When will online maps think like us?
By Eddie. Thursday, 3. November 2005, 15:32:30
Yahoo is primed to unleashed it's revamped volley into online mapping frey again with its beta yahoo map. So I've rekindled my thoughts on online mapping.
If you set an address as "home" in your favorites/bookmarks/whatever. Don't you think that a map should be smart enough to know that you know how to get out of your neighborhood?
Every online map I've used takes half of the space of my printed directions just getting to freeway two blocks away from my house. Look- I live here. I've told you that. I know how to get to the freeway. I'm going someplace I've never been before- give me the details on the destination end.
We should be able to set the scope of the search. If we are driving across country- we have a different scope than say- finding that new pizza place that opened up in town. You should get appropriate maps.
Even local maps- why is it that we can say "it's on 3rd Ave. Take 2nd to broadway and turn left, two block up on the left" One or two sentences is all it takes there, but online maps will probably spit out out least ten lines that have "0.1 Miles" and "Turn from 2nd Ave onto 2nd Ave W" or something when it's clearly the same street or the street changes name.
Worse- if you try to reduce the noise to focus on the signal by entering just a city name for the starting destination- you get some random point in the middle of the city that often produces even more garbage directions. I think you if don't specify, the directions the map should show the first road that takes you outside the city boundries.
I realize mapping the world is a difficult process. I realize that streets are poorly designed, not black and white, and you need to make special cases for "stay to the right as the road splits" kind of things. I assume it is no small task, and map makers are erring on the side of caution here. Generalization will not always work.
But you should be able to set a "Home" preference where you can set some level of abstraction like "I know where the major highways are" or "start all out of city directions from this freeway" so your directions start with "take I-95 South..." instead of starting from your driveway. Further abstraction should be possible with a "Details" or "Explain this" or "How do I get here" button that drills down.
Most often, I will look at the directions and then write down a simple three for four lines of directions from among the 25 or so. If what I'm proposing is too simlistic- then it would be nice if we could at least choose the directions that get printed out. That way- the user can decide what's important and what is not. I think that would be a good compromise.
Note- that's not really my address- it's a papa johns pizza place or something like that.
If you set an address as "home" in your favorites/bookmarks/whatever. Don't you think that a map should be smart enough to know that you know how to get out of your neighborhood?
Every online map I've used takes half of the space of my printed directions just getting to freeway two blocks away from my house. Look- I live here. I've told you that. I know how to get to the freeway. I'm going someplace I've never been before- give me the details on the destination end.
We should be able to set the scope of the search. If we are driving across country- we have a different scope than say- finding that new pizza place that opened up in town. You should get appropriate maps.
Even local maps- why is it that we can say "it's on 3rd Ave. Take 2nd to broadway and turn left, two block up on the left" One or two sentences is all it takes there, but online maps will probably spit out out least ten lines that have "0.1 Miles" and "Turn from 2nd Ave onto 2nd Ave W" or something when it's clearly the same street or the street changes name.
Worse- if you try to reduce the noise to focus on the signal by entering just a city name for the starting destination- you get some random point in the middle of the city that often produces even more garbage directions. I think you if don't specify, the directions the map should show the first road that takes you outside the city boundries.
I realize mapping the world is a difficult process. I realize that streets are poorly designed, not black and white, and you need to make special cases for "stay to the right as the road splits" kind of things. I assume it is no small task, and map makers are erring on the side of caution here. Generalization will not always work.
But you should be able to set a "Home" preference where you can set some level of abstraction like "I know where the major highways are" or "start all out of city directions from this freeway" so your directions start with "take I-95 South..." instead of starting from your driveway. Further abstraction should be possible with a "Details" or "Explain this" or "How do I get here" button that drills down.
Most often, I will look at the directions and then write down a simple three for four lines of directions from among the 25 or so. If what I'm proposing is too simlistic- then it would be nice if we could at least choose the directions that get printed out. That way- the user can decide what's important and what is not. I think that would be a good compromise.
Note- that's not really my address- it's a papa johns pizza place or something like that.
WIDGETIZE