Google Maps GPS

[QBallTBEB]

I used my Google Maps/GPS on my Droid this weekend to get me to a restaurant that was about 20 miles away. It led me to an abandoned lot that was 2 streets over from my end location.

I have never had problems before besides the fact that it usually doesn't give me the most efficient route to my destination.

I was wondering if anyone else had crazy end locations when they used their GPS.

 

[Deleted User]

I have never had an issue with Google Maps except for my address, it says I am one house over then I really am. So no biggie on that part, just like phone service everyone complains about it in my area, and I have nothing but perfect service with all 3 of the 4 carriers, Sprint is the only one I have not tried.

 

[SinfulDragon]

I've never had an issue with it before this weekend either, it took me west down a road when as it turns out, I needed to go east, funny thing is it took me directly to a billboard for the place I was going LOL

 

[QBallTBEB]

It was pretty funny when I arrived to where Google Maps said was the end destination because when the picture popped up, it showed the pic of the empty lot.

Luckily I knew my way around the area and was able to find my real destination.

Maybe I shouldn't have given away my Garmin...

 

[get quad]

.

 

[JDW]

Google seems to know my address and that I want to go to it, yet when I try to go home, it wants me to go to the alley access behind my house instead of in the front on my actual street... Sort of odd...

 

[vico512]

I had a funny one this morning. I turned the map on while riding the train to Sea-Tac airport. Initially, it gave me a rough location, based on the cell signal. After I turned on the GPS, it showed me moving fast, around Wallace, Idaho. I turned the map & GPS off & tried again; this time, the Droid showed I was moving very fast, near Billings, MT.

I just tried it again, in the backyard. The GPS took a long time to lock-on, but got finally got it right.

I think the GPS might have been a little confused...!

 

[alnova1]

I guess its all hit or miss but I haven't had any problems yet and it is still a BETA app I think. I use to have my $400 Garmin take me to places that didn't exists! Haven't had that problem yet and the thing I like about it is that every time i use the voice search it gets it right...amazing!

 

[Arcolog2]

I have had issues with businesses no longer existing. But it's the same as when you are home on your computer and google search an address or phone number of a business. Nature of the beastly awesomeness of Google.

 

[johnlgalt]

Conjecture on my part - I believe that Google's acquisition of a third party Mapping service (so they would not have to outsource maps anymore, IIRC) may have set things back a bit for them.

My neighborhood, in every single map I have ever encountered, always has my house on the other side of the neighborhood. I logged into my Google account from a computer, opened Maps, and then sent a report using the report a problem link at the bottom right hand of the map to report issues.

I reported 14 issues in my town, and most were fixed, although they replied back (~5 days later) that 4 of the issues they were not able to do anything about.

A couple of weeks ago they finally got my neighborhood fixed, and my house is exactly where it should be.

 

[UncleMike]

With regard to GPS correctly locating me, I haven't had a problem. Regarding mapping, it's true that Google started maintaining their own maps shortly before releasing the Droid and Google Maps Navigation. I have submitted over 60 corrections to Google, and though I haven't monitored whether they acknowledged them all, the acknowledgements I have received all indicated that I was right in my correction. Corrections such as road names, and turn restrictions have started to appear, and small changes to business locations appear immediately.

I have seen addresses that Google locates several blocks away from the actual street, yet the addresses on either side of it are correctly located.

What I find most frustrating is that some business listings that are grossly mis-located on the map have been "claimed" by their owners and are no longer subject to correction by the general public. For example, a local movie theater is shown far away from where it really is (even though the address is correctly noted), making it virtually impossible for someone to find using Google Maps Navigation.

I think Google made a big mistake in allowing their mapping data to degrade so much immediately prior to releasing a map-based product that would get so much attention. This degradation was bound to occur when they made the switch, but I think they should have put more effort into improving their own maps before abandoning their outsourced maps.

 

[darreno1]

I think the problems are location specific. Down in here in S.Florida it's accurate 99% of the times for me and I use it a lot. Some new developments have yet to make it into the maps and that's understandable given how recently they happened.

Judging from the comments posted on other forums by members using different mapping software, I don't think this is an unusual occurrence in any way. I remember reading about misleading mapping data from even Garmin users. I had a Pre and it's Telenav data seemed more outdated and inaccurate than Google Maps in many areas. I often had to switch back and forth.

I like the fact that members with issues like yourselves are reporting these problems though. Doing so will only make it better.

 

[crankerchick]

I haven't used the Maps app that much since I got my Droid. I didn't have a problem the few times I tried it until this past weekend. It worked for one location near Cleveland, OH by correctly using the address of the place i found on the web and then navigating us to it using the Maps app.

The next attempt, i did the same thing, used the browswer to find a CVS and then clicked get directions and selected Maps when prompted. The written directions were correct, but once I clicked 'navigate' and the navigation began, it wanted us to drive like 2 miles past the destination, turn onto a different road, and then back onto the road were on. And no, it didn't have us go back to right place once back on the right road either.

Now, I saw the CVS once when we turned on the road, but it was like in a tiny little shopping center and looked more like a mom&pop pharmacy, so the others in the car didn't think it was the right place, and wanted to follow the navigation. Of course I "back out" of the navigation and look at the written directions again, which do indeed say the CVS was the one we just drove past, and when I clicked navigate, sure enough it wanted us to keep driving. Needless to say after riding the 1.5 miles down the road, the driver turned around and went back and that hole in the wall CVS was indeed the real cvs once you got inside.

I just thought it was so weird that the written directions were right, but the 'navigation' was not. I would think that the navigation would just be using those same written directions.

 

[superglen99]

I have used the gps a few times and it was always accurate. Last night I got lost cause the directions took me to the wrong spot. My brother was like oh here, let my iphone save us cause your droid doesnt. He put in the address and guess what? It said we were there. So first of all I was like in your face it's not the phone it's google maps. Second of all we called the house and turns out we were a couple blocks away. Its a new house in a new development so it wasn't on google maps yet. I think it's time they update their maps though man. To be fair anyone that used their gps last night to get to the house got lost lol.

 

[mystereon]

I am going to post this to all of the GPS not working right forums, because this will possibly give some answers into these unexplained problems.

Sat-nav devices face big errors as solar activity rises

This could possibly be an issue that we will all be affected by.

 

[jd99]

Maybe that's why the google maps on my phone started messing up last week, yesterday it had me completely out of the country, I was in Portugal????

Today it has me about 30 miles north of where I actually am.

Maybe I'm not actually here.............................

 

[boatman]

The way mapping works is that there is a database of locations with the latitude and longitude of the address. The gps gets lat/lon coord, in good systems to about 10-30'.

If you look at a google map search, you will see the lat/lon 70.123456789, 42.123456768, etc of the address you are looking for.

So if you want the gps to guide you to 123 main st, anycity, anystate, anyzip, the database will have the lat/lon for this. The gps will take you to that lat/lon. If the database lat/lon is not correct for this address, the gps still takes you the lat/lon in the database, only it's not where you want to be really be. 'Real' gps devices give the user the ability to go to a lat/lon, but of course, most of us know places by their address , not their lat/lon;-) Of course, errors, such as nature will affect accuracy.

 

[&roid]

.

I am going to post this to all of the GPS not working right forums, because this will possibly give some answers into these unexplained problems.

Sat-nav devices face big errors as solar activity rises

This could possibly be an issue that we will all be affected by.

There is an app in the Market, called Tricoder that displays solar activity, if your having gps issues you can check to see if that may be the problem.