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Comment by hgazx | Hacker News Reader

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hgazx

To develop Google maps you need to pay engineers a Google salary, which is impossible anywhere but America.

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You can get quide good (or for some use cases superior) products.

See

- Organic Maps

- OsmAnd

- mapy.cz

Note: Google has clearly better car routing and shop listings.

But for cycling or hiking OSM is typically superior.

And you can fix map if something is wrong.

There is a cultural angle as well here. Unlike America, it's quite common and acceptable in India to just ask someone directions which helps with the last mile directions so India doesn't need a perfect map solution, just a good enough one.

If the person doesn’t know they may be too embarrassed to admit it and make something up. Which is why the last mile qualifier is crucial.

From my experience,if they do not know the route they say that frankly rather than making up something.

You’ve never been to Lahore I’m guessing.

> Unlike America, it's quite common and acceptable in India to just ask someone directions

What? What makes you think this is unacceptable in the US?

I think most Americans prefer to be independent and not have to ask someone, but it's not really that rare.

Google maps is bad for hiking because they generate most of their map data from what the street view cars can see, and cars can't go down hiking trails.

This is just plainly wrong. Most of the data is licensed from third parties.

When Google maps started this was the case... But now only a tiny proportion is third party data (some business listings, some transit data, various icons and logos, ads)

It is bad because it is niche not very profitable sector. At least not Google-scale profitable.

And many hikers care A LOT about hiking and their maps. Hiking and cycling data in OSM is extremely good, as result of many such people being interested in project - as mappers and as users of data, including software creation.

Exactly how much do you think Google pays its engineers and how much does it deviate from the industry?

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