviously, this is because of the density of Manhattan. However, in Phoenix, are people even using these names? Would a local even know where "Henry Leo Place" is? Would love to have a local weigh in.
Disagreeing with me does not mean you get to mod me troll.
I think this would just build up demand amongst hipsters to live in a place with a cool name.
And West Gash is a real place. Well, real in a game anyway.
Hey guy, what you did there was say a bunch of racist shit, and then throw in an almost racist thing so that you could then tell us it isn't and blame us for being racists. Racism was on YOUR mind. YOU had to "explain" your own damned post. That's a pretty good indictaor that you are being racist. Just like when someone starts a sentence with "I'm not racist but...". If you respond, you'll claim it was a joke, like most racists do, but it wasn't even remotely funny. AND fixating on Bronies seems to indicate that not only do you have some racial resentment, but you apparently don't care for gay or girly guys either. Furthermore, you're bitching about them thar furriners not speaking engish. That alone shows what's really on your mind. Why are YOU thinking about race all the time? Why are you jealous of the sparkles?
It got spread because the city of San Fransico through that nonprofit group decided to change the name and pay tax money on advertising and changing official designations to reflect that name changed.
The article did nothing to show that google did it.
The article says exactly what you said.
beats being called NIMBY.
Lick those boots!
Good dog - you get a treat.
They should rename SF to Frisco.
http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrJS9Sx.WNbRWkA5RxB4iA5;_ylu=X3oDMTByaW11dnNvBGNvbG8DaXIyBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--/RV=2/RE=1533307441/RO=10/RU=http%3a%2f%2fleeds.streetmapof.co.uk%2fstanks-avenue%2f/RK=2/RS=RE3jTsmeMP3drLBb3L_1cmjvwZc-
First of all, SF already has a reputation for being degrading in a myriad of ways*. Second, East Cut sounds a lot cooler than "Rincon" (what's that, an Engrish spelling of "Lincoln"?) or "South of Market" (sounds like directions to a place) or South Beach (such creativity, much wow).
*Wasn't there something about shit on the streets the other day? Also the smug SJW centre of the universe. SV is a slave mill: for a slim chance of success, people work in conditions similar to Chinese factory workers. Apparently no one can afford housing except the corporate overlords. Even the weather is shitty. Truly the Mecca.
I'm fairly annoyed that Nextdoor has given my neighborhood a random name based on one of the minor roads on the other side of the highway. It's a traditionally black neighborhood with a distinctive official name, and clearly Nextdoor didn't do any research before renaming it.
Incipiamus, fratres, servire Domino Deo, quia hucusque vix vel parum in nullo profecimus.
Google can just give every SF neighborhood a really awful name. West gash, Buttfungus grove, Trashpile drive, Stank avenue, etc, lowering property values until housing is affordable for mere mortals again!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk_City
There is a neighborhood in NYC called "Great Kills". Its the name on the local train station, US post office, etc. For the longest time, if you looked up anything related to this neighborhood, the online maps (both Mapquest and Google for a few years IIRC) would list everything as being in the nearest neighborhood over instead of ever saying "Great Kills". I'm sure it was some idiot with no sense of etymology that did this on purpose.
Worse, there is a street with a double letter, also in NYC, where Google would only give proper directions is you spelled it with a single letter. The double letter spelling was on the street signs, its where the post office delivered to. But it you put the proper spelling into their direction lookup, it would lead you to a random spot in an entirely different state. You had to tell people the wrong address in order for them to be able to find the right directions with Google, but the proper spelling for when they see the street or were using a GPS device.
This is not like a spell checker where if its missing a word's alternate spelling, you could just add it. A mistake, intentional or not, really screws with peoples lives.