Ask HN: What is this triangle in the Philippines? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What is this triangle in the Philippines?

google.com.ph

54 pointsrajeemcariazo44 comments

It's just a map error. They happen all the time - once they had a super thin park that ran from Pittsburgh to Texas - it was sort of fun to try to trace it all the way (I gave up, but someone persevered all the way to the end of it).

You can report it to google - there's a report link on the page.

That looks like somebody messed up while converting image data to vector data in their GIS.

Sometimes you see stuff similar to this when you have a bunch of coordinates and a few of them are corrupted - then the lines would shoot off somewhere, and sometimes you might not even notice it. BUT this doesn't look like that - hell it could be pastefuck.

Not on OSM http://osm.org/go/4zKBPA so probably a Google Maps bug.

Probably a bug; at least Nokia Maps has no such thing: https://www.here.com/discover?map=14.1088,120.63979,8,normal

Well, satellite view also shows that there is nothing there. I think OP wanted to know how it got there, though.

For others who haven't tried it yet, here.com seems like a very interesting alternative -this was the first time I tried https://www.here.com/ (Nokia Maps it seems?). I always assumed Nokia Maps were only available on Nokia devices.

I have a feeling that they have got something right compared to Google Maps. Based on a few seconds reading-HN-in-lunch evaluation I'm not sure what though.

Yep, HERE is the brand that replaced Nokia Maps, and before that it was Navteq. They're part of the remnants of Nokia - the parts that MS didn't buy.

I think they have apps on pretty much all devices now, and now that they are no longer part of a company that's making Windows Phones, I imagine they're probably putting more effort into Android and iOS than they were before.

I've been waiting for Nokia or Bing maps to come out on iOS ever since the new Google Maps app update rendered it almost completely useless compared to the old version, but the only options are Apple Maps or Google Maps. They may be on Android, I don't know, but Bing and HERE are not on iOS.

Bing Maps is in the main Bing app on iOS, rather than a separate app.

Nokia's HERE is awesome. I use it for my Android phone. The best thing that it totally works offline (no more tracking of every step by Google) and is more accurate than Google Maps (at least in my area). Also note, that Microsoft didn't buy this division, so it still belongs to old, good Nokia.

Yeah.. interesting for the sake of not being Google.

Except it outright blocks my country: "The Amazon CloudFront distribution is configured to block access from your country"

It's certainly faster and more responsive on my laptop than the current version of Google Maps.

OT: I love how the satellite view switch button shows the actual satellite view at its location[0].

[0]: http://i.imgur.com/ycJmczX.png

The old version of google maps did that as well.

Its the manila bay fault zone, obviously it sliped while they where taking the photo.

Kingdom support checking in: Yep, it crossed my mind it might be an escaped fault polygon.

It's fun to see how much credibility people give by default to these pieces of silicon and glass they have in front of them.

Not sure why you get downvotes, but you have a kind of a point. "Fun" over here translates to "emergency services having to go out and save people who were riding a boat and trusted iPhone navigation, instead of having nautical charts and navigation skill, and ended up on a rock somewhere".

..or drive into the lake, because GPS said it's the right way to go:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2003998/Wrong-way-Th...

Quite, although there I'd be more forgiving, as people react to driving instructions from navigator's voice on a short notice. But to go out to the sea without proper navigation and other equipment is something that one only does after a conscious decision.

An example is a group of men who tried to get 1000 Facebook likes for a project of building a raft and crossing the Gulf of Finland, some 50 nautical miles, in order to buy cheap booze in Tallinn. They didn't get that many likes but decided to go anyway, and ended up in news.

http://yle.fi/uutiset/homemade_raft_to_tallinn_experiment_di...

A happy ending, because when their engine died, they were still within the reach of GSM network and could call for help. They were fined a ridiculous 35 euros total for this.

Emergency services do not (typically) use Google Maps. They use special navigation services that can plot optimal routes while ignoring certain traffic rules. For example, fire trucks can and will go the wrong way down a one-way street; something Google Maps will not account for.

Exactly, what I tried to say is that emergency services (particularly search and rescue on sea) have to go out and save people who were in a boat and relying on Google Maps or Apple services (in the old times, the same people would navigate coastal waters with a map torn out of a phone book).

The SAR teams themselves of course have dedicated equipment and the staff are required to master traditional navigation skills so they can find their way around even without that equipment.

Similarly, it's always fun to find out what has appeared at Null Island recently: http://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Null_I...

Mapmakers (and dictionary makers alike) often introduce small, purposeful errors so that they can track who steals their data. This could be Google's (not very subtle) attempt.

Trap Streets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_street

Similar situation here; this "peninsula" doesn't really exist:

https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/23%C2%B047'02.5%22S+35%...

I always assumed that google uses some kind of algorithm to detect land/sea borders, and it messed up.

It'll be a map error; last year they removed one of the Scottish islands by mistake - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-23331456

A bug obviously. I am sure you knew that yourself already. Just click on satellite view and you'll notice it's just water.

Can someone post a picture? Looks fine on iOS.

http://cl.natw.me/ZUiV/d

Huh. Google maps on iOS focuses on a totally different location. Thanks.

Same here! Lancaster Estates

Can confirm. Googlers read HN so it would be really nice if one of them could submit a bug report.

Here's a screengrab after I click the submitted link, allow the switch to iOS Google Maps, and allow it to finish loading. http://imgur.com/6gwCWK2

As a normal user you can submit a bug from both the web ui (the little question mark in the bottom right) and from both apps (menus have a feedback link).

It focuses on the correct location for me on a Windows PC, but the link itself says Lancaster Estates.

maybe something out of a Neal Stephenson novel? I have never seen it in all my visits to Manila.

That's no error, it's a feature!

A big kite?

Found a bigger kite not far [1]. Seems like a huge kite tournament happened in the Philippines :)

[1] https://www.google.com.ph/maps/place/6%C2%B005%2750.2%22N+12...

It's an UFO landing zone. Stay away from this area!

Can I just watch. I promise I wont tell anyone.

You have been warned ...

Remember kids, you shouldn't use OpenStreetMap because that's crowd-sourced, and doesn't have the same rigorous attention to detail and quality standards are a Real Professional Map like Google Maps.

This is a crowdsourcing error in Google Maps. The triangle was added from MapMaker. It was deleted ten days ago, but the image was not updated yet ( http://goo.gl/P2rpG2 ).

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