AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: billtm on May 19, 2014, 09:00:27 PM

Title: How to fix/improve Google map maker
Post by: billtm on May 19, 2014, 09:00:27 PM
I first got my Google map maker account to fix the 52 routing on 465 in the first place. To my dissapointment the edit was denied :-/. But later the denier apologized :cool:. I figured out that as you got more edits, you got more power. So when I hit about 250 edits (I don't really remember how many.), I tried to edit SR 13's routing in Fortville. But then that got denied, and that time I was really mad because my edit was totally legit and just because the reviewer didn't know that SR 13 had its routing changed really recently, they denied it. As opposed to the other guy later apologizing, this time there was just some dumb automated response that didn't explain why the edit was denied or give any helpful info. Because of those experiences, I am now really scared to do any major edits, or else I would be fixing the greater Lafayette area like crazy.

Here are also some changes that I want to make to Google map maker:

1. Display the whole attributes panel and have changed parts highlighted while reviewing edits.

2. Explain reason for rejecting an edit instead of issuing an automated response.

3. Allow the user to give a Reason for editing when using the Select road segments tool.

For all you people out there that also use Gmapmaker, what changes would you like to make to it?

P.S. I decided to start this topic after reading this: https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=10382.0
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=10382.0)

P.P.S. If someone could change the routing for SR 13 in Fortville that would be nice :bigass:. The fix is to delete the downtown routing and keep the routing that goes due south on Madison St.
Title: Re: How to fix/improve Google map maker
Post by: rickmastfan67 on May 19, 2014, 09:09:51 PM
4. Just ignore Google Map Maker and fix errors in OpenStreetMap (http://www.openstreetmap.org/). :wave:

Quote from: billtm on May 19, 2014, 09:00:27 PM
So when I hit about 250 edits (I don't really remember how many.), I tried to edit SR 13's routing in Fortville. But then that got denied, and that time I was really mad because my edit was totally legit and just because the reviewer didn't know that SR 13 had its routing changed really recently, they denied it. As opposed to the other guy later apologizing, this time there was just some dumb automated response that didn't explain why the edit was denied or give any helpful info. Because of those experiences, I am now really scared to do any major edits, or else I would be fixing the greater Lafayette area like crazy.

You wouldn't be the first to have this happen.  I once tried to move a grocery store node across the street when they built a new store and demo'ed the old location.  My edit was initially denied on the basis that 'StreetView' showed it still at the old location, and the StreetView imagery at that time was ~4 years old....
Title: Re: How to fix/improve Google map maker
Post by: Bruce on May 19, 2014, 11:04:09 PM
Quote from: rickmastfan67 on May 19, 2014, 09:09:51 PM
4. Just ignore Google Map Maker and fix errors in OpenStreetMap (http://www.openstreetmap.org/). :wave:

The problem is that people don't know/use OpenStreetMap. Everyone uses Google Maps, so changes visible there are going to be beneficial for more people.
Title: Re: How to fix/improve Google map maker
Post by: Scott5114 on May 19, 2014, 11:20:55 PM
Really, they should toss it. Let OpenStreetMap be the crowdsourced map that updates immediately, and let Google Maps be the verified but sometimes slow-to-update map based on reliable GIS datasets. As it stands now, Google has its foot on both sides of the fence, with reviewers acting as gatekeepers that know nothing about what they're reviewing. So you get the worst of both worlds.
Title: Re: How to fix/improve Google map maker
Post by: vdeane on May 19, 2014, 11:36:53 PM
Currently, appointment as a reviewer is inversely proportional to the amount of map knowledge/skills they have.  They're chosen based on how well they can read Google's data and deny anything that doesn't match.  I believe living in India is also a job requirement.
Title: Re: How to fix/improve Google map maker
Post by: hotdogPi on May 20, 2014, 02:35:18 PM
I have fixed an error, and it worked. (US 6 and CT 6 were in the same spot, and I removed CT 6. It got accepted quickly.)

Also, OpenStreetMap is not completely accurate. (NH 43 is a mess.) And a route can only be up to 8 characters long or it won't display, so concurrencies are often left blank.
Title: Re: How to fix/improve Google map maker
Post by: rickmastfan67 on May 20, 2014, 09:47:37 PM
Quote from: 1 on May 20, 2014, 02:35:18 PM
And a route can only be up to 8 characters long or it won't display, so concurrencies are often left blank.

That's just a flaw in the rendering engine.  If you load the MapQuest background instead, you'll properly see the shields (as long as the road doesn't have more than two routes on it, then you only see the first two listed).