Hacker News Reader

Comment by pard68 | Hacker News Reader

If you put my address into Google Maps you end up in almost the furthest place from me in the state of Missouri (USA). It's literally 7 hours from me, but Google insists that this is my address. Poor satellite repair man ended up on a dirt road nearly in Iowa when he tried to come out.

Google also suggests that the best way to get from one paved road in our county to another is a 25 mile dirt road which _fords_ three creeks, one of which is never below 2' deep. If you are not driving a vehicle capable of making that crossing you will end up stranded in a creek, a 4 hour walk from cell service

View on HN

Putting my friend’s house into google maps tries to route you into their cul-de-sac through a dirt non-road that has since been blocked. Whether ordering an Uber or UberEats or DoorDash or taxi, you have to tell them the correct route and hope they read the message. Usually they call from the dead-end, confused, and then you have to wait an extra 10min while they drive the correct way.

Edit: You can right-click google maps, select "Report a data problem", then click the road segment and choose an option like "Road closed", "Remove road", etc. Finally, gonna get the whole crew doing this to fix it once and for all. It'll be my friend's xmas gift.

That method to suggest corrections on Google Maps is only available in some countries. In other countries, Google Maps does not offer its users any way to suggest corrections. Of course, Google Maps still ships by default on Android phones sold there.

Sometimes the fix works, sometimes not. It depends on who many things, one oof them might be your reputation at Google.

A friend of mine tried to fix his address for a year, every few weeks. It was always rejected. He successfully fixed his neighbors' ones though.

I requested a fix twice, it worked the second time. I live 1500km away from him but somehow seemed more trusted.

It's funny to me that the Assistant team knows how bad Maps is because the Maps integration is very good at ignoring insults appended to commands. For example, when you tell Maps to "Navigate me to Walmart" and then it asks you if you mean the one five miles away or the one eighty-six miles away, it correctly interprets your response of "The closest one you worthless piece of shit".

I have never ever gotten it to even find the same sort of company when I try with voice. It's like a random company within 100 km of the target I want to go to. Every single time. Mostly given up except when I want some laughs from the passengers. Does not matter if I use the car mic or if it's perfectly quiet around me with the phone's own mic. Tried different phones too.

Have you tried editing it? https://support.google.com/maps/answer/10010575?hl=en&co=GEN...

I tried twice when we moved here, my suggestions were never taken. I gave up and just use my business to give directions now.

Have you tried E.G.

for Google Maps

you click on a point and hold it until a pin forms

In the pin popup there's the GPS co-ordinates

Click the GPS again and it loads the point not as decimal GPS but...

47°26'46.8"N 122°17'51.4"W For KSEA Seattle International Airport's departure's drive

I have never seen a business accept GPS coordinates instead of the actual home address, for booking at-home services.

Grab (the South East Asian Uber) lets you place the pin.

I did just that when I grew tired of delivery drivers entering the wrong gate because the address’ pin was closer to the other side of my corner.

It's somewhat common in certain countries, e.g. Mongolian addresses are now given using what3words coordinates, which are just GPS coordinates with proprietary sugarcoating.

I'm not OP, but in a faintly similar situation. We have a house at the end of a private driveway, and Google for some reason believes there to be a continuation of that driveway to the neighborhood behind us. We've told them many, many times that the road they think exists does not in fact. It works for a while, then after a few months it reverts and we start getting visitors coming down the private driveway believing they can cut through to the neighborhood.

Edits to google maps typically get reverted after a month, at least they do for me and others I’ve read about online. I worry they’re resting on their laurels

That feels like a regular import of wrong data.

I always assumed that Google used location data to help routing. Especially location data from people not using any navigation. But these stories suggest the system is a lot dumber.

In my case they use a completely malformed/made up street name.

I personally have tried to edit my address issue it 10+ times already, but they keep rejecting it. It would be good to know based on what they get GIS/map data because then I could try to edit at the source.

It doesn't seem that the reports go to someone with local knowledge or within that country. And someone from abroad won't care about the local nuances that make a difference.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com