Google Maps' Moat

Re:Google Maps' Moat by aluhut on Wednesday December 20, 2017 @03:32AM (#15967973)

I use it frequently. It's not. Especially regarding updating businesses, small roads (and road quality), paths, opening hours, closed roads&paths/construction sites, bike maps, everything regarding detailed information basically. I have been adding bus stop markers for blind people or types of pedestrian crossings, recycling containers, street light, to OSM with StreetComplete. There is so much more there. Next time, please elaborate on such blunt statements since I believe it may be worse somewhere but it's not generally.

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Re:Google Maps' Moat by Freak_NL on Wednesday December 20, 2017 @03:58AM (#15968077)

Or, if OpenStreetMap is lacking in your local area, help out! OpenStreetMap thrives when local mappers are involved.

Compare this section of a Dutch city:

Google: https://www.google.nl/maps/@53.1983621,5.767509,16z?hl=nl

OpenStreetMap: https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/53.1986/5.7679

Apple: (I guess Apple maps can't be linked to on the web?)

It also helps a lot if your government can be persuaded to open up their geographical data. All the building outlines are right there on the map in the Netherlands, up to date to within weeks, because the Dutch OpenStreetMap volunteers work with government data that is permissively licensed and cleared for use with OpenStreetMap. In fact, mistakes in that data set are also picked up by the local OpenStreetMap mappers, and reported back to the government cadastral map. Everyone benefits.

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Re:Google Maps' Moat by TheAceOfHearts on Wednesday December 20, 2017 @05:41AM (#15968533)

FYI, you can link to Apple Maps [0]. The equivalent URL isn't really much different [1]. A bit unfortunate that there's no consensus on the URL params between providers, though.

Trying to open that link on macOS from either Firefox or Safari shows a modal asking if I want to open it with the Maps app. I'm not sure what happens on iOS, but I'd expect something similar.

IMO, the lack of web client for Apple Maps makes it the worst of the bunch. Vendor lock-in is a tragedy.

I've been trying to use OSM more over the last few months, but it's hard to compete with Google on their home turf. Although OSM started to become more appealing as Google began requiring you to enable all sorts of data tracking for many or its features to work. If you disable location tracking you run into all sorts of bugs.

[0] https://developer.apple.com/library/content/featuredarticles...

[1] http://maps.apple.com/?ll=53.1983621,5.767509

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Re:Google Maps' Moat by Freak_NL on Wednesday December 20, 2017 @05:56AM (#15968606)

> IMO, the lack of web client for Apple Maps makes it the worst of the bunch. Vendor lock-in is a tragedy.

Yeah, on any other OS your [1] just redirects to Google Maps:

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.1972615,5.7689729,17.5z

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Re:Google Maps' Moat by bigbugbag on Thursday December 21, 2017 @03:43PM (#15982567)

The map used in the posted article has been since filled buildings on OSM: http://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/126762#map=17/41.33998...

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Re:Google Maps' Moat by ikurei on Wednesday December 20, 2017 @07:03AM (#15968871)

Notice that although it looks like Google doesn't have buildings in those links, they do. You just have to zoom in a bit for them to appear.

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Re:Google Maps' Moat by Freak_NL on Wednesday December 20, 2017 @07:33AM (#15969002)

True. The outlines Google has are very inaccurate though (mostly just rough rectangles), and includes buildings razed years ago.

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